Consensus

Absolutely with our support John E Samuelsen president of the TWU Local 100 knows there is no danger of losing in the election so he can afford to be as bold as he wants to be - that is him at his best. Now as we are told - we can agree that TWU Local 100 needs to own its property (building and its own land), employ our own staff, set the pay scale of staff locally, develop our own initiatives and control our own future.

We want to talk about the future however many are stuck in the past - he was talking about the future once but we do not want to be regressive. However we need the best results for our future not only in the matter of the property but rather in the totality of TWU Local 100. There are many issues or policies that need to be addressed for the benefit of the membership, there is no question that consensus is needed. 

Now whether there is improvement in the TWU Local 100 that can be debatable, what matters is the results - whether TWU Local 100 as an organization is on a trajectory of investment or reform. We also would like to hear the same words whether behind closed doors or in public.

We wish success in urgent matters however we cannot deny that there may be some different view points which is healthy for our TWU Local 100. We are a labor organization and we would love to restore our prominence and fortunes however there are concerns that should be addressed that closely will benefit the membership. It is important that we should listen to what the membership desire. 

26 ayes 16 nays

Welcome to John E Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU twenty six (26) planted ayes votes for purchase and sixteen (16) nays in opposition to the purchase at the executive board meeting yesterday Wednesday September 28, 2010. Therefore now John E Samuelsen has the green light to proceed to purchase the said property - as many of you are aware we said no to the purchase of the property at 195 Montague Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201-3631.

We had highlighted some observations then concerning the above property being unsuitable and also that it was unwise to have the coop board of directors have a say in our building. However our advice went unheeded especially concerning spending the membership funds and binding the membership into a long financial obligation (mortgage). It is clear he is not interested in cutting spending - if this is investment to get ourselves into a property then this property has flaws, namely the coop board of directors.

This property will lead TWU Local 100 into higher debt if the excuse is that this is an investment for the TWU Local 100. If this purchase of the above property goes thru it is obvious he wants to spend more - renovations of the property to make it habitable then there is the moving expenses from the unfriendly building 1700 Broadway. 

Absolutely you will hear no coherent explanation from John E Sameuslen or at least he should answer some questions from the membership - everyone knows that John E Samuelsen is spending over and above his means. It is obvious he is disregarding the economic circumstances, regardless of the depressed real estate industries, regardless of inflation - whichever way you look at it this property vote in the executive board looks desperate.

Every member has concluded that John E Sameuslen is wrong to purchase twenty percent (20%) of any property and looks increasingly ridiculous. Many have judged him from his performance that he needs some help concerning a huge overhead debt that he will impose on the membership for a long time.

No...no...no

On the contract committee we would stress to move beyond the current position on appointing non members of TWU Local 100 which is not wise. We also believe this advice will fall in hard echo, but we would not agree to have non members in the contract committee before starting any stage of contract negotiation, or what those non members will do.

Again we will emphasize we would not be prepared to accept those non members in whatever capacity in the contract committee. We will not agree to John E Sameuslen president of TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU imposing upon us those non members nor will we surrender our right of not accepting them.

It is our purpose to retain the power and influence of the membership on the contract committee and not to dilute it. We wonder what is John E Sameulsen’s policy on this matter - we do not know to what extent those non members would have over our matters? Maybe they may have a say on our health coverage? We say no we would not agree to those non members to have any say that will effect us in the future. We do not want those non members to have any power, we say no..no.

Perhaps John E Sameuslen will give up the powers of members to those non members easily to total abolition of the membership. Perhaps he is incompetent on the contract negotiations that he would be delighted to hand over the full responsibility to the non members. Maybe Samuelsen is not competent on contract negotiations so yes Samuelsen would be glad to hand over the membership powers to non members. What is the point of being elected president and then handing over the power to non members.

We here in why did you join the union have no intention to extinguish or abolish the powers of the membership as Samuelsen has. Samuelsen must give assurances or will he give in on this matter that non members will have zero influence on the contract committee. We hope in the next election members who want to be elected will uphold TWU Local 100 powers and responsibility and not dilute the powers of TWU Local 100 - John E Sameuslen has surrendered some of them and in our view we have surrendered enough. 

The future of the membership should not be put in the hands of non members who were appointed by John E Sameuslen - we do not agree with that point of view. Samuelsen taking matters without consulting the membership is not the democratic way since the membership is being ignored. We find it hard to believe and it is obvious this is a backdoor for Samuelsen to usurp the powers of the membership.

Resign

Defeat after defeat in court cases, losing arbitration after another and now the membership are openly questioning the authority or the so called leadership of John E Samuelsen president of the TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU. Does John E Samuelsen agree that these are signs that his leadership has put TWU Local 100 in terminal decline? If Samuelsen got out and met the membership he’d realize his leadership is the issue.

All the promises before election have been abandoned, now his leadership is the same as the previous administration which he decried. His failure to deal with the layoff of 2010, and his failure to refund the solidarity monies which he promised in the mass membership of 2010 was that a deception one wonders. Then there is his leadership team failure and the union credit cards irregularities. The blunder of the year was the purchase of the property. Then there are failures of his TBOU team.

He has got nothing to say for the issues that face the membership, he has nothing to say about the write ups against the membership - all the promises that he would support the membership through their tough times within a few days he has abandoned them with his U turn.

Often Samuelsen will announce a plan after a plan and he would launch documents with colossal ideas that are received by the membership with incredulity at best and hostility at worst. What ever the problems the membership are faced with the answer is not more documents, surveys, vestibule take over, rat campaign and TV speeches - John E Samuelsen’s leadership cannot go on like this.

It is difficult times - big speeches are not the answer. Samuelsen simply is not up to the task. Lets look at the strings of misjudgments we have seen he has made infinite U turns in the hyped hurricane Irene, snow blizzard (2010), indirectly acquiescing in lowering of health coverage, lock box bill - why does he think he got so many judgments so wrong? Now he has no one to blame for expenses gone wild - if he is so confident of his arguments or if he is so confident of his judgement or if he thinks he is on the right side of these arguments why doesn't he listen to the membership? It is obvious he is in the dark ages and he has to think again, he wasted the first year with an utterly busted leadership. Now this is his second year isn't it clear he is not up to the job - the membership knows it, the TBOU know it, and the MTA knows it. Why not do the last bold thing - resign. 

Lock box bill

Turning now to the ‘lock box’ bill why did John E Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU take a risky issue without consulting the membership first? Who came up with this idea - even the MTA looked at this ‘lock box’ bill as a bad idea since it overlooks New Yorkers’ issues thus they did not want to join in. It plans to restrict the three branches of the government (executive, legislative and judicial) in utilizing any monies assigned for transportation issue elsewhere if passed into law. In theory it looked like a magnificent idea however we know the current executive branch has other priorities that take precedent over transportation as revealed by 2011 SOUS Survey, CaRDI, Cornell University - New York Minute issue number 44/ April 2011 employment took 24%, taxes 24%, economic growth 14%, NYS Budget 13% (transportation is lumped with many other issues). The question was put to New Yorkers - What do you think is the single most important issue facing New York State?

Now based on that response from New Yorkers the executive branch in New York State - that is the Governor Andrew M Cuomo will pay special attention to that survey even the New York State legislative branch will not go against the wishes of New Yorkers thus the ‘lock box’ bill status is in limbo. Probably by the end of the year it will reach the last stop - definitely the politicians know that, they do not want to be seen as pissing off the public.

It is clear that New York State has a range of issues - we believe John E Samuelsen knows that as far as the question of the ‘lock box’ bill. First he made that assumption on  arrogance, secondly he is making the assumption that he is going to be remaining in his position. Our membership fate should not be placed on an imaginary theory that there is no longer no credible plan that sets up what actions to be taken on the public finances. There is a risk that this ‘lock box’ bill will not be signed into law that is common sense therefore we should be prepared to move on without it.

Maybe John E Samuelsen will tell Governor Andrew M Cuomo to forget about the need to take action to ensure the economy should grow and he should ignore actions that are needed for the economy growth and have more jobs, that he should not be careful about public spending. The taxes have a part to play in reducing the deficit, it is obvious the position of John E Samuelsen with his ‘lock box’ bill. There has been so much given for so few people to read with so many words in vain so he may want to explain since the undertaking this ‘lock box’ bill gamble how much it has cost in membership dues - what a waste.

With this lock box bill gamble he has weakened the TWU Local 100, and in turn he has weakened the membership. What does he have to say to his weak leadership?

We know where he was

Kevin Harrington vice president of rapid transits operation was at the rat-free campaign at Parson/Archer subway station instead of going to the Bronx courthouse to hear the attacker of the motorman Darryl George - Arrocho, Richard theatrics in the courtroom.

It is a worthy cause for New Yorkers to have a rat free subway however New York City is infested with rats. How can you eliminate rats who will escape to safe havens of the sewer underneath? In addition to emerge later on once the rat poison wears out. Whether there is a nexus between rats and the contract of 2012 that is not clear. It may be a worthy cause on the health side however even with the employment of more cleaners rats will be around.

However Kevin Harrington who likes to talk a lot about solidarity was absent at the Bronx court house. Many of you have known him as a talkative, long winded Harrington who likes to hear himself talk however he was missing in the Bronx courthouse. He will talk a lot about rats but he will never talk about why he was not present in the Bronx courthouse. Here we speculate maybe John E Samuelsen gave him an excuse not to attend the hearing.

Bronx Courthouse II

As you are aware the attacker - Richard Arrocho of the train operator Darryl George who was assaulted while doing his work on Friday July 22, 2011 was arraigned in the Bronx County Criminal Division Court on September 21, 2011 around 4:17 PM.

It was a long and exhaustive day: from early in the morning when the court opened its door at 9 AM, after entering the court house and going through the metal detectors, emptying all your pockets then collecting your wallet, then heading to the information kiosk to find the floor, and court room number alas - we were joyful to find the familiar name of the judge Boyle, D who previously handled the bus operator attacker Steangali Medina on Septemebr 12, 2011.

The floor was lower level 2 the court room number was 260 the case number was 02421-2011 - we opened the door and entered the court room. The courtroom is wide with high ceilings and is well lighted almost as if you were in an auditorium. We sat on the second row behind the assistant district attorney since the front row was reserved for lawyers.

There were three bailiffs (they handle paper work) then there are four court officers (they handle the defendant) two of them were females. On the district attorney side there were two assistant district attorneys, both males - one is tall and bearded while the other is average height with a short hair cut. They had support staff of one female then the legal aid society had their coordinator in court - there is no court without the stenographer in addition to a language translator.

We were eager initially - when we checked the list of the defendant posted outside the courtroom, the list was fashioned on a manner of alphabetical order by the last name Arrocho which was the second on the list. The minutes kept ticking, the hours kept advancing and the counsels with their talks made the court house as an open bazaar. Case after case we were in the valley of emotions when judge Boyle was generous with dismissals we were apprehensive. The cases covered a wide range of social ills, whether it be fraud, psychiatrist, robbery, drugs, assault, extradition, domestic assault or prostitution.

Defendants ranged from 12 years old to 89 years old. For the teenager who robbed stores on Fordham Road judge Boyle accepted his guilty plea but gave the teenager a break no jail time but rather five years probation. The elderly man who assaulted another fellow elderly with a walking stick was unable to walk and he could not hear or see clearly therefore the judge afforded the elderly man a seat and spoke to him in a loud voice. The judge accepted a guilty plea from the elderly man and gave him a probation of three months coupled with being put in an elderly supervised program three times a week.

By noon the court officer went into high gear and at 1230 they had a lock down (code red) in securing the defendants who were ordered to jail. Then afterwards the cases that were called were not major but from the courtroom floor, then the court was winding down for the lunch break at 1 PM. The courtroom lunch break was one hour and fifteen minutes therefore the courtroom reconvened at 2:15 PM.

Wished that we went to the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankees day game at 1:05 in which the Rays lost 4-2. However we headed to seek nutrition then went back to the pace in the courtroom which was much slower with the family members (mothers) who were weeping for their children. 

Then by 4:05 PM court officer called out Arrocho, Richard name to be produced from the interior cell. However before he could appear another case was called - Arrocho Richard was finally produced at 4:17 PM. 

Arrocho, Richard

Case# 02421-2011

Judge Boyle, D

Court Part A

Building 265

Lower Level - Courtroom 260

Arrocho Lawyer is 

Ms. Trudy Strassburger

Bronx Defenders

Telephone: 718-838-7879

When he came out of the interior cell Arrocho, Richard was beaming with a smile, his height is 6 feet about 180 pounds and he looked like he had gained a few pounds. He had a white T-shirt, sweat pants and was swiveling around. He was led by a court officer and was trailed by another once at the defendant table - the charges were read aloud by the bailiff who asked Arrocho what his plea was - Arrocho responded ‘not guilty’. Ms. Strassburger requested the shortest time possible. Then judge Boyle gave October 5th 2011 - part H-92 Wednesday - then Arrocho was led away.

We were disappointed John E Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU, was missing, and Kevin Harrington vice president of the rapid transit operations who was also missing. Stephen A Downs chair of train operator division was missing as well - when asked why he did not appear in court his response was he was not aware thus indirectly saying that the members are on their own and we just take their dues.