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TWU Must Get Tough

TWU Must Get Tough

To the Editor:

By all reports, Roger Toussaint gave a rousing opening presentation at the Roosevelt Hotel on the first official day of negotiations between New York City Transit and Transport Workers' Union Local 100 (TWU). The presentation points out that despite being the most productive transit workers in the country, we are the least compensated and certainly subject to unsafe conditions and growing discipline.

The presentation is quite similar to the one given back in 2002 for which I was present. After the 2002 contract settlement, we ended up with less wages in relationship to other transit workers across the country and many issues like safety and discipline unresolved.

The results of the 2002 contract gave us a first-year wage freeze, removal of the no-layoff clause and NYC Transit gaining administrative control of the Health Benefits fund with higher co-payments.

More importantly, previous TWU issues like One-Person Train Operation (OPTO), Workfare, Restricted Work Availability, two-tiered benefits, and operating schedules were not addressed.

At the time, one of the big issues was the underfunding of the Health Benefit Trust. NYC Transit used the health benefits crisis to its advantage. This was a result of NYC Transit calling Roger's bluff on the strike. Despite the militant rhetoric, numerous demonstrations and even an authorization vote for a strike, the TWU membership was fooled, but not NYC Transit.

Toussaint was initially elected as New Directions's presidential candidate with the mandate to strike if necessary while displacing the old guard represented by then-Local 100 President Willie James. But, Toussaint never organized strike committees, picket locations and captains.

His other strategy was to exclude elected officers like myself from meeting together and participating in the final round of negotiations as he relied on consultants such as Basil Patterson to negotiate the contract. This clearly violated the Local 100 by-laws. The local executive board, which Toussaint controls, does the enforcement of the by-laws. A number of executive board members are on union staff payroll and would not challenge Toussaint. This undermines the separation of powers within the Local.

The selling of the 2002 contract was achieved by utilizing full union resources with teams of union-paid officers exaggerating the gains, de-emphasizing the givebacks and using outright disinformation.

Toussaint and his supporters claimed the 2002 Contract "Smashed the NYC Transit disciplinary system," but many of our members are subject to harassment and discipline. The 2002 settlement was used as a bargaining pattern for a wage freeze by the Bloomberg administration for a number of city unions.

It fractured New Directions as a political force because of the break of its platform by Toussaint. It also forced five Local 100 vice presidents to file a lawsuit against Toussaint based on past and current exclusion. Both parties have called a truce as they prepare for the contract talks.

In current negotiations, many of the same issues are up again. As reported in The Chief, questions on whether random testing is actually random, continued harassment of union personnel who fight for safety, contracting-out TWU work to private contractors, the closing of booths and reduction of station agents, a 20/50 pension, reduction of tower operators, (OPTO), Bus Consolidation/Regional bus issues, NYC Transit's undermining of civil service, and full health benefits upon retirement are examples of issues under contention.

In light of the announced surplus by NYC Transit of over a billion dollars, the TWU members are looking for a "substantial increase" in pay and benefits. Unfortunately, NYC Transit wants givebacks for these increases. The fact that Toussaint is willing to negotiate a 20/50 pension falls into NYC Transit's strategy of using pension reform as a means to extract contract concessions.

OPTO will be a pivotal issue in the talks. Toussaint and other TWU officers gave convincing arguments at City Council hearings on safety problems of OPTO and the more-computerized Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), despite the fact that the Council couldn't overturn it. However, TWU won a contract arbitration ruling which restricts OPTO operations. The decision clearly hampers the plans of expansion and will certainly be a major area of contention. But will Toussaint use the OPTO victory as a bargaining chip despite arguing that the system is unsafe?

With the rapprochement by Toussaint in the name of unity amongst the officers and the promise of officers taking part in all negotiations, it is the bargaining leverage of the union that will determine if Local 100 gets a good contract. So far, Toussaint has yet to prepare for a possible strike action, and management knows it.

Even with a strong TWU presentation highlighting the conditions we face, management will continue to reduce TWU work force for greater productivity. Management will use Roger's bluff to extract more concession from the union while giving enough items for the union leadership to sell.

The strategy of Divide and Rule and robbing Peter to pay Paul will be the pattern and TWU will collude in the process. It is the membership that suffers. They often see no alternative, feeling this is the best they can do. The results will be similar to TWU leadership under the old guard of Sonny Hall and Willie James, unless Toussaint does a 180-degree turnaround.

IRVING LEE TWU Member