In TWU Election

Another Ex-Ally Is Taking on Toussaint

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

Three former members of the New Directions slate that brought Transport Workers' Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint to power six years ago will run against their former ally in upcoming union elections.

WHO BLAMED ROGER TOUSSAINT?: Ainsley Stewart (center), who harshly criticized Transport Workers' Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint's aborted contract deal, is seeking to unseat him, running on a slate with two other union vice presidents who long ago severed ties with the union leader: William Pelletier (left) and John Mooney.

Ainsley Stewart, the union's vice president of Car Equipment, William Pelletier, vice president of TA Surface, and John Mooney, vice president of Stations, announced their candidacy for Local 100's top offices Sept. 19 as part of the Union Democracy slate.

Running As a Healer

Mr. Stewart, running for president, said that if he's elected, his job "from day one will be to invite everyone to a meeting where we could sit down and get beyond our differences."

He continued: "I would encourage disagreement, because that is the nature of democracy. I will reach out to the new Governor and the Mayor and establish that while we are a union, and we have our ideals and objectives, we want to start with a clean slate and a balanced relationship."

Mr. Pelletier is running for secretary-treasurer, and Mr. Mooney for recording secretary.

Union Democracy doesn't have all its divisional and department candidates in place yet, Mr. Mooney said during a Sept. 20 phone interview.

A recent election rule change will likely bring in other candidates who want to join the slate, he explained. Union members wishing to run for department or division seats now must run as independent candidates or join a slate that has candidates for the top three positions.

Allege Ostracism

"At this point, the only area where we don't have something completely together would be [Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority]," said Mr. Mooney. Vice presidential candidates on the slate include George Perlstein, Car Equipment; Joe Ramos, Private Lines; Joe Pajewski, Maintenance of Way; Michael Staton, Rapid Transit Operations; Stu Handman, TA Surface; and Simon Thadathil, Stations.

The Union Democracy team sued Mr. Toussaint and Local 100 for $3 million in damages in January 2005, alleging that the president kept them from participating in union business.

Mr. Mooney said the plaintiffs met with Local 100 lawyers and a judge two weeks ago and offered to drop all charges if Mr. Toussaint agreed to a list of "fair election rules" that generally followed the union's bylaws. As this paper went to press Sept. 25, the parties were planning to meet in court again the following day for further discussion.

Mr. Stewart and Mr. Mooney played a prominent role in urging members to vote against the post-strike terms offered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which included a 1.5 percent contribution from transit workers' earnings toward health-care costs. That deal was rejected by seven ballots in January, and then approved by a much wider margin during a second vote in April.

MTA Chairman Peter S. Kalikow refused to honor the contract and insisted that the terms were off the table once the membership initially rejected it. The union was forced into binding arbitration before a Public Employment Relations Board panel. Hearings began in August.

'We're the Fighters'

Mr. Mooney said the "Vote No" campaign mounted by members of his slate wouldn't hurt its election chances - even though 71 percent of the 20,593 transit workers who participated in the re-vote signaled that they wanted the contract.

"Right now, we have the strongest top three candidates. We are the most recognized as fighters in the union - we are the opposition party to most rankand file members," he said. "When members look at [other candidates'] past performances, they see that we stood up for what the members didn't want. The members were correct when they voted no. They never wanted to pay for health care. We stood up for that. We will have our supporters and our detractors. But the members know who stood up for them and who was silent, and they also know who tried to break the strike." Mr. Mooney was referring to a handwritten memo that was sent to Mr. Toussaint Dec. 21, 2005 - the first full day of Local 100's citywide strike - signed by all the MaBSTOA officers, including rival presidential candidate Barry Roberts, who is running for the top job as part of the Rail and Bus United slate, which formally declared its candidacy a day before the Union Democracy trio.

Sought Vote on Last Offer

The memo said there was a "clear message being sent by the membership walking the picket line that they want the opportunity to decide their fate by voting on the [pre-strike] package."

It also said that the MaBSTOA officers supported the decision by [Local 100's] executive board to walk off the job, but that its members were "looking for a fast and speedy resolution as their resolve is starting to wear thin."

Mr. Mooney noted that the pre-strike terms that Mr. Roberts wanted members to consider included an MTA proposal for an increased pension contribution - from the current 3 percent to 6 percent - for future members.

"He might have said that he supported the strike, but doing what he did undermined the union by showing that MaBSTOA was willing to undercut the group," Mr. Mooney charged.

Rail and Bus United Member John Samuelsen, a contender for secretary-treasurer, said in a phone interview Sept. 21 that the memo to Mr. Toussaint was signed by 10 senior MaBSTOA officers - including Jimmy Lynch, a Toussaint-appointed director of MaBSTOA maintenance who still works for the union administration.

"If that note was meant to undercut the strike, it would have been a public letter and released to the world," said Mr. Samuelsen. "It was a private, handwritten memo to Roger to inform him that there was frustration among members that there was not an opportunity for a democratic vote on the previous offer before we went on strike. The members had no knowledge of what was on the table. But the MaBSTOA lines were rock-solid for the entire strike - they held their ground phenomenally well, and that speaks for itself."

Union Democracy's campaign platform centers on five basic issues. The candidates pledged to allow elected officers full access to union meetings and discussions and said Local 100 bylaws will be strictly followed. They said members won't be allowed into paying union positions without the written approval of the executive committee made up of the seven vice presidents and three top officers.

Mr. Stewart said his goal as president would be to "heal the membership" and improve relations with elected officials and the new leadership in Albany.

The slate will reach out to the MTA and to the Governor with an "olive branch" as soon as it's elected.

To Seek 20/50 Pension

Pension improvements are another item on its agenda, with the slate promising to push for 20/50 pensions that would allow members to retire with 20 years on the job after age 50. Right now members must accrue 25 years on the job and can't retire before age 55. Mr. Toussaint for several years has sought a 20/50 bill.

Other important issues included addressing disciplinary problems related to charges of "chronic absenteeism" brought by New York City Transit supervisors against transit workers; lack of maternity leave or adequate [Family and Medical Leave Act] time for pregnant women and members dealing with sick relatives; and bus consolidation, which Mr. Stewart said "was a mess."

Mr. Pelletier called for upgrades in bus service, saying, "What we are noticing, with gasoline still high, is that more people are turning to public transportation. We're fighting to get people on packed buses, and if there are cuts, you're going to have illegal vans running all over the street. They're unlicensed, not registered and have no insurance - there have been accidents, rapes and robberies [involving] those vans."

He pledged if elected to give union members a thorough accounting of how their dues were being spent, saying he would open Local 100's books anytime a request was made.

Train Conductor Mike Carrube, running as an independent, has also announced he's running for president. Given the latest ruling from Local 100, it's possible that more slates will appear as the December election draws closer.