Toussaint All Politics

To the Editor:

Jose Iglesias (June 22 letter) and the Toussaint administration are the only ones who missed The Chief's point the previous week. In the aftermath of the two Track Worker deaths, the one thing that was realized by the members is that the once-great-militant Toussaint has been neutralized.

There are still no safety rule changes. We don't need committees. We already know what rule changes we need. Tell Roger to come out and demand that the MTA support the original track-safety bill that was drafted by John Samuelsen and Joel Fredericson, and not a future watered-down Toussaint corporate version.

Jose, since you like to highlight your title of director of night operations, perhaps you can enlighten us as to what exactly it is that you do to justify the more than $100,000 in salary which is twice the average salary of a Track Worker. If you are the director of night operations, why weren't you removed from this position after the fatalities? How come you were nowhere to be found? Isn't it true you could be replaced by an answering machine?

You once crossed my name off a 3rd-Rail emergency alarm box committee despite my being the 3rd-Rail chairman due to politics. You also tried to undermine my authority by seeking out the other elected members of my committee, but they respect the chain of command.

So you and this administration feel it's best to have the Power Division chair Tony Utano all alone to represent the more-than 1,000 members of the Power Division, and to make sure no one from the Power Division has any say on emergency alarm boxes, safety or any matters concerning Maintenance of Way. I guess you and all your non-elected Roger representatives know what's best for the members. Try spinning this, Jose.

THOMAS CREEGAN, Power Distribution Chairman