TWU Politics At Work?
Toussaint Bounces Another Steward

By ARI PAUL

A Bus Maintainer claimed last week that Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint removed him as shop steward at his Brooklyn bus depot without explanation and replaced him with another member. He said he believed the change was made because he is not a political supporter of Mr. Toussaint.

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood-James REMOVED: Bus Maintainer Leif Eikeseth was removed as shop steward at the Ulmer Depot in Brooklyn Sept. 4 by order of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which appointed another member to the post. His ouster was one of two instances this month in which Local 100 subverted the election process in order to appoint a shop steward.

Lost Release Time

Leif Eikeseth, who works at the Ulmer Depot, said he received a letter Aug. 31 from New York City Transit saying that the four hours of release time he got each day would be revoked. On Sept. 4, management told him that he would no longer be able to perform any union duties, that it would no longer recognize him as a union official and that the union had sent the name of a worker, Richard Kershaw, who was to be recognized as shop steward.

Mr. Eikeseth, who had been a shop steward since 2000 and has worked at NYC Transit since 1979, never received an explanation. He has sent letters to Mr. Toussaint as well as leaving phone messages at his office, but to no avail. Mr. Eikeseth had briefly fallen behind on his dues payments because the union had failed to deposit a personal check for three months' dues in June. He later settled the debt by credit card in mid-August.

He speculated that his ouster was politically motivated, as many of the workers in his depot, he noted, voted for the dissident Rail and Bus slate in Local 100's officers election last December.

"I'm not a Toussaint person," he said, adding that he had supported past Presidents Willie James and Sonny Hall, both of whom Mr. Toussaint had criticized. "I never voted for him. I consider him a dictator and I don't like the way he operates the union."

Going After Dissidents?

Mr. Eikeseth believed he had grounds to sue both Local 100 and NYC Transit, which he said was in violation of both the current contract and the Federal Labor Standards Act for management to interfere with union business.

An NYC Transit spokesman said it took direction from the union as to who its authorized representatives were, a policy that is generally followed by other government agencies.

Last month, Mr. Toussaint threatened to stop granting release time to Local 100's Power Division Chairman Thomas Creegan, a vocal dissident, on grounds that he did not adequately represent an injured member. Union leaders also canceled a shop steward election Sept. 11 for Structure Maintainers at a Manhattan subway station, because one of the members running, Greg McDonald, was under investigation for signing a letter that criticized Mr. Toussaint's handling of the union's finances.

Local 100 spokesmen did not return calls seeking comment.

There are 104 workers at the Ulmer Depot. "They're very upset here," said Mr. Eikeseth. "I've seen Toussaint fire people, but they work for him. Toussaint never hired me. My membership hired me. They put me into office here."