Claims He Didn't Pay
TWU Pulls Steward Over Dues Letter

By ARI PAUL

Continuing its purge of members who signed a letter critical of their union president from union posts, Transport Workers Union Local 100's leadership removed Randy Palmenta from his shop steward position last week on claims he was in arrears on his own dues and discouraging members from paying theirs.

The Chief-Leader/Eric Weiss ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Transport Workers Union Local 100 officials have said New York City Transit worker Randy Palmenta cannot be a shop steward because he signed a letter implicitly questioning Local 100 President Roger Toussaint's handling of union finances. He is the latest of several letter-signers barred from holding union positions.

Mr. Palmenta is an assistant shop steward at a New York City Transit iron shop in the East New York section of Brooklyn that had been without a shop steward for four months. On Oct. 18, he called a meeting of the 80 members at the shop and nominated himself to fill the vacancy. The members approved him, he said, but union representative Eze Chisolm came to the shop last week and told members Mr. Palmenta was ineligible because he was a member in bad standing. He also said their election was void because there had been no elected union officer supervising it.

Denies He's Delinquent

Mr. Palmenta claimed that he was up to date on dues payments. Union representatives also put up posters in the shop saying that Mr. Palmenta had signed a letter that put conditions on paying dues.

Several members within the local's Maintenance of Way Division signed a letter this summer telling members they had the obligation to pay dues but also stating that Local 100 President Roger Toussaint was obliged not to abuse the union's finances. Mr. Toussaint has made clear that he considered this placing a condition on dues payment that was in violation of union bylaws.

Mr. Palmenta joins a growing list of those letter-signers to lose his post or release time. Mr. Toussaint declared Track Inspector and dissident leader John Samuelsen no longer authorized to be a shop steward in May for signing the letter. In September, the union canceled a shop steward election for Structure Division workers at the 14th St./6th Ave. station on the F/V and L lines, in which signer Greg McDonald was running. The union appointed a shop steward instead.

To Loser Go the Spoils

Track Division Recording Secretary Jack Blazejewicz and Chairman Carlos Albert have had their release time withheld. According to a letter from Mr. Albert, union staffer Jeffrey Lee, whom Mr. Albert defeated in the December 2006 election, is now representing Track Division workers.

Mr. Palmenta said he was still performing his shop-steward duties but feared that management would soon not recognize him. At that point, members at Mr. Palmenta's shop would be without a shop steward. His co-workers have speculated that the union will appoint someone.

"They're getting up in arms," Mr. Palmenta said of the members.

He added that some had planned to raise the issue at their next union meeting at Local 100 headquarters.

"When Toussaint first started out, he was all for the men," said Mr. Palmenta, who has been a Local 100 member for eight years. "Now he's done a total 180."