Sees Toussaint Scheme
TWU Track Chair; 'Freezing Me Out'

By ARI PAUL

Until last August, Transport Workers Union Local 100 Track Division Chairman Carlos Albert would normally spend a late weekday afternoon representing a fellow New York City Transit worker at a disciplinary hearing or administering the general affairs of the division. But now he leaves his Brooklyn transit job at 4 p.m. every day and rushes to pick up his son from school.

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood-James 'STEALING MANAGEMENT'S TACTICS': Transport Workers Union Local 100 Track Division Chairman Carlos Albert claims union President Roger Toussaint has taken a page from New York City Transit's playbook to deprive him of his powers and prevent him from bringing his dues payments up to date.

"He's got people who are unelected making decisions for Track now," Mr. Albert said last week, referring to Local 100 President Roger Toussaint.

Personal Mishaps

Mr. Albert, who ran on the opposition Rail and Bus slate in December 2006, was taken off employer-paid release time by the union for being delinquent in his dues payments and not reporting on division affairs to Mr. Toussaint. He said he fell behind on dues because he had suffered a chest-wall contusion off the job in August that forced him to go on sick leave, and the next month took time off to care for his wife who had been in a car accident.

"It's a tactic that Roger learned from [NYC Transit]: bring in members when they are out sick," Mr. Albert said.

Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer Ed Watt brought charges against Mr. Albert in October, but he has not stood trial, nor has a date been set for one. After a recent incident, he believed that the local was thwarting his attempts to update his dues payments so that Mr. Toussaint could appoint someone else to that position.

On Feb. 11 Mr. Albert purchased a money order to bring himself back into good standing, which he submitted to a Local 100 dues-collection officer at the union's field office at 180 Livingston St. in Brooklyn the same day.

Dues Money Comes Back

A week later he received a letter from CVS Caremark, which is a pharmaceutical provider under the Local 100 health benefits plan, with his money order enclosed, saying that it believed his payment was sent to it in error.

"If our dues money is going to some vendor, then that's a misappropriation of our dues money," Mr. Albert said.

But he doubted that the redirection of his dues payment was an accident, saying, "This is done to get me into bad standing again."

Several officers in the union's Maintenance of Way Division, which includes the Track Division, who were elected on an opposition slate have had their release time taken away, including Track Division Recording Secretary Jack Blazejewicz and Power Division Vice Chairman Thomas Creegan. Mr. Toussaint also stated last year that dissident leader and Track Inspector John Samuelsen was no longer authorized to be a shop steward, although Mr. Samuelsen said he was still carrying out his duties.

Local 100 spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment about Mr. Albert's situation.

Mr. Albert believed that if he was kept in bad standing, Mr. Toussaint could remove him completely from his union title and appoint a loyalist. In addition to that, members in bad standing may not vote in union elections or participate in union activities.

"I want to be in good standing," he said. "I want the right to vote. I want to vote Toussaint out of here. It's not like I did this on purpose."