Internal TWU War Over Ill Member's Aid

By ARI PAUL

Transport Workers Union Local 100's leadership has redoubled its offensive against dissident officer John Chiarello in a case involving a sick-leave bank for a member suffering from cancer.

JOHN CHIARELLO: Trades charges.

Last month the union accused Line Equipment and Signal Recording Secretary Chiarello of withholding documents for three weeks from Local 100 regarding a drive he initiated to persuade workers to donate sick days to Signal Maintainer Noel Cork. Mr. Chiarello denied the accusations and said the union's campaign against him was retaliation for his public criticism of President Roger Toussaint's administration.

'Went Around Union'

In a second letter to all New York City Transit Signal Maintainers Feb. 25, the union said that Mr. Chiarello was "playing politics" by not informing the leadership of the situation.

"The record clearly shows that rather than working to get the issue resolved as a project of the division or section through the union's structures, Mr. Chiarello went around the division chair, vice president and the president's office, and took it upon himself to communicate by e-mail and letter directly with the second in command at [NYC Transit], Judith Pierce," the Local 100 statement said.

The local accused Mr. Chiarello of withholding the information regarding Mr. Cork's case from the union's leadership for political reasons.

"Maybe he wanted to jealously claim the credit," the statement said. "Maybe he was hoping to set up another scandalous attack on your union by pointing to some failure on your part."

Chiarello's Rebuttal

Mr. Chiarello issued a letter in response March 9 to Signal Maintainers arguing that he had informed union officials about collecting sick days for Mr. Cork and that he had discussed the issue with Local 100 Maintenance of Way Division Vice President Charles Ayala on Feb. 6, one week after he contacted NYC Transit about the sick leave bank.

He also stated that Local 100 members contributed more than 100 leave days for Mr. Cork.

"All that happened here is that I succeeded in getting help for a very ill co-worker," Mr. Chiarello said. "The union knew about my effort immediately."