Transit Workers election signals progressive shift

Subways and buses move New York City—delivering over 6 million rides per workday and running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Transit Workers Union Local 100 represents the 37,000 workers who operate the system. These workers have the power to shut down New York when they strike, as they last did in December 2005.

Because New York bosses need mass transit to run in order to make profits, transit workers are subject to harsh, unrelenting pressure from management at the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the city administration of billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The union paid a big fine for the 2005 strike, which was illegal under New York’s anti-union Taylor Law. Members lost two days’ pay for every day they were out, and Local 100 also lost its dues check-off. This means the local has to collect dues individually from each member, an arduous organizational task.

Roger Toussaint, who led the 2005 strike, recently gave up his post as president of Local 100 to take a top job with the national TWU in Washington. Curtis Tate, acting president of Local 100, is running for a full term on the United Invincible caucus slate backed by Toussaint.

Running against Tate is John Samuelson, a track worker and union activist, representing the Take Back Our Union caucus. Members of TBOU have been active in the Million Worker March Movement and the Stella D’Oro solidarity campaign, as well as working closely to fight cutbacks with the union that represents faculty and staff at the City University of New York.

On June 25 the New York Daily News reported that United Invincible “suffered a series of stunning defeats ... when ballots for delegates to the international’s convention were counted. [They] lost about 40 of 67 of the head-to-head contests against the anti-Toussaint ‘Take Back Our Union.’”

“The TBOU is excited and pleased over such overwhelming support from our membership,” TBOU spokesperson Charles Jenkins told Workers World. “Our members made an outcry for change after 8-and-a-half years of misdirection. They seemed to agree with our program.”

While ballots for the executive offices in the union—president, vice-presidents and others—won’t be counted until December, Jenkins said, “Our members cast both ballots at the same time. Our victory in the delegate races indicates we will do well in the executive races.”

The TBOU intends to try to push the national TWU in a more militant direction, concluded Jenkins, who won election as a delegate and is running for elected office in his division.