Transit union leader Roger Toussaint & Co. suffer a series of defeats

[Harry]

Transit union leader Roger Toussaint, who led the 2005 Christmastime strike that crippled the bus and subway system, has lost his ironclad grip on Transport Workers Union Local 100.

 

A faction of Toussaint loyalists suffered a series of stunning defeats Monday when ballots for delegates to the international's convention were counted.

 

The loyalist "United Invincible" faction won dozens of uncontested races - but lost about 40 of 67 of the head-to-head contests against the anti-Toussaint "Take Back Our Union" camp, sources said Tuesday.

 

That doesn't bode well for Toussaint and his handpicked successor, acting Local 100 President Curtis Tate, who heads the United Invincible slate.

 

Toussaint stepped down after taking a promotion to the international organization.

 

Ballots for president, secretary-treasurer and other Local 100 leadership posts were mailed out this month but haven't been counted.

 

"If I was a betting man, I'd say John (Samuelsen) is going to win," J.P. Patafio, a high-ranking union official, said of the Take Back Our Union presidential candidate.

 

Samuelsen's campaign has claimed Toussaint, Tate and the current union administration have been too accommodating toMetropolitan Transportation Authority management since the strike. Toussaint and Tate have said they've won safety and other improvements through cooperation after the walkout.

 

A Tate spokesman declined to comment. The union hasn't officially released the results of the delegates' races.

 

Ballots for delegate seats and local leadership posts were mailed out this month to transit workers.

 

The American Arbitration Association will not count the presidential race ballots until December under an unusual schedule adopted by the union's executive board, which said combining some aspects of two elections would save money.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/06/25/2009-06-25_toussaint__co_facing_a_rail_big_challenge_at_twu.html#ixzz0JXZQd8RI&D

[Bdwy Line C/R]

:tup: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toussaint & Co. a bunch of Dead Ducks. We're mad as hell and we ain't gonna take it anymore!!!

(NJT) :nec:

[metsfan]

What does this mean for the general riding public? Could wages now be lowered to stave off fare increases or something? :confused:

 

- A

[Den]

What does this mean for the general riding public? Could wages now be lowered to stave off fare increases or something? :confused:

 

- A

 

HAH@!!!! yeah right, fare increses will happen no matter what, the MTA is a blackwhole of greed, they waste so much money and even when they do manage to have surplus, they make sure they find a way to piss it all away so they can hike up fares.

[Maserati7200]

YESSS!

 

"Oh wow I hate this guy!"

 

~strong bad

[Messino]

YESSS!

 

"Oh wow I hate this guy!"

 

~strong bad

 

Why would you hate this guy? Didnt he make a big deal and tried to fight for the MTA to stop trying to raise the retirement age?

[SubwayGuy]

What does this mean for the general riding public? Could wages now be lowered to stave off fare increases or something? :confused:

 

- A

 

:eek::eek::eek::eek::mad::mad::tdown:

 

Hopefully this means (instead of what you said) that it goes back to being a union fighting for its workers rights and takes a little piece of the pie that goes to the people in ivory towers and brings it back to the workers who move the system. Since I hope to be one someday that would also be good for me B) Toussaint's group may have won safety improvements but that's only part of the puzzle. I think the way many of the workers here speak about the union's role says a lot about the areas they were lacking in.

[Y2Julio]

Hopefully this means (instead of what you said) that it goes back to being a union fighting for its workers rights and takes a little piece of the pie that goes to the people in ivory towers and brings it back to the workers who move the system. Since I hope to be one someday that would also be good for me B)

This man here is a genius, Drew for TWU Local 100 president! :cool:

[R44 5278]

At last!

[metsfan]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::mad::mad::tdown:

 

Hopefully this means (instead of what you said) that it goes back to being a union fighting for its workers rights and takes a little piece of the pie that goes to the people in ivory towers and brings it back to the workers who move the system. Since I hope to be one someday that would also be good for me Toussaint's group may have won safety improvements but that's only part of the puzzle. I think the way many of the workers here speak about the union's role says a lot about the areas they were lacking in.

 

I meant the excessively paid folks getting lesser wages so the riding public isn't jabbed in the ribs by the highest transit fares in the country. I can get on a much more poorly funded agency ()from trenton to levittown on main line rail a distance of 15 miles for 3 bucks, and yet a several block trip on the subway that i could walk costs 2.25. It isn't right. Workers deserve good wages and safe conditions, but if people can't afford to ride there will be layoffs & reductions.

 

- A

[Y2Julio]

I meant the excessively paid folks getting lesser wages so the riding public isn't jabbed in the ribs by the highest transit fares in the country. I can get on a much more poorly funded agency ()from trenton to levittown on main line rail a distance of 15 miles for 3 bucks, and yet a several block trip on the subway that i could walk costs 2.25. It isn't right. Workers deserve good wages and safe conditions, but if people can't afford to ride there will be layoffs & reductions.

 

- A

 

Management (the fat cats) aren't part of the union, so this wouldn't have effected them anyways.

[Rapid Transit TO]

For all the people thinking Roger was so wonderful for the workers, Toussaint got us a 3% raise for 2006. For the same year, he gave himself a 17% increase. In 2007, when our wages went up 4%, Toussaint gave himself a 7% boost. He went from $91,920 in 2006 to $115,475 ($141,928 after expenses) in 2008. Roger was generous to his friends, too. Ed Watt was up 22% from 2006 to 2008. Curtis Tate got an 8.2% boost from 2007 to 2008. And Brian Clarke got an 11% bump for the same year.

 

All of this happened despite layoffs of clerical staff and supposedly imposing a 10% pay cut on the officers and staff in 2007, when the dues check-off was lost. And it happened despite the Local by-laws limiting raises for officers and staff to the same percentage increase negotiated for members at the TA.

So much for equal treatment for ALL union members, eh? :mad:

[KNIGHTRIDER3:16]

Mod note: stop using the icons to replace words. Instead of using please just type "four" or "for". Fine now why was my post Erased huh that's not cool all you had to do was PM me that's all. Tbou tbou

 

T B O U

[DOB2RTO]

I never got my ballot, even though I always paid my dues. Maybe it's because they saw my name and pass on the TBOU lines.......

 

Take Back Our Union.........