News

TWU Workers Ready to Train and Mentor for the Future

Posted December 2013

“TWU Workers Ready to Train and Mentor for the Future” proclaims Local 100 of the Transport Workers in New York City.  A new PowerPoint from the Local urges more and better training for current Local 100 members while also opening up opportunities for training and apprenticeship for members of the community, particularly young people.

Administrative Vice President Angel Giboyeaux prepared the presentation)  With John Samuelsen and other leaders of Local 100, VP Giboyeaux, a union trustee overseeing the joint Training and Upgrade Fund (TUF) has been prominent in advocating improved training.  “Our members are maintaining photovoltaic solar arrays now because of training we won just a few years ago, ” Giboyeaux notes.  “TUF, Local 100 and New York City Transit worked together under the Green Jobs grant, and we upgraded our members’ skills.”

Local 100’s presentation offers a broad vision of how improved training can help transit riders, current workers and the broader community.  Ridership is growing, and with new projects like the Second Avenue line, more work is coming.  Increasing the skills of both current and new members of the workforce can help the transit system function more effectively and more safely.  Transit can also become a vehicle of opportunity for low-income New Yorkers.

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen has championed efforts to work with NYC Transit and MTA on expanding and improving apprenticeship programs in the recent past.  His efforts were not always welcomed by management, Samuelsen notes.  ” In 2011, (Former MTA Chairman Joseph) Lhota shot down my efforts to bring together a broad labor-community-education coalition to develop career pathways for New York City youth ” .  Local 100 had advocated for New York City to be part of the Career Pathways/Career Ladders grant application the Center submitted to the Federal Transit Administration.

Lhota resigned the MTA post to run as the Republican candidate for NYC Mayor.  He lost decisively in the general election to Democrat Bill DeBlasio.  A strong ally of the labor movement and a candidate who campaigned on the failure of the Bloomberg Administration to address growing inequality in the City, DeBlasio may be more open to Local 100’s vision of improved training for current workers and the broader community.

To see the entire presentation, click here.