Roger Toussaint
Roger Toussaint
Roger Toussaintwas the President of Transport Workers UnionLocal 100, the union of New York City Transit Authority employees in New York City and former Vice President of Strategic Planning for the parent union, an international organization...
begin board bus executive extending lines onto private series strikes tonight voted
Tonight the executive board voted to begin a series of strikes first out on some of the private bus lines and then extending onto MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) properties.
ask dignity fight respect
It is a fight over dignity and respect on the job. To our riders, we ask for your understanding.
affairs business decide determine involved message stick transit workers
My message is let transit workers decide and determine their own fate. Don't get involved in the business and affairs of our union. If you make a deal, stick to it.
believe burden demands forth pension
That would go a long way to us resuming the negotiations. We believe that the pension demands put forth by the MTA are illegal, and burden the negotiations.
members stand sure together
Our members will stand together and stand firm, and make sure the organization is not broken.
agenda chairman explains stake taking
That explains why he has been muscling and intervening in these negotiations all along, why the chairman has been taking instructions from the mayor. There's an agenda at stake here.
course difficult entire equally few local members past people perseverance riders spent supporting thank time york
I'd like to thank all the members of Local 100 for their unerring supporting and perseverance in the course of these very difficult past few weeks. We'd also like to thank the riders and working people of New York for their patience, forbearance and understanding, for the equally difficult time spent by this entire city.
benefit coverage decent dignity erosion eventual fight hard hard-work health people respect rewarded whether work
New Yorkers, this is a fight over whether hard work will be rewarded with a decent retirement, a fight over the erosion or eventual elimination of health benefit coverage for the working people of New York, it is a fight over dignity and respect on the job.
bargain contract deadline deal past tried
We tried to bargain with the MTA. We negotiated well past our contract deadline because we wanted to get a deal done, and we still do.
ammunition contract deal decided decision hopes order poison pour provide seems sink state voted
What the MTA has decided to do is pour poison on the deal in order to provide ammunition to the opposition, in hopes of having the contract voted down. It seems as if a decision was made by the state to sink the contract.
authority buses halt midnight movement trains unless
Unless there is a substantial movement by the authority, trains and buses will come to a halt as of midnight tonight.
couple extend last members received riders support thanks weeks
We extend thanks to our riders and to our members for the support that they have received in the last couple of weeks of difficulty.
needs pension proposal
Were it not for the pension piece, we would not be out on strike. All it needs to do is take its pension proposal off the table.
deadline good precious progress time
We have no progress to report. That's not good because we have precious little time before the deadline approaches.