TWU Updates: New leadership; a whistleblower injury

The Local 100 branch of the Transport Workers Union has elected John Samuelsen to take over the union presidency from Roger Toussaint, according to the Daily News. Samuelsen was running against acting president Curtis Tate on a platform of more direct opposition to the MTA. He is an outspoken critic of the MTA’s appeal of the TWU arbitration award and has spoken of more “direct action” against the agency if the two sides cannot come to an acceptable compromise. As the MTA’s finances worse, Samuelsen will become a major player over the next few months and years.

In other TWU news, Juan De Los Santos, the union member who tipped off the MTA Inspector General to the problem of idle workers, claims he was shoved off a platform and onto an active track in retaliation for his whistleblowing. The NYPD is currently investigating, but one “police source” told Pete Donohue that De Los Santos may have simply tripped. The discussion on Subchat amongst some union members is decided mixed here.