In early October, I briefly touched upon a simmering dispute at the TWU between union president John Samuelsen and the then-Secretary-Treasurer Izzy Rivera. The two were engaged in a war of words over the vote to retain healthcare benefits for union members who have lost their jobs, and Rivera was ousted from his position by a 37-1 vote.
Now, says The Post, the dispute between the two has simmered over, and the Department of Labor is now involved. Tom Namako has more on the fight between Samuelsen and the man who once wanted his job:
Agents at the US Department of Labor are now investigating whether recently ousted treasurer Israel “Izzy” Rivera steered a contract worth more than $100,000 to his lover, a Xerox office-supplies agent, who scored commissions, sources said.
The allegations come a day after The Post reported that John Samuelsen, president of the 35,000-member Transport Workers Union Local 100, is being probed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for allegedly misusing the union’s $400,000 pot of political money. The probes are part of an escalating feud between Samuelsen and Rivera, who accuse each other of taking their grievances to authorities.
Rank-and-file workers say the infighting is ripping the union to shreds. “We’re paying them big salaries and they’re busy fighting each other and not the MTA,” said one laborer who knows several people who were laid off this year.
For more on the investigation into Samuelsen, check out this report. He and the TWU are reported being investigated for improper donations to state Democratic campaign committees; Ed Potosnak, a congressional hopeful in New Jersey; grocery purchases; and payments to Gov. David Paterson’s father for legal and consulting services.
“This is all political nonsense,” Samuelsen said yesterda. “I’m in charge of the political-action committee, and we made contributions to Senate and Assembly members…Everything I’ve done was done responsibly and within the boundaries of the union’s constitution.”
The in-fighting here is a further show of the TWU’s tenuous grasp on its internal politics. Never the most organized union, the TWU has spent the first decade of the 2000s dealing with internal strife. After Roger Toussaint’s illegal strike in 2005, Samuelsen came aboard as a reform candidate, but he is now embroiled in his own disputes. The TWU contract negotiations will come due next year, and Samuelsen will have to get his own house in order before taking on — or working with — the MTA to hammer out another deal.
3 comments
“We’re paying them big salaries and they’re busy fighting each other and not the MTA”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums up the state of organized labor in the 21st century.
I don’t understand why you would pay a former bus driver a six figure salary as a union leader. What real skill set does he have. What kind of management experience does he have. In the end the members are gettign hosed with high dues. The same is true with our elected officials. The voters re-elected Dinapoli for comptroller, a career politician to a position that requires a financial background and did not elect Wilson who us a proven financial pro. The comptroller is in charge of the states pension system > a hedge fund pro would save the taxpayers billion by investing our money better
The main skill required for a union leader in the US is political leadership. There aren’t real training programs for that – either you can do it, or you can’t. Presumably his colleagues believe he’s charismatic and good at negotiating.