Latest news with #JohnSamuelsen
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC transit union threatens to sue GOP mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa over ‘defamatory' comments
The politically influential Transport Workers Union is threatening to sue Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa over 'defamatory and false' comments he recently made about the labor group. In a letter sent to Sliwa on Monday, John Samuelsen, the TWU's international president, wrote that the mayoral hopeful engaged in the remarks during a July 24 rally at City Hall organized by NYCLASS, a group advocating for a ban on horse-carriage rides in Central Park. Samuelsen, whose union represents horse carriage riders, wrote he came across Sliwa's speech in a video of the gathering posted on YouTube. 'In this video, you say, 'There is money under the table to the TWU leadership.' This statement is false and defamatory. The statement asserts bribery and/or corruption,' Samuelsen wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News. 'By this letter, I demand that you issue a written retraction of the statement and offer an apology to the members of the TWU whose leadership you have slandered and defamed,' the union big continued. 'If you choose not to act honorably by retracting the false statement, we will commence legal action against you for your actions forthwith. We will seek damages commensurate with the harm done to my reputation and to the reputation of the TWU.' Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who has made animal welfare a big component of his mayoral campaign, rejected Samuelsen's demand, saying his remarks amounted to 'First Amendment protected speech.' 'I offered my opinion on an area of concern for New Yorkers regarding the horse carriage industry and the TWU,' he said. 'My statement was generic and not individual specific. I believe Mr. Samuelsen and the TWU have other things to focus on.' In response, Samuelsen told The News that Sliwa's comments aren't 'protected by the Constitution and he will pay for it.' In addition to horse carriage riders, Samuelsen's union represents tens of thousands of MTA workers. His union hasn't endorsed anyone in the 2025 mayoral race, but Samuelsen did appear at a June 14 rally for Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee, where he praised Mamdani's proposal to make public buses free in the city. The horse carriage industry has long been a source of controversy in New York, with animal rights activists condemning the practice as inhumane, while TWU and other supporters of workers say banning it would destroy livelihoods. The union has also maintained reforms can be taken to ensure the safety of the horses. Last week's City Hall rally was held to call on the City Council to adopt a bill that would ban the local horse carriage industry. The rally came days after a Manhattan jury acquitted a horse carriage rider who was indicted in 2023 on animal abuse charges for allegedly forcing his horse, Ryder, to work in scorching summer temperatures. As the Republican candidate, Sliwa faces long odds in November's mayoral election, given the city's heavily Democratic electorate. Sliwa, who also ran for mayor in 2021, has been especially upbeat about his prospects this year, though, as the field is more crowded than in a typical local election year. In addition to Mamdani on the Democratic line and Sliwa on the GOP line, Mayor Adams, Andrew Cuomo and Jim Walden are running as independents in November's contest, creating a vote-splitting scenario Sliwa hopes might benefit him. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Mamdani Defies Corporate Dems, But Workers Back His Free Bus Fare Plan
Zohran Mamdani takes the subway betweenr campaign events on May 27. (Photo by Andrew ... More Lichtenstein/Corbis) A top New York City labor leader says mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is succeeding for the same reason Donald Trump has succeeded: 'In the eyes of working people, he is the antidote to what has plagued his party. 'This is about working people with establishment fatigue, exhausted with same old, same old, corporate Democrats and Republicans catering to corporate interests,' said John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union and former president of TWU Local 100, the historic local that represents New York City subway and bus workers. 'Zohran smashed establishment Democrats,' Samuelsen said. 'He talks about economic security and affordability for working people. He focused on economics. Trump did the same thing in 2016: Now it's ten years later and Democrats still have not learned the lesson. 'Imagine how desolate the Democrats are that a Democrat running on affordability is an anti-establishment Democrat. That's nuts. But Zohran learned the lesson,' he said. TWU has not endorsed Mamdani. However, Samuelsen strongly backs Mamdani's plan for free bus service. 'I've spoken to him at length about his positions on public transit, as far back as four years ago,' Samuelsen said. 'His discussions with TWU have shaped his vision for public transit. That separates him from the crowd: he has the humility to come and speak with the union.' Mamdani was elected to the state assembly in 2020. He championed a 2023 pilot program to test free busses on five NYC routes. The New York City Central Labor Council, a coalition of over 300 unions, endorsed Mamdani on June 30 following his victory in the June 25th Democratic primary. Samuelsen is among the council's most visible members. Samuelsen made a surprise appearance at a June 14th Mamdani rally on June 14. Before a cheering crowd, he endorsed the free bus plan, which would be likely to substantially diminish assaults on bus drivers seeking to collect bus fare. 'I'm here for one reason tonight: that reason is to talk about Zohran's policy on public transit, particularly fare free busses,' Samuelsen proclaimed. 'Three pillars to get out of urban poverty are quality education, quality health care and robust public transit,' he said. 'Tie all those together, and our kids have a chance of escaping the type of urban blight that we've been subjected to all these years.' 'Zohran of all the mayoral candidates recognizes this,' he said. 'Only Zohran reached out to the workers to say I have policies on public transit, what does the union think?' First elected president of Local 100 in 2009, Samuelsen served two terms before being elected TWU international president in 2017. He has ongoing relationships with Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. As for a TWU endorsement, Samuelsen said 'There are ongoing conversations. They may or may not lead to an endorsement.' He noted that he has relationships with all three mayor candidates. Adams 'is a working-class guy from the streets of New York who has support among our membership,' Samuelsen said. 'He took crime in the transit system, subway and bus, very seriously. There is a level of appreciation from our membership and from the officers of the TWU. He's not perfect. Nobody's perfect.' Cuomo said Monday that he will run as a third-party candidate. Samuelsen said Cuomo betrayed TWU workers when he committed to a bill that includes overtime earnings in pension calculations, then vetoed it. 'I talk to him,' Samuelsen said. 'It's not personal. We just can't trust him.' Mamdani, meanwhile, 'is a dynamic candidate, and he has support as well' within Local 100. In upcoming subway contract talks, 'We don't bargain with the city, but I think he would be supportive of the TWU in our contract fight and our fight to keep conductors on the trains,' Samuelsen said. Regarding Mamdani's controversial stand on the Middle East conflict, Samuelsen said, 'Our position is we will endorse candidates on their economic positions as it relates to TWU members.' In the end, if Mamdani wins, 'We will have to see how he governs,' Samuelsen said. 'He is focused on affordability. If he effectuates his campaign agenda, it will look great for Democrats in the rest of the country. But on the policing side, if New York spins out of control, that negates the affordability.' TWU has about 48,000 members in New York City including 42,000 members of Local 100 and about 6,000 flight attendants at JetBlue. Nationally, TWU has about 161,000 members and is the largest airline union, with members at American, JetBlue, Southwest and others.
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
At Delta Air Lines, A Labor Union Gets A Foot In The Door
Delta Air Lines has long been successful at battling labor unions, but the Transport Workers Union is nibbling around the edges. The union, which has about 65,000 airline industry workers, said last week that it had organized about 100 bus operators and supervisors who provide shuttle services for Delta at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The workers are not employed by Delta, but rather by Atlanta-based Unifi, the country's largest ground handling and aviation services company. Delta owns 48% of Unifi. "Delta is definitely the economic employer, even though they own about half of the entity,' said TWU President John Samuelsen, in an interview. 'They make all the economic decisions; they pull the economic purse strings. "The contract negotiation might not be against Delta, but the contract fight will be with Delta," Samuelsen said. A Delta spokesman declined to comment for this story. A Unifi spokeswoman said, 'Unifi has a diverse workforce, including both union and non-union employees. We are committed to supporting and advocating for our entire team. Our focus remains on elevating all our employees and fostering a productive and respectful work environment.' She did not comment on when contract talks would begin. Samuelsen said the workers will join TWU Local 100, a historic local with about 43,000 members including 40,000 bus and subway workers. 'On our end we're still taking steps to prepare for bargaining,' he said. 'The rank and file will be the nucleus of the bargaining committee. 'I'm looking forward to engaging Delta,' he said. 'If they don't come to terms, Delta is going to be in for the biggest strategic campaign of their existence if they don't settle.' An recent story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was headlined, '100 Years (Mostly) Union-free: Delta Is Still Striving to Stay 'Different.'' The story noted that about 20% of Delta's 100,000 workforce is unionized, compared with 87% at American and 82% at United and Southwest. Only pilots, flight dispatchers, and flight attendants at subsidiary regional carrier Endeavor Air are union members. In the past 20 years, twelve votes by four unions have failed at Delta, the newspaper said. Currently, the Association of Flight Attendants is seeking to organize flight attendants, while the International Association of Machinists is seeking to organize ramp and cargo workers. Delta recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, while TWU Local 100 celebrated the 99th anniversary of the day its co-founder, Mike Quill, arrived in New York from Ireland. On March 2, 1925, the world's first aerial crop-dusting company and largest privately-owned aircraft fleet in the U.S. incorporated as Huff Daland Dusters began carrying mail. It evolved into Delta. On March 17, 1926, Quill arrived in New York from Ireland. He went to work as a night gate security man for the IRT, then an independent subway line. He started Local 100 in 1934. Perhaps the two vibrant, historic, highly visible institutions -- one the most successful U.S. airline, the other among the most successful labor union locals – are due for a fight.
