As the five unions representing Long Island Rail Road employees walked off the job last night after working three years without a contract, one thing is crystal clear: this strike never would have happened under Governor Andrew Cuomo or a Governor Lee Zeldin.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s weak, “lead from behind” style of governing created this crisis. Standing in the shadows while labor disputes spiral out of control is not leadership — it’s negligence.

Making matters even worse is an MTA leadership team that has shown complete disrespect for the workforce. The combination of Governor Hochul, MTA Chairman & CEO Janno Lieber, and NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow has pushed transit unions, especially the supervisors of TWU Local 106, into the very same position the LIRR unions are facing today.

President Crichlow’s actions forced Local 106 to prepare a PERB charge alleging bargaining in bad faith against the NYC Transit Authority. We know exactly what the LIRR unions are going through because we are dealing with the same treatment ourselves.

The message to transit workers has been loud and clear: this administration does not respect the workforce that keeps New York moving.

In November, Governor Kathy Hochul should be voted out, and Bruce Blakeman should be elected Governor so he can clean house at the MTA and remove Lieber, Crichlow, and Frank Farrell once and for all.

June 9 2026 at 11:00 am – 4:30 pm

Clarence Ave Bronx, NY 10465 https://atnynyc.com/

ALL MEMBERS THAT ATTEND WILL RECEIVE A TRANSIT SUPERVISORS-TWU LOCAL 106 BASEBALL HAT.

*The Queens location was unavailable for the June meeting. The November meeting will be in Queens.

More information coming soon.

Click on REGISTER, to take part in these Webinars.

If you missed the great Webinar on May 20th, no worries, there is another one on May 20th. Sign up and use the free legal services they offer!

The TSO/TWU Local 106 Executive Council would like to wish a very Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms! Without all of you none of us would be here! We know the great sacrifices you all make for your families and on this special day we send our love and respect for all that you do!

We hope you have a great stress free day full of love and happiness!

After the Executive Council and Membership voted to approve the purchase of a second TSO Building in Queens, and following a two-year search for the right location, we found it in Flushing.

This investment in the future of our union will make it easier for members to access our offices and services. While we proudly own 5768 Mosholu Avenue in the Bronx, that location is in the far northeastern section of the Bronx, making travel difficult for many members. Parking in and around the area has also been a major challenge.

We expect to close on the building this summer. Before moving in, we will be making updates, improvements, and modifications to ensure the facility fully meets the needs of our membership and our union for years to come.

We know that being a Bus Maintenance Supervisor is one of the toughest jobs in the Transit Authority. We also know that if you send a bus into service that was previously redlined, or if there is any question about whether that bus is truly serviceable, and that bus is later involved in an accident, no manager in Transit will stand behind you.

That is why every supervisor must make sure that no bus is released into service unless it is 100% compliant with all Transit Authority safety policies and procedures.

If you are doing your job properly, acting in good faith, and are being harassed, pressured, or intimidated by management for refusing to release questionable equipment, I want to know about it immediately pvalenti@twu106.org. Document everything, protect yourself, and we will handle it.

Do not let a bus you released onto the road end up like this.

The MTA/NYC Transit Authority has made one thing very clear through its actions — supervisors are important. In fact, according to them, you are #1.

The problem is their definition of being #1 is very different from what you would expect.

When an employer spends over a year in contract negotiations with your union, and then because they do not get one of their demands suddenly goes into “review mode” — shutdown mode, stall mode, delay mode — they are sending a message to every supervisor about exactly what they think of you and your value to this Transit Authority.

Keep that in mind when you ask why you still have not received a wage increase since 2023 or 2024.

As a union, we are preparing the next steps necessary to force these contracts forward. It should never have to come to this. But Transit leadership has chosen to make these negotiations personal, and in the process they are hurting the very people who keep this system running every single day.

This is their way of showing what they think about your service, your dedication, and your sacrifice to the Transit Authority.

Let that sink in and be guided accordingly!

Philip Valenti, President

Although there is not much to really tell you, I do feel obligated to give you a quick update as to where we are at the moment on all the outstanding contracts.

The MSII contract is being held by the Transit Authority because they say it is being reviewed by leadership. That is bullshit! The MSII contract is being held because they are trying to pressure me to accept terms in the buses contracts that I don’t want. And I don’t bow to pressure. With that said if this continues we will be filing a PERB charge for bargaining in bad faith. We are ready to do that but for the moment we are holding back.

The MaBSTOA, Queens and MTA Bus contracts are in limbo at the moment because, I have met with the President of the NYC Transit Authority several times on his desire to change all of the Bus Command Center (BCC) jobs that currently pick annually and have binding pick rights into resume positions. The Authority is willing to pay BCC dispatchers more for this change but I am not in agreement with this change for many reasons. I made a last offer to settle this issue and that was not accepted. So it comes down to this, are they going to force us into arbitration now or settle the contracts and take this issue up in the next round of negotiations. That is the answer I am waiting on.

The Long Island Railroad is ready to go on strike, the TWU Local 100 has their contract expiring in two weeks and almost every supervisor close to 6000 in total have been working since 2024 and 2025 without a contract and raise. You would think the smart and easy thing to do would be to at least settle the supervisor contracts for now, but they don’t care because no matter what they say, they don’t respect any of us.

We will continue to calmly do our best for now, to try and settle all of these contracts, but if that does not work and we are forced to go backwards into arbitration, we will show them the error of their ways.

Philip Valenti, President

Local 106 partner New York Life will be hosting the first in a series of webinars on April 30th at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM. New York Life Financial Services Professional Vincent Giannivilgini has sent a five-minute video explaining what he will be discussing on April 30th. You must register to take part in the Webinar. Click the sign-up link to register to the webinars below:

11:00am Webinar register,

https://url.emailprotection.link/?bJMg7Tl5qasoySBT9ZRZLYfDGbkOgqu7coN0Oyz87ylk7Aen8dQw6DvRh-NqBcdv42zK-866H3LcS-Fr5FUl8bhKqHXPHf1ldxo7rEpgAnovWnq3FgNCODhMnSGmXCz1W

5:00pm Webinar register.

https://url.emailprotection.link/?bJMg7Tl5qasoySBT9ZRZLYfDGbkOgqu7coN0Oyz87ylkS7epc8Qnb4WrVKrbZHSEIsTpkEmvEH3FUGv_N5Rug42G49jpI3uvIX9vIweC9LiY4maLkU9_EsTH5iQ7_vb9P

Link to Vincent Giannivilgini speaking about your choices as you think about retiring

https://url.emailprotection.link/?b7hZ1c8pB-dZ22eQfsFSb3pT2pWvrjjV_LdjEAjU1JoH1HIRPmUzm3tCDNKKOgBmh6AXXp2SBGNbdmG154mrEJ6HlxSqtFJVr0HyJGNluU8USwlI_3CVv-jKd2Js81Rr017AawLSlEguWtlNf2o8m9PVCK_mynkIIVZP34O2WQQQ~

TSO-New York Life Representative

If you are about to retire call and make an appointment to discuss your investment options.

vgiannilivig@ft.newyorklife.com

The Executive Council has approved a new health benefit for all active members in good standing. Members will be eligible to receive a CT body scan through Inner Imaging starting May 1, 2026!

The TSO has been successful in negotiating a deeply discounted price for a “body scan” — an exam which includes four tests: for the heart, the lungs, the abdomen, and the pelvic area. While the price for this full body exam is approximately $850, the TSO has been able to reduce the price for our ACTIVE members to $375. For active members, the TSO will subsidize $200 of that cost. Therefore, active members will pay only $175 for this members-only body scan.
The $200 subsidy will be provided once in a five year span to active members.

There is also a blood test that is conducted that looks for many different types of cancers. This test is conducted at a BioReference Lab. This test will cost you $30. See Inner Imaging Tests link above for more information.

For just $175, members will have access to this incredible preventive test that could potentially detect serious health issues early and may even save your life.

The average time spent at the office is less than 30 minutes, making it a quick and convenient screening for busy members.

The services provided by Inner Imaging are also available to family members, although family members would be responsible for the full cost of $375.

Link to the Inner Imaging website: https://www.innerimagingnyc.com

Philip Valenti, President