Staff Reports
The headline is simple and sharp: the Transport Workers Union of America — led by International President John Samuelsen — has publicly declined to endorse Governor Kathy Hochul and has urged the state AFL‑CIO to do the same. This is not a polite disagreement. It is a loud, calculated political escalation tied to contract fights, crew‑size fights, safety complaints and the smell of bargaining leverage in the air.
Why the TWU break is a big deal
The TWU is not a small club. It represents transit and airline workers across the country and includes the huge Local 100 in New York. When the international union turns on a sitting Democratic governor, it’s news. Samuelsen called Governor Kathy Hochul a “Bosses’ Governor” and a “straight‑up enemy of the TWU.” That kind of language from a union boss makes headlines — and makes campaigns nervous. Yet the state AFL‑CIO moved ahead with an endorsement for the governor, exposing a split inside labor that could reshape the usual union‑Democrat playbook.
It’s about crew size, pensions, and safety — and riders pay the price
This isn’t personal theater. The union points to the veto of a two‑person crew bill, disputes over pensions and health‑care cost shifts, and what it calls worsening assaults on transit workers. Safety claims are raw and real; transit employees say assaults are frequent enough to feel like a crisis. At the same time, riders are facing higher costs — the MTA raised the base fare to $3 — so the union’s “if you can afford to ride” framing lands on both politics and pocketbooks. Bluntly: workers want staffing and safety; riders want reliability and affordability. Politics shouldn’t make those things harder.
Escalation is the tactic — PACs, protests and the bargaining game
Sam uelsen’s TWU isn’t just writing a stern letter. Reported plans include outside political vehicles, public protests and pressure campaigns aimed at other unions and leaders like Mario Cilento at the state AFL‑CIO. That’s bargaining theater with an electoral sting. It’s also worth noting that local unions can still act independently, so the international’s posture doesn’t automatically lock every local into the same play. Still, when a union teases campaign disruption, riders and commuters should take notice: labor muscle can quickly turn into service disruption if bargaining breaks down.
What voters and commuters should take from this
Riders deserve better than being pawns in a political tug‑of‑war. Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA’s leaders, including Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, should answer for policy choices that affect fares, staffing and safety. So should union leaders who threaten votes while promising to protect workers. The smart voters will stop taking sides based on slogans and start demanding clear fixes: more staff on platforms and trains, fair contracts that don’t wreck rider budgets, and transparent bargaining without threats to the commuting public. If both sides cared more about the subway than the headlines, New Yorkers might actually get somewhere — without drama, and without paying more for the privilege.
