Daily News (New York), November 15, 2006, Wednesday

Copyright 2006
Daily News, L.P. Daily News (New York)
November 15, 2006 Wednesday
SPORTS FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS;
Pg. 10

HEADLINE: TWU HOPEFULS RAIL.
CANDIDATES FOR PREZ SPAR DURING DEBATE
BYLINE: BY PETE DONOHUE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

BODY:BRANDING HIS challengers as wimps, tough-talking Roger Toussaint urged the Transport Workers Union to reelect him to a third term as president.
He said his rivals had two things in common. "They're all part of the 'We hate Roger club' " and they lack the gumption to stand up to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the governor, he said.
"You can't give a union like ours over to weak leadership because we're up against very bad people," he said during a 90-minute, forum-style debate at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.Ballots go out next week and must be returned by Dec. 15, when vote counting will begin.

Toussaint and his challengers, except chief rival Barry Roberts, who skipped the event, were questioned by Gene Carroll, director of the union leadership program at Cornell University.
Toussaint congratulated those who did take part and later took a shot at Roberts, who heads the Rail & Bus slate, saying, "There's a rumor he's in the witness protection program."
Roberts had said he was concentrating on campaigning in the depots and railyards.
Union Vice President Ainsley Stewart, running on the Union Democracy slate, injected a little fire into the event by accusing Toussaint of failing to get big enough raises for workers even though "Transit has money coming in like waves on the seashore."
Michael Carrube, a conductor leading the Fresh Start slate, and Anthony Staley, running on the Independent slate, also took part in the debate.
Carrube accused Toussaint of making the union "look weak" in the public's eyes when he continued to bargain rather than strike as soon as its last contract expired.The union eventually struck for three days last December.
Toussaint and the MTA reached a deal on a tentative pact, but the membership defeated it by just seven votes in January.
TWU Local 100 is still without a contract nearly a year later and the dispute is in arbitration.

mailto:arbitration.pdonohue@nydailynews.com

GRAPHIC: ANDREW THEODORAKIS Candidates for president of Transport Workers Union Local 100 at last night's debate: (l.-to-r.) Michael Carrube, Ainsley Stewart, Anthony Staley, Roger Toussaint.