TWU Leaders Demand Action on Delayed Workers Comp Payments

At the July 30 MTA Board Meeting, TWU leaders demanded accountability for widespread delays in workers compensation payments affecting more than 3,500 injured transit workers. In his first appearance before the board as Local 100 President, John V. Chiarello condemned the MTA’s decision to outsource claims administration to third-party vendor Sedgwick, calling the resulting payment lapses “a black eye to the MTA” and “total mismanagement.”

“I represent union members who have been physically injured, assaulted, emotionally scarred, and cannot work,” said Chiarello. “The last thing anyone should worry about as they try to heal is whether they can pay the light bill, the rent, or put food on the table.”

TWU International President John Samuelsen echoed the criticism at a press conference outside the boardroom, calling the contract with Sedgwick a business scheme and calling out MTA leadership for trying to pressure injured workers back on the job.

“This is a plan by Janno Lieber and the MTA to get transit workers that are injured to come back to work,” said Samuelsen. “They want them to suffer. They want them to miss mortgage payments, to miss rent, to miss tuition payments for their children to get them back to work. They’d rather have injured transit workers coming back to work than get them paid on time and have happy, productive workers. It’s appalling, it’s evil.” Read more here!