Nearly a year after New York City’s largest transit-worker union faced a leadership shakeup due to allegations of sexual misconduct, a former union leader is taking legal action to uncover details surrounding the severance package of the ousted president.
John Paul “JP” Patafio, a former vice president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and now a bus driver, has filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court. Joined by two other union members, Patafio claims that the union’s severance deal with former president Richie Davis, finalized in January, represents a “corrupt misuse of union resources.”
As initially reported by the Daily News, Richie Davis resigned from his position in January following a suspension tied to an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving a subordinate. The severance agreement with Local 100 guaranteed Davis 100 weeks of salary along with health insurance coverage through the end of 2026.
Patafio, who was serving on the union’s executive committee at the time, contends in Monday’s complaint that neither he nor his fellow committee members received a written version of the severance agreement. Instead, they were asked to approve it based on a verbal outline presented by John Chiarello, who was the acting president at the time and is now the current president.
The lawsuit reveals that Patafio was the only committee member to oppose the severance agreement. Just two days after the vote, an exhibit attached to the complaint shows that Patafio emailed the committee, urging them to convene and discuss “how we can undo this severance agreement.” The suit further notes that Patafio persistently encouraged the union leadership to revisit and reconsider the deal over several months.
Patafio, who at the time was a member of the union’s executive committee, says in the complaint filed Monday that neither he nor the other members of the executive committee were provided a written copy of that agreement, and were asked to approve it based on an oral summary provided by then-acting, now-current president John Chiarello.
According to the suit, Patafio was the sole vote against the separation agreement. Two days later — according to an exhibit attached to the complaint — Patafio emailed the committee members, calling on them to meet and discuss “how we can undo this severance agreement.” The suit says Patafio continued to lobby leadership to revisit the deal for several months.
“We must explore how we can cancel this deal,” he wrote. “The membership hates it. It makes us look bad, real bad. And in truth it just isn’t right.”
The suit seeks a court order allowing Patafio and his two co-plaintiffs — union members Zachary Arcidiacono and Haile DaBreo — “full access to examine and copy” the severance agreement.
Patafio has not been without his own troubles in the union. In August, he was ousted from his leadership position and removed from the executive committee for reportedly trying to demote a TWU rep who was allegedly cheating on his bus-driver wife with another bus driver.
The union cited Patafio for attempting to mete out discipline unilaterally. Patafio currently drives a bus in Brooklyn.
“JP is a disgraced bus driver,” a TWU Local 100 spokesperson said in a statement responding to the suit. “The executive board, the local’s elected governing body, voted overwhelmingly to remove him from office.”
