TWU legend battles for his life as kidneys fail
Transit union legend Tim Schermerhorn, a social justice warrior before the term ever existed, is now in the fight of his life.
The venerable activist remained hospitalized for a sixth week Saturday, the latest setback in his yearslong struggle with failing kidneys — and his worried family is actively seeking a transplant donor to keep their patriarch alive. Schermerhorn, dealing with Stage 5 renal failure, will die without a new kidney.
“He’s optimistic, believe it or not, after everything he’s been through,” said his daughter Alicia Archer. “I would have been been beside myself, despondent. I don’t know how he keeps up the attitude like he does, but he does.”
Schermerhorn, 66, was a longtime activist and outspoken voice in Transport Workers Union Local 100. He followed his father into the family business, attending a 1966 union strike vote on his dad’s shoulders before devoting 33 years of his life to the city’s subway system.
He became a vibrant voice in the TWU, emerging as one of the founders of the union’s New Directions group as its black and Latino membership became a growing force in the local. Schermerhorn served as a union vice president, fighting grievances and arguing for inclusion across the TWU.
“Tim was a passionate advocate for the members throughout his career, and a force within TWU Local 100,” said union head Tony Utano. “Everyone is pulling for him right now.”
The family launched the website www.TimmyNeedsAKidney.org, asking potential donors to fill out a donor-screening form as they seek the person who can step up and give Schermerhorn a literal new lease on life. He’s also on the wait list for a deceased donor, but time is running out as his condition worsens.
There’s another roadblock, too: His B positive blood type is among the hardest to match, shared by less than 10% of the population.
Schermerhorn’s serious health woes began shortly after his retirement a little over six years ago. He had long managed his diabetes with exercise and diet, but “his kidneys just quit on him,” said Archer. He’s since lost all sight in one eye, and battled a disabling series of infections that repeatedly returned him to a hospital bed.
None of the setbacks was enough to stop Schermerhorn from his life’s work as an activist and an advocate for change. His daughter cites another source of inspiration for her dad: His grandson Jason — just 2½ years old and “the sunshine in his sky,” according to Archer.
During his latest hospital stay, Schermerhorn shared Facebook posts on striking Apple employees and organizing support for fully funded public universities and colleges.
Last month, three of his young acolytes led a march that closed down the FDR Drive during the protests that followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
“He does not let his health problems stop him,” said Archer. “He was trying to organize some nurses in the hospital, when he needed to just be quiet and watch ESPN. He doesn’t quit — not with his activism or his health problems.”