In Transit - January/February 2013

www.atu.org

JA

N/

FE

B

20

13

StruggleAgainstAusterityNYC Mayor Bloomberg’s attacks on school bus drivers and Canadian PM Harper’s Right-to-Work push highlight the continued assaults on the livelihood of working families.

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION | AFL-CIO/CLC

www.atu.org

IN TRANSIT | January/February 2013 3

LAWRENCE J. HANLEYInternational President

ROBERT H. BAKER International Executive Vice President

OSCAR OWENSInternational Secretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTSLARRY R. KINNEAR

Ashburn, ON – [email protected]

JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR.Kansas City, MO – [email protected]

RICHARD M. MURPHYNewburyport, MA – [email protected]

BOB M. HYKAWAYCalgary, AB – [email protected]

WILLIAM G. McLEANReno, NV – [email protected]

JANIS M. BORCHARDTMadison, WI – [email protected]

PAUL BOWENCanton, MI – [email protected]

KENNETH R. KIRK Lancaster, TX – [email protected]

GARY RAUENClayton, NC – [email protected]

MARCELLUS BARNESFlossmore, IL – [email protected]

RAY RIVERA Lilburn, GA – [email protected]

YVETTE SALAZAR Thornton, CO – [email protected]

GARY JOHNSON, SR. Cleveland, OH – [email protected]

ROBIN WEST Halifax, NS – [email protected]

JOHN COSTA Kenilworth, NJ – [email protected]

CHUCK WATSON Syracuse, NY – [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVESANTHONY WITHINGTON

Sebastopol, CA – [email protected]

DENNIS ANTONELLIS Spokane, WA – [email protected]

CLAUDIA HUDSON Oakland, CA – [email protected]

STEPHAN MACDOUGALL Boston, MA – [email protected]

ANTHONY GARLAND Washington, DC – [email protected]

CANADIAN DIRECTORMICHAEL MAHAR

Rexdale, ON - [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS

Subscription: USA and Canada, $5 a year. Single copy: 50 cents. All others: $10 a year. Published bimonthly by the Amalgamated Transit Union, Editor: Shawn Perry, Designer: Paul A. Fitzgerald.Editorial Office: 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016-4139. Tel: 1-202-537-1645. Please send all requests for address changes to the ATU Registry Dept.ISSN: 0019-3291. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40033361.RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:APC Postal Logistics, LLC, PO Box 503, RPO, West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6.

NEWSBRIEFS

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUSInternational President Jim La Sala, ret.

International President Warren George, ret.

International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret. International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret.

Bladder issues a result of inhumane treatment of Palm Tran operators: Backed by ATU Local 1577-West Palm

Beach, Fl, Palm Tran operators brought the issue of “full bladders” to the county’s commission. Due to a failure to revise operator’s schedules since 1996, and the rise in ridership, many operators are unable to make necessary bathroom breaks during their shifts. “I had an operator tell me of going seven hours without getting out of the seat to go to the bathroom,” said Local President Dwight Mattingly. “That is inhumane!”

FTA awards Cincy hybrid engine training: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded Metro in Cincinnati, OH, a grant for $206,973 to develop a transit maintenance workforce training program. The program will provide technical training in the rapidly changing area of hybrid engine technology, as well as continuing education for current members of its transit workforce.

Chicago transit workers ratify contract: In a historic vote, Chicago Transit Authority’s transit workers ratified their

contract ensuring a pay hike over the next four years. This is the first time in 25 years that Local 241, representing bus workers, and Local 308, representing rail workers, have been able to reach a contract agreement without a third party.


2013JAN/FEB

Vol. 122, No. 1

2 International Officers & General Executive Board

NEWS Briefs

3 Index Page

4 Active & Retired Members Step Up for ATU Victims of Sandy

5 International President’s Message: ATU Fighting Battle for All Members, All Unions

6 International Executive Vice President’s Message: It’s Up to Us

7 International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message: Spring Is Coming

9 How Many More Must Die?

10 The Struggle Against Austerity

13 New APTA Voter Survey Shows Strong Support for Investment in Transit

Congress Rights A Wrong - Restores Commuter Tax Benefit

15 Twin Cities Transit Workers Get Strong New Contract

Cincinnati Bus Drivers Protest New Sick Leave Policy

16 Drivers and Riders Stand Stronger Together in Pittsburgh

17 US DOT Funds Detroit Streetcar Project and Bus Rapid Transit Network

New Detroit Plan Would Shrink City, Create Green Space in Abandoned Areas

18 Streetcars Still Popular in Cities Across America

46 New Biodiesel Buses to Replace Most of Peoria’s CityLink Fleet

20 Filibuster Reform Founders on ‘Compromise’

2012 ‘Most Valuable’ US Nantional Union? ATU, Of Course

21 Drivers, Riders Warned to Take Extra Precautions During Flu Season

22 Suspect in NJ Transit Assault Case Arrested in North Carolina

DC Driver Shields Don’t (Retro-) Fit Some Buses

23 Fiscal Cliff Deal Hits Middle Class Americans As Much As Wealthy

Boston MBTA Crackdown Nabs 40% More Fare Evaders

24 Driver in Virginia Bus Crash to Serve 6 Years, Discount Operator Continues in New Company

25 Who Will Be Looking Out for the Interests of Transit Riders in 113th Congress?

Fairfax, VA Bus Drivers Vote to Join Local 1764

26 Portland Transit Workers Launch PR Blitz in Contract Fight

27 Translations (Spanish)

30 In Memoriam

31 The 57th International Convention Notice

32 Please Give to ATU Members Still Suffering from Hurricane Sandy

8 BARACK OBAMA: GAME SHOW HOST

14

VIRGINIA GOV WANTS TO SCRAP GAS TAX, MARYLAND WEIGHING ALTERNATIVES

10 THE STRUGGLE AGAINST AUSTERITY

19 TRANSIT RIDERSHIP SOARS, MORE INVESTMENT NEEDED

www.atu.org


Local 1181-New York, NY, members Maria Gentile and Richard Krohley have had a tough couple of months to say the least. On October 29, Hurricane Sandy completely destroyed the first level of the couple’s Howard Beach, NY, house along with their two cars. They went over two weeks without power, hot water, lights or heat. They’re still fighting with their insurance company over claims and have received very little assistance.

Now the two veteran New York City school bus drivers are going without paychecks because Mayor Michael Bloomberg has forced them to go on strike to protect their jobs (see story on strike).

And both Both Gentile and Krohley, who applied for and received money from the ATU Disaster Relief Fund, say that without the Union they would have never been able to make it through these difficult times.

Joined picket line despite hardship

“It shows my union brothers and sisters are behind me in good times and bad,” says Gentile, who despite her hardships has been on picket lines with Richard since the strike began. “We were both deeply touched, especially with this strike, that our Union could help us get our feet back on the ground after our home and cars were destroyed by the hurricane. I’ve been a member for 34 years and have never been prouder to be a member of ATU.”

Gentile and Krohley’s story is similar to many of our east coast members, who are still recovering from the devastating impact of Sandy. Some, who are also on strike in New York, have received money from the Disaster Relief Fund, others are waiting, and more are still expected to apply for the financial assistance.

Over $110,000 raised, so far

ATU members, retirees and friends have stepped up to the plate, contributing more than $110,000, so far, to the Relief Fund to help fellow members like Gentile and Krohley.

The Lincoln, RI, Lime Rock fire fighters, new members of Local 618 -Providence, RI, raised $3,500 for the fund with a “fill-the-boots” collection on their own time. Local 127-Los Angeles, CA, made a $10,000 donation to the fund that was matched by the California Conference Board. But the majority of donations have come from individual members and retirees like Steve Morrison, a retiree of Local 689-Washington, DC.

“When I heard the homes of ATU members were damaged by the storm, I wanted to help because that’s what I do,” said Morrison, who lives in Clinton, MD. “The ATU served me well during my years working at WMATA and when my fellow brothers and sisters are in need the least I could do was contribute to the fund.”

So, no matter how big or small, donations of any amount to the Disaster Relief Fund can help your fellow members and their families affected by the storm. Credit card donations can now be made on the ATU website (www.atu.org).

Active & retired members step up for ATU victims of Sandy ATU helps New York members devastated by Hurricane Sandy, and now on strike

Local 618 President Paul Harrington and IVP Richard Murphy joined ATU Lime Rock Firefighter members who raised $3,500.

4 January/February 2013 | IN TRANSIT


LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

atu fighting battle for all members, all unions

I’m writing to you today from the picket lines of our school bus drivers and matrons in New York City,

where the latest battle in the war on unions has taken center stage (see story on page 10).

No one should doubt that this is, indeed, a war; a war in which Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to rob the wages and take away the jobs of our Local 1181 members in order to keep taxes as low as possible for those of his rich, privileged class.

This is no different from what Governor Scott Walker, R, did to public workers in Wisconsin, essentially repealing their collective bargaining rights.

The same thing is happening in Atlanta, where a “reorganization” of MARTA has been initiated as a tool to privatize their transit system and lower the wages of their workers now represented by Local 732.

It’s also happening in Canada, where Conservative politicians are looking for the right time to table right-to-work laws in the Ontario legislature.

The particular strategy used against ATU in Canada has been for provinces and localities to declare our work an “essential service” revoking our right to strike.

‘Transit theatre of war’

This is the “transit theatre of war” in an overall campaign against working people, driven by the money of the Koch brothers and their millionaire friends, and orchestrated by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Corporate interests in both countries are the profiteers.

The struggles of our members in New York, Atlanta, and Ontario can appear to be local problems that don’t affect other transit workers. But that’s because the enemies of Labor Unions made a strategic decision to deploy their forces at the state and provincial, rather than the federal levels.

Make no mistake this is an international war of attrition. The enemies of transit workers are blaming workers for rising costs and budget shortfalls. In city after city they claim ATU workers are paid too much and their benefits are too costly.

Slowly, but surely, they plan to de-unionize all public service work including public transit, and eventually outlaw all collective bargaining or render it useless.

Passengers and school kids victims too

ATU members are not the only victims in this war. Our passengers, who have come to rely on dependable professional public transit, usually end up paying more for substandard service.

School children and their safe and reliable transportation are being used as pawns.

The poor, who depend on mass transit more than others, are most affected. Not only is their physical mobility restricted but also their social mobility is limited by the service cuts that prevent them from getting to jobs that would help them move out of poverty.

This war helps the rich avoid paying their fare share of taxes, while complaining that those in poverty need to get off the government’s dime.

If nothing is done we can expect to see this battle plan continually played out in one city after another for the foreseeable future. No one will be immune.

Our mission is clear. We must fight with all we’ve got to stop this process now in New York, Atlanta, and Ontario, not only for our members and passengers there, but for those who will be hurt by the anti-union battles that lie ahead if we don’t.

6 January/February 2013 | IN TRANSIT IN TRANSIT | January/February 2013 7

BOB BAKER, INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

IT’S UP TO US

A very clear message is being sent to labor unions in the United States and Canada by the corporate

interests who would turn the clock on labor law back a hundred years or more:

It doesn’t matter if you win a national election.

We will fight you in the states. We will fight you in the provinces. We will fight you in the courts.

We will use our corporate war chest to buy our way into state and provincial courts and legislatures. We will turn public opinion against you. We will make you fight each other.

We will use the public’s ignorance about what we’re up to, and what unions do, to pass laws that will render Labor powerless against us.

We will eliminate paid health care, paid sick days, paid vacations, and pensions.

We will eliminate Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, and any kind of public assistance so that we can pay even lower taxes.

We will push workers back into the ranks of the working poor, just like they were in the late 1800s.

That is the road to (our) prosperity.

Ample evidence

We have ample evidence that the campaign to destroy labor unions is continuing unabated despite the victory of the Democratic Party in the recent election.

Later in this issue you will read about how they are trying to rob the collective bargaining rights and labor protections of our largest local – Local 1181 – in New York City. You will read about how they are scheming to take collective bargaining rights away from public service workers in Canada.

And by the time you receive this magazine, you will be reading about how the Republicans in Congress are again daring to push the nation over another fiscal cliff in order to extract another pound of flesh from workers.

Sisters and brothers, there is no depth to which the corporate interests of Canada and the U.S. will not go in pursuit of lower costs and greater profits.

Fodder

And we workers are simply the expendable fuel they use to enrich themselves – easily replaceable fodder for the corporate machine.

There are those who would say this is an exaggeration; that the scenario above could never happen again. I would ask everyone to pay a visit to the non-union operations run by the transit providers in our countries and see what employment is like at those properties.

Realize that that’s where they want all of us, and that if we don’t get active now, that’s where we’ll all be.

Know, however, that they may have money, but we’ve got members and a lot more voices than they have. And, if we all stand together and refuse to let this happen, they can’t deny us.

In the coming months the executive officers and the General Executive Board will be outlining a course of action to fight those who would force us back to the nineteenth century.

Electing leaders who won’t purposely hurt us was the first step. The rest is up to us.

In Solidarity,

Bob Baker


OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

SPRING IS COMING

This is a very difficult time for some people. It’s stays dark outside longer than any other time

of year. It’s cold. The traffic is bad. It can be very depressing.

Winter can seem like a gloomy time we just have to endure between the holidays and spring. Nothing much seems to be happening.

Yet we know that’s not true. There’s a lot going on.

The angle of the sun changes as the light loiters just a little longer each day. The earth, plants and trees are changing; getting ready to bloom. The snow falling in the mountains will melt swelling the streams that rush to the rivers.

Lots of things are happening that we don’t notice. Winter is far from a “dead” time of year.

Plans are being laid

It’s like that in our political world too. Those who oppose public transit are laying their plans now.

We know that there are those in Congress and in our provincial legislatures who plan to use the “austerity budgets” our nations face as an excuse to reduce or even eliminate transit funding.

We know that more local governments will say they can no longer afford to operate their own transit systems and try to contract them out to private, non-union providers.

We know that courts will be asked to strike down our Section 13(c) collective bargaining rights in several cities in the United States, and declare transit in Canadian cities to be “essential services,” barring our members working there from striking.

All of this is as predictable as the change of seasons.

But that’s no reason to be down or depressed, because we’re making our plans also.

Dignity

We plan on fighting to protect and improve transit funding in any national legislation that will be considered in the coming year.

We plan to fight to protect transit workers from violent assault, and to provide drivers with adequate bathroom breaks.

We plan to fight to improve the wages, benefits and working conditions of all workers.

And we plan to fight to assure that employers accord all workers the God-given dignity they deserve.

For, just as surely as spring will come, workers will fight to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

And that process can no more be stopped than the sun can be prevented from warming the earth.

You can participate in that fight by making your voluntary donation to ATU-COPE today.


Do you remember playing the board game ‘Sorry’ as a kid? Once players make their way around the

board, avoiding all the potential pitfalls along the way, they reach what is called the “Safety Zone.” Once you enter this area, no one can harm you, no matter what you do.

Last November, Barack Obama punched his ticket for a second term. During his historic inaugural address, he moved into the Safety Zone of American politics, enjoyed by only 17 presidents fortunate enough to be elected at least twice. Second term presidents are free to speak their mind knowing they will not have to run for reelection again.

Progressive agenda

During his speech, the president wasted no time showing his true feelings on some of the most compelling issues of our time, including climate change and the role of workers, laying out a progressive agenda for the next four years.

“For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class,” the president said. Obama already came through during the lame duck session of Congress on this issue, forcing Republicans to raise taxes on ‘Park Place’ Americans, while protecting the 99% of us living on ‘Baltic Avenue.’

Saving the planet

The President, citing scientific evidence, spent considerable

time talking about climate change. After Superstorm Sandy devastated public transit in the northeast corridor, ATU International President Larry Hanley said, “Ultimately, who should pay is the oil companies. They’re the people who are polluting the environment, the people who are causing this global warming…. If ever there was clear evidence of climate change, it’s what we’ve been through over the last several months, with the hot summer and now this storm activity.”

Transit saves the U.S. approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. While public transit ridership continues to increase only 14 million Americans ride daily while 88% of all trips in the U.S. are made by automobile. Since the beginning of 2009, thousands of workers in the transit industry – a significant percentage of a “green” workforce – have been laid off. With a strong push by the president during the next four years, perhaps this trend can be reversed.

Priorities

When Mitt Romney criticized Obama during the second critical debate for cutting military spending, saying the U.S. Navy has fewer ships than we did in 1916, the president noted that we also have fewer horses and bayonets than we did then. “It’s not a game of ‘Battleship’ where we’re counting ships,” he said. “What are our priorities?”

We know Barack Obama’s priorities. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t fall into the ‘Mousetrap’ set by House Speaker John Boehner, R, and the GOP-controlled Congress.

How many points do you get for “LIBERATED?”

LEGISLATIVE REPORT:

Barack Obama: Game Show Host



How many more

must die?How many more must die before Congress and

Parliament address driver fatigue?

That is the question ATU posed to American and Canadian officials after the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Canada’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure banned further operations by Mi Joo Tour & Travel – the Canadian owner of an intercity bus that crashed in Oregon on December 30, killing nine and injuring 39.

It won’t come as a surprise to ATU members that driver fatigue appears to be a factor in the deadly accident.

Records show that the driver had worked 92 hours in the seven days before the crash – far above the 70 hours limit.

The DOT reported that it banned the Vancouver operator because the company poses an “imminent hazard to public safety due to its failure to take basic measures to ensure that its drivers are properly rested.”

“Companies scapegoat drivers for the accidents caused by their sweatshops on wheels,” asserts International President Larry Hanley. “They overwork and underpay drivers in both countries, which often forces drivers to work until they drop. When we hear about an intercity bus rolling off the road, we’re almost 100 percent sure it’s due to driver fatigue.”

Deregulation fever spreading to Canada

The problem has its roots in the deregulation of the U.S. intercity bus industry in the 1980s. This permitted the establishment of countless small, “fly-by-night” bus

operations that have been involved in a growing number of fatal accidents.

Two highly publicized crashes in Virginia and the Bronx killed a total of 19, last year alone. Deregulation has now spread to Canada and small companies like Mi Joo Tour & Travel have been overlooked, just as they’ve been in the U.S., exposing drivers, passengers, and motorists to danger.

In the U.S., intercity bus drivers are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. As a consequence drivers are so poorly paid that they will work second jobs during their rest periods just to make ends meet.

ATU strongly supports the Driver Fatigue Prevention Act, a bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, which would ensure that drivers are paid fairly for work performed above 40 hours per week.

ATU has been warning that driver fatigue is a big problem in over-the-road transportation for a long time. The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that 36 percent of fatal U.S. motorcoach crashes over the past decade have been due to driver fatigue. It is the number one cause of fatal accidents.

Politicians must be accountable

“U.S. and Canadian politicians who have failed to regulate this industry to protect drivers and passengers must be held accountable,” Hanley says. “Until overtime regulations are enacted and enforced we will continue to see carnage on our highways.”


“Austerity.” That was the goal of free market ideologues in North America and Europe who cunningly made the worldwide market collapse of 2008 appear to be a public spending crisis.

Governments took the bait, adopting “austerity budgets” worldwide. As a result, millions lost jobs, services, and benefits, while those who caused the economic disaster walked away relatively unscathed.

ATU members and other workers across North America have been, and continue to be prime targets of scheming, anti-union politicians who cloak their attacks on working families as austerity measures that are absolutely necessary to avoid fiscal catastrophe.

NYC school bus drivers on strike

The tactic is currently being employed in New York City where Mayor Michael Bloomberg has targeted teachers and other city employees, and vilified Local 1181 school bus drivers and matrons, blaming them for the city’s financial woes.

Now, Bloomberg has decided to drop the requirement that contracts with New York City school bus providers include the employee protective provisions (EPPs) that have provided job security and protected the wages of senior school bus employees for over 30 years.

Bloomberg contends that a recent court decision makes EPPs illegal. Local 1181 disagrees saying that the city is misinterpreting the ruling so that it can claim that its hands are tied.

The city is now accepting bids from companies seeking to provide school bus service when the current contracts expire in June.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST

AUSTERITY


jkKJ



Without EPPs, NYC school bus contracts are guaranteed to go to low paying, non-union employers whom Bloomberg believes will save the city money. That’s the real reason for dropping the employee protections.

More than 8,000 Local 1181 school bus drivers and matrons went on strike on January 16, to stop Bloomberg from awarding school bus contracts to non-union operators. Parents, other unions, the Occupy movement and other supporters have stood in solidarity with the striking drivers and matrons.

Safety

A central concern in the dispute is the safety of 152,000 students, which always “has, and always will be the top priority of every man and woman who

make up ATU Local 1181,” says Local President Michael Cordiello. Over 54,000 of those are special needs students who require the experience that these drivers and matrons provide.

Assault

International President Larry Hanley commented on the mayor’s action, saying, “This is the New York equivalent of (Wisconsin Governor) Scott Walker’s attempts to strip workers in public services of their wages and benefits… It is an assault on the foundation of decent wages and decent health care and decent retirement standards.”

The EPP controversy may seem unique to New York City, but the mayor’s action, if successful, will have the same result as successful campaigns conducted against other unions in the United States. They all rob workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Austerity comes to Canada

American workers have looked with envy on Canadian labour law, which has, for decades, seemed impervious to the legislative assaults that have weakened unions in the United States. But the forces currently attacking worker rights around the world are now beginning to emerge in Canada with the same fervor they’ve shown in the U.S.

The Progressive Conservative (PC) government in Ottawa, for example, successfully rammed anti-

School bus attendants and their supporters walk a picket line near a bus depot in New York, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)



union Bill C-377 through parliament just prior to the Christmas recess. While technically a private member’s bill tabled by Tory MP Russ Hiebert, no one doubted that the legislation was the work of PC Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

C-377 borrows a page from U.S. labor law by requiring all Canadian labour unions to publicly disclose their financial statements, employee salaries over $100,000, and most disbursements to lobbyists and political groups.

Ontario

In 2012, Ontario adopted an “austerity budget” that mandated a two-year public worker wage freeze, and more than $15 billion in spending cuts over the next four years.

The legislature also passed Bill-115, which effectively imposed a contract on the province’s 180,000 elementary and secondary school teachers and eliminated their collective bargaining rights.

So far the teachers, who cannot strike, have responded by refusing to do unpaid extra-curricular activities with students.

The Liberal legislature has now repealed Bill 115, saying it has served its one-off purpose of imposing a contract on the teachers. But, the law might be revived if Ontario Liberals manage to pass the yet-to-be-introduced Protecting Public Services Act which

would apply the provisions of Bill 115 to nearly half a million civil servants as well as employees of colleges, hospitals, boards of health, long-term care homes and other government-funded organizations.

The bill would also limit the ability of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the courts to review decisions made by the government under the new law, and would even allow the province to dictate the outcome of collective bargaining before negotiations begin.

Not to be outdone, Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is ready to table right-to-work legislation that would also rescind all public worker union contracts and curtail their right to negotiate future agreements. Prime Minister Harper has shown support for this move.

Neither of these bills is expected to be tabled until after the province holds parliamentary elections (probably in the spring).

The campaign against unions in the United States and Canada will become more aggressive in the next couple of years. ATU, and organized labor in general, will have to be smarter and more aggressive than their enemies if they want to pass Labor’s legacy on to a new generation of workers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Pawel Dwulit)



Congress rights a wrong – restores commuter tax benefit

New APTA voter survey shows strong support for investment in transit

A new nationwide survey shows that Americans overwhelmingly support

increased government investment in public transportation. Conducted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on Election Day 2012, the survey assessed voter mindset and motivation concerning transit as the American people voted for a new Congress and president.

Eighty-one percent of respondents value public transit’s affordable mobility; 79 percent believe public transportation offers opportunity for every segment of the population; while 76 percent of respondents favor increased public transit funding to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and to improve America’s economic security.

“This APTA survey coupled with their recent ridership report and others like them demonstrate how important it is for Congress to respond to the growing ridership and demand for more transit service,” said International President Hanley in reaction to the poll. “Even as this new Congress works to reduce the national debt and government spending, U.S. taxpayers are urging them to build more mass transit – one of the surest engines of fiscal recovery.”

A strong 75 percent of respondents support using tax dollars to expand and improve public transportation and 73 percent say a strong public transit system leads to economic growth in their communities.

A record number of Americans are using public transportation even though fares continue to rise on transit systems across

the country.

In a move that was long overdue Congress decided to give cash-strapped commuters a New Year’s economic boost by restoring the transit commuter tax benefit to match the current parking benefit as part of the 11th-hour bill passed to avoid the fiscal cliff.

“We applaud Congress for restoring this commuter tax benefit. It will provide much needed financial assistance to working families,” said International President Larry Hanley. “The average American family devotes nearly 20 percent of its income to transportation – second only to housing. The increase in this benefit means they have one less expense to worry about, and in today’s economy, every dollar counts.”

Under the new legislation the commuter tax benefit will rise to $245 per month to be on par with the parking benefit. When this law expired, the commuter benefit was rolled back to $120 per month while the similar tax break for those who drive to work increased to $245 a month.

Encouraging commuters to use mass transit

“It made no sense that those who drive to work should get a better tax benefit than those who commute by bus, rail or subway. We should be encouraging more people to use public transportation, which has many environmental, social and economic benefits,” Hanley continued.

Commuter benefit should be permanent

“The transit benefit is good for our communities, our economy, and our environment,” Hanley said. “We look forward to working with Congress to make this a permanent benefit for commuters.”



Gasoline taxes have been the principle source of U.S. state transportation and infrastructure

funding for decades. And state legislatures used to routinely raise gas taxes to keep up with inflation.

But, since the 1980s, politicians have avoided raising taxes at all. So the buying power of state transportation money has dwindled. Add to that increasingly fuel-efficient motor vehicles using less gas and you find state transportation funding wells drying up across the nation.

Will Virginia Republicans trade the gas tax for a sales tax increase?

Intriguingly, Virginia’s GOP Governor Bob McDonnell has proposed an alternative that he hopes will solve his state’s perennial transportation funding woes.

McDonnell will ask the R e p u b l i c a n - c o n t r o l l e d legislature in Richmond to scrap the Old Dominion’s

17.5¢/gal. gas tax and increase the commonwealth’s sales tax from 5 to 5.8 percent.

The governor’s solution would add that .8 percent to the amount of the sales tax already going to transportation. But unlike a gas tax that never changes, the sales tax is a percentage of sales that would generate more funding as more people buy more things and the state’s economy grows.

The governor also wants to increase vehicle registration fees, add an annual $100 charge for alternative-fuel

cars, and amend the commonwealth’s constitution to require the state to fund transportation.

The plan would generate $3.1 billion for transportation over the next five years. If passed, Virginia would be the first state in the nation to do away with its gas tax.

Maryland’s Dilemma

The aggressive plan threw a monkey wrench across the Chesapeake into the discussions of the Maryland General Assembly that has been struggling with the same transportation funding shortfalls as Virginia.

The legislators in Annapolis know full well that many of their constituents wouldn’t mind driving across the state line to buy gas that’s 17.5¢/gal. cheaper than in the Free State.

Last year Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley couldn’t get an Assembly committee to vote on his proposal to increase transportation funding by applying a sales tax to gasoline.

While the Democratic governor hasn’t ruled out a gas tax increase this year, he’s

been focusing more on alternatives such as a penny sales tax increase, reintroducing the gasoline sales tax, or indexing the current gas tax for inflation.

In any event Maryland must do something, if only to remain competitive with its southern neighbor.

Virginia gov wants to scrap gas tax, Maryland weighing alternatives



Photo Credit: Metro Transit

Cincinnati bus drivers protest new sick leave policy

Angry about a new, reduced sick leave policy, members of Local 627

working for Cincinnati (OH) Metro packed a Metro Board meeting to make sure their displeasure was heard loud and clear.

The new policy drastically reduces unexcused sick days, such that a driver could be fired after just eight unexcused sick days.

“Being on the bus 10 to 12 hours at a time, those things start to break your body down,” argued one driver at the hearing.

Others said bus drivers are concerned and attended the meeting because they want to continue to serve the public in a responsible and safe manner. They told the board the new policy would force drivers to work when they are sick, lead to a higher turnover rate, and hurt service.

The protest had a positive outcome as Metro officials agreed to sit down with the local to discuss the new policy and potentially make changes.

After almost 10 months of negotiations Metro transit workers, members of ATU Local 1005-Minneapolis/

St. Paul, MN overwhelmingly approved a new 3-year contract. The agreement secured members numerous improvements including wage increases, the union’s first since September 2009, and no changes to their health insurance plan.

“This was the first offer the membership voted on and they voted in favor of the offer, 92 percent to 8 percent,” said Local President Michelle Sommers, noting the terms of contract will be applied retroactively to Aug. 1, when the previous one expired. “I’m happy it’s all wrapped up.”

Negotiations between ATU and Metro Transit took place as Republican majorities in the state legislature proposed deep cuts in funding for public transit – cuts the union says would lead to job losses and higher fares for riders.

The 2,220 workers, which include drivers, mechanics and electricians on Twin Cities area bus and train lines, had been working without a contract since August.

Twin Cities transit workers get strong new contract


As ATU members are successfully doing across the country, Local 85 members, transit advocates, and

riders are teaming up in Pittsburgh to fight back against attacks on public transit. Due to state budget cuts transit workers and riders have faced a dire situation in Pittsburgh over the last few years. For drivers, benefits have been cut, garages have been closed, and working conditions have gotten worse. For riders, service has been slashed while fares have marched steadily up.

Local 85-Pittsburgh, PA, is partnering with a community-based rider organization called Pittsburghers for Public Transportation. Together they are asserting that enough is enough; good public transit is a basic human right, and Pittsburghers need more transit, not less.

Civil disobedience for transit

Pittsburghers for Public Transit flew onto the scene in the fall of 2010, after the Port Authority, which runs the transit system, slashed service by 30% across the city and many low-income and suburban communities were disproportionally cut off. In response to these cuts they planned and executed a civil disobedience action in which many of them were arrested for standing up for transit.

Local 85 has helped fund Pittsburghers for Public Transit as they have built a grassroots bus rider organizing campaign and a pro-transit coalition.

Transit riders’ bill of rights

Since hiring a full-time organizer, bus captains have begun to work with bus drivers to organize riders and the coalition of partner organizations continues to grow. One of the primary organizing tools being used with riders is the “transit riders’ bill of rights” which can be found at pittsburghforpublictransit.org.

“Our local decided to team up with and support Pittsburghers for Public Transit because we know the community and riders are crucial to winning this long-term transit funding fight,” said Local President Steve Palonis.

“Working in partnership with the ATU has been effective and inspiring,” said Helen Gerhardt, lead organizer at Pittsburghers for Public Transit. “By standing together for good jobs and great transit service, drivers and riders are incredibly more powerful than we would be if we stood up alone.”

In addition to the close partnership with Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the pro-transit coalition also includes the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network, the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, a coalition of nonprofit community based organizations, and others.

Dedicated, sustainable funding

Since the last round of service cuts and layoffs the Port Authority’s budget has been band-aided and held together by precarious short-term solutions.

Ultimately, the Pittsburgh coalition is advocating for the restoration of dedicated, sustainable state transit funding that is tied to inflation, for large corporations to pay their fair share into the system their employees rely on, and for dedicated long-term revenue for transit. The alternative is dire – more service cuts, layoffs, and isolated communities.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Similarly, the path towards victory in Pittsburgh, across Pennsylvania, and throughout North America is not easy.

Drivers and riders stand stronger together in Pittsburgh

ATU Local 85 and Pittsburghers for Public Transit marching in support of a “transit riders’ bill of rights”.


There’s some good news in Detroit for a change. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced

that the M-1 Rail project can move forward immediately using a $25 million TIGER grant previously awarded for transit in Detroit.

The funds will support construction of a planned 3.3-mile streetcar line to help revitalize Detroit’s historic Woodward Avenue corridor.

“This is going to be in the history books what we’re announcing,” LaHood said at the formal announcement. “No other city in America has had business leaders come together and raise $100 million.”

The secretary also announced an additional $6.5 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) planning funds available from prior fiscal years to help Michigan develop a bus rapid transit (BRT) network to expand transit options connecting downtown Detroit with its suburbs and key destinations in the region.

One of the keys to getting the funding, LaHood said, was the recent creation of a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to oversee public transit projects in Metro Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan.

ATU looks forward to doing the work.

“We are glad the federal government, state and city have made this investment to expand and improve transportation in the Detroit area. After the drastic cuts we have suffered it is badly needed for the people of this city,” said Local 26 President Henry Gaffney. “Our members look forward to doing this work.”

Detroit Future City, a new strategic plan for Detroit developed by the Detroit Works Long-Term Planning team, was recently unveiled. Future City would make the city strategically smaller, but hopefully stronger

and more efficient.

The plan calls for new transportation modes, with bike lanes and a new light rail system, and easing water problems by turning empty areas into “blue zones” with ponds that keep rainwater out of the sewer system. The far-reaching plan covers everything from job training to the creation of public gardens.

Only 700,000 people live in a city built for two million, the report says. And the population is expected to fall to 610,000 by 2030. The plan would encourage “house-swapping” to move residents from blighted, low-density areas and to more populated areas to consolidate city services. But the report adds that no one would be forced to move.

New Detroit plan would shrink city, create green space in abandoned areas

US DOT funds Detroit streetcar Project and Bus Rapid Transit NetworkAdditional $6.5 million awarded to plan new regional bus rapid transit network.


46 new biodiesel buses to replace most of Peoria’s CityLink fleet

Members of Local 416-Peoria, IL, will soon be driving 46 new buses which will replace all but 10 of their

current fleet. CityLink purchased the motor coaches with a $15 million grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. These are the first new buses bought for CityLink ever.

“Our members are excited to drive these new, much more efficient buses,” said Local 416 President Ronald Cox. “The fleet was very old and it was long overdue to replace the buses with these new vehicles.”

The new buses use biodiesel fuel and boast a “selective catalyst reduction system” which reduces exhaust to a mixture of nitrogen and water.

The new buses feature LED lights and steel wheels on the outside. On the inside, passengers will have to get used to a new fare collection system.

Proceeds from an auction of the old buses will be used to improve wheelchair accessibility and shelter at stops.

CityLink ridership rose to 3.4 million last year – the highest in the transit district’s history.

GONE GREEN: The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District has been fueling its bus fleet with B20 for two and a half years. PHOTO: CITYLINK


Streetcars still popular in cities across America

Cities across the United States continue to plan for and install

streetcar lines as a part of their plans to revitalize their downtown areas. Two of them were recently in the news:

New Orleans

New Orleans opened a new streetcar line near the Superdome just in time for the Superbowl. The new line is expected to be quite popular as it runs from the French Quarter through the city’s business district to the Superdome.

Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the new streetcar line will benefit the city, providing transportation for travelers and residents working downtown, for years to come.

The new streetcar line was made possible by a $45 million federal transportation grant that paid for all but $7 million of the cost.

South Bend

South Bend is launching a study to assess whether it might join the list of U.S. cities where residents can hop onto streetcars, trolleys or rapid transit buses to get around.

The South Bend Public Transportation Company recently began looking at possible configurations for an “urban circulator system” in the northern Indiana city.


In what will come as no surprise to ATU members, more and more Americans and Canadians are using

public transportation. Boston, Toronto, and Tampa are the latest cities to report record ridership numbers.

Boston

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) saw a 1.3 percent rise in ridership in November as compared to last year. What comes as a surprise, however, is that more people rode despite a recent fare hike in July. The MBTA had projected an overall ridership decline of about five percent after the average 23 percent increase went into effect.

Toronto

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) says ridership has exceeded even its outside projections, carrying a record 514 million passengers in 2012. The TTC says that’s about 11 million more rides than had initially been projected for last year. The system’s growth shows no signs of slowing as officials predict the system will carry another 14 million this year to round out 2013 at 528 million rides.

Tampa

In Tampa bus ridership for the year soared to record highs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties even as gas prices dropped.

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) reported a 3.4 percent increase in 2012 over year-ago ridership to 14.4 million passengers, while the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority reported a seven percent increase to 14 million passengers. Some Hillsborough bus routes showed double-digit ridership growth over the first 11 months of 2012; indicating public transit use is up across all areas of the county.

US and Canada

All across North America mass transit ridership is up. In the U.S. it grew 2.3 percent – the seventh straight quarter of growth, according to a recent report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) reported an increase of 3.2 percent in public transit ridership for the first six months of 2012 during the same period a year earlier.

Despite these increases in ridership systems 80 percent of U.S. transit systems have had to cut service or increase fares since the recession began, showing more investment is needed to meet the rising demand.

“Riders continue to be enthusiastic about transit even as they pay higher fares and wait longer for crowded trains and buses to come,” said International President Larry Hanley. “They are sending a clear message to Congress and the Parliament that they want more access and investment in public transportation.”

Transit ridership soars, more investment needed



Filibuster reform founders on ‘compromise’

A determined effort to curb or kill Senate filibusters – talkathons and threats that let the minority party

stop virtually anything it wants – failed on January 25, when the Senate’s two party leaders announced a “compromise.”

The agreement between Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY – who launched 391 filibusters in the last Congress – lets the minority offer guaranteed amendments in return for curbing filibusters against lower-level presidential nominations. And filibusters against even taking up a bill, on “motions to proceed,” are gone.

But senators can still bring business to a halt with just a filibuster threat, without having to actually talk a measure or nomination to death. And it will still take 60 votes to halt filibusters and threats.

Missed Opportunity

“This deal is a missed opportunity to move forward or even ensure debate on the critical issues facing our nation,” said Communications Workers President Larry Cohen, leader of a 51-group coalition, www.fixthesenatenow.org, that mobilized members and citizens to curb or end the talkathons.

“In recent years, the Senate has failed to discuss, debate, or vote on measures that affect jobs, workers’ rights, health care, campaign financing, immigration, and the list goes on and on,” Cohen added.

Republicans used filibusters and threats to halt nominations to the National Labor Relations Board, kill equal pay for equal work legislation, sideline the Employee Free Choice Act, and spike the Dream Act legalizing young undocumented workers who enlist in college or join the military, among many things.

Filibusters and threats could now sidetrack much of what Labor wants from this Congress as well, Cohen said.

James Stewart in a scene from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. (AP Photo/Columbia)

ATU was named the “Most Valuable National Union” in The Nation magazine’s annual progressive honor roll for 2012.

“This is a great honor for the ATU that can be attributed to the hard work, commitment and dedication of our 190,000 members across North America,” says International President Larry Hanley about the honor.

“ATU will continue our efforts to organize transit passengers all across the U.S. and Canada and invest our energy in the fight for a fair economy, a clean environment and better treatment of all workers.”

The Nation praised ATU for its aggressive, progressive approach in fighting for more and better public transportation, and social and economic justice as the standard for the labor movement.

2012 ‘most valuable’ US national union? – ATU, of course



North America is in the grip of the worst flu seasons in years, and that has become a cause for

concern for transit operators and riders who routinely spend time with strangers in close quarters, and touch things like fare machines, hand rails, and poles that are also touched by thousands each day.

Commuters from coast to coast are being reminded to avoid touching surfaces as much as possible (winter gloves can accomplish that), wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, and avoid touching their face, nose, and mouth.

Ottawa

Ottawa’s Local 279 President Craig Watson sees the problem especially on “big buses, people are nose to tail jam packed and it’s easy to get exposed. The recommendation is to get off the bus and wash your hands. When I used to drive, that was the first thing I would do when I got off the bus. It’s common sense.”

Boston

Boston’s MBTA has been making announcements at T stations reminding commuters to wash their hands frequently and to cover their nose and mouth when they sneeze or cough. And most people have now caught on to the recommendation of health professionals to sneeze or cough into the crook of their elbow rather than their hands, which are the most common carriers of the virus.

The MBTA has also taken the extra precaution of stepping up its cleaning regimen, particularly of subway car straps and poles.

Drivers, riders warned to take extra precautions during flu season

STAY CONNECTEDFor the latest ATU News and Action Alerts please check out the ATU’s social media network

Facebook: facebook.com/ATUInternational

Twitter: twitter.com/ATUComm

YouTube: youtube.com/user/stpatuorg

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/atuinternational/


The increase in assaults on bus drivers and other transit workers has been a disturbing trend and

it’s rare that the attackers are caught and prosecuted. New Jersey in particular has seen its fair share of attacks on operators including a driver who was stabbed seven times.

However, a suspect in a Christmas Eve assault on a female New Jersey Transit driver has been has been arrested in North Carolina. The operator told the passenger she had made her last stop when, without provocation, he struck her in the head numerous times. The woman lost consciousness and, thankfully, her attacker left the bus. The driver was treated for lacerations on her face at a local hospital.

Vicious

Given the vicious nature of the assault, ATU New Jersey State Joint Council Chair Ray Greaves called for an upgrade in the charges. “I trust that after your investigation into this horrendous attack on a defenseless female operator that your charges will fit the crime and you successfully prosecute the attacker,” Greaves wrote.

ATU has been working with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to find solutions to address this growing problems. Including increased use of bus shields, a stronger presence of transit police on buses, and stricter laws against attacks on transit workers.

Suspect in NJ Transit assault case arrested in North Carolina

Installing Plexiglas-type shields to protect drivers from assault has been a controversial topic for over

a decade. Many, if not most drivers were adamantly against them when they were first proposed.

They said they separated them from their riders who were the reason they found the work enjoyable. Some cited glare issues, while others said the barriers blocked their access to heat and air conditioning.

As driver assaults have become more numerous and more serious, a lot more drivers are saying that they want them. Unfortunately, retrofitting shields in buses not designed to have them have presented obvious difficulties.

Shields block passengers’ way

The latest problem has emerged in Washington, DC,

where retrofitted shields on Metro’s latest New Flyer buses block passengers’ way when they are opened by drivers who don’t want to use them.

Local 689 President Jackie Jeter says Metro should find a way to install the shields, adding, “We do want the option of extra protection.”

“I’ve walked the walk,” she said, recalling how when she drove a bus 30 years ago she knew she would be OK if she had trouble on the 30s line when she reached Capitol Hill due to the federal police stationed there.

ATU believes the long-range answer lies in bus manufacturers including optional shields in future designs of their new buses.

DC driver shields don’t (retro-) fit some buses


Politicians and pundits praised the last minute “fiscal cliff ” budget deal passed by Congress on New Year’s Eve because it finally raised taxes on high-income households, a move the ATU, the labor movement and most Americans had been calling for.

However, a closer look at the bill shows ATU members and middle class households are no better off. Many will also be paying a higher tax rate – and in some cases even a higher rate than some wealthy Americans.

Why?

Because Congress failed to extend the payroll tax cut, a two-percentage-point tax cut on wage and salary income that went into effect in 2011. This cut, which replaced the “Making Work Pay” tax credit, was subsequently extended through 2012.

According to the Tax Policy Center, which conducted the analysis, this tax increase (as measured by impact on effective tax rates) is roughly equal to the tax increase on households with cash income between $500,000 and $1 million. Worse yet, it exceeds the relative tax increase on households earning between $200,000 and $500,000.

Fiscal Cliff deal hits middle class Americans as much as wealthy

As ATU members know well, fare evasion is a problem that has plagued

transit systems since the first horse-drawn omnibus rattled over the cobblestones of Boston. The city’s MBTA, however, has been cracking down on fare evaders, resulting in a whopping 40 increase in citations issued.

The MBTA Transit Police decided to ramp up its efforts against the scofflaws when T fares went up on July 1.

Transit Police Superintendent-in-Chief Joseph O’Connor believes that catching fare evaders before they get on the subway reduces crime and disorder in the system itself. “It reduces their anonymity and they’re less likely to offend on our system,” he says.

The transit police use both uniformed and non-uniformed officers to catch the evaders.

“At busy downtown stations during rush hour, when people believe they can remain anonymous and try to get through [the fare gates] they’ll be very surprised when the person that is standing on the other side of the fare gates, who’s reading a newspaper asks them to stop and identifies themself as a police officer,” O’Connor says.

Boston MBTA crackdown nabs 40% more fare evaders


The driver of the discount bus that crashed in Virginia killing four and seriously injuring others

in 2011, will serve six years in jail, but the company the driver worked for lives on in various guises.

International President Larry Hanley responded to the sentencing asserting that the driver in the crash has been made the scapegoat for a ‘sweatshop on wheels’, while other responsible parties go free.

“I am not saying this driver was innocent,” explains Hanley, “but there were many hands that caused that wheel to turn and make that bus to run off the highway who will remain free while this worker sits in jail. Some are those of company owners but others are government officials who should also be held responsible for the four deaths on that tragic day.”

Driver fatigue

The driver, who admitted he had fallen asleep at the wheel, was convicted on four counts of involuntary manslaughter after the Sky Express bus he was operating overturned. A judge gave the driver a 40-year sentence, with 34 years suspended.

ATU has said for years says that the carriers, federal officials, and Members of Congress should be held responsible for their failure to address driver fatigue, the number one cause of these accidents according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

In the U.S., intercity bus drivers are exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act overtime provisions, which forces them to work second jobs during their “rest period” just to make ends meet.

“The unindicted co-conspirators in his conviction and jail time,” says Hanley “are federal agency heads and members of Congress who are turning a blind eye to the carnage on our highways caused by lack of federal regulation of this critical, safety sensitive industry.”

An investigative report by the Charlotte Observer reveals that two new companies with ties to shut-down Sky Express are currently operating in Charlotte, NC; one of them using the same old Sky Express stop. Those companies, Ming An and General Bus, have safety records among the worst in the nation.

Same corporate address

The Observer reports that four of General Bus’ seven motor coaches were purchased from Sky Express after the company was ordered shut down, and that General Bus employed five of the 10 persons who worked for Sky Express.

Hanley says that deregulation in the 1980s has allowed operators shutdown by the government to easily and quickly set up shop under a new name. “All these discount operators have to do,” he says, “is get a new name, new logo, slap a new coat of paint on their buses, and apply for a license to operate and they’re back on the road in no time at all.”

ATU supports a bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, the Driver Fatigue Prevention Act, which would ensure that drivers are paid fairly for the work they put in above 40 hours per week, making them less inclined to work other jobs and push their bodies beyond the limits of human endurance.

Driver in Virginia bus crash to serve 6 years, discount operator continues in new company



The ranks of transit workers in the Washington, DC area represented by ATU just got larger and stronger as Local 1764-Washington, DC, scored a decisive

organizing victory in Fairfax, VA. Bus operators at Fairfax Connector’s Huntington garage voted to join the local by an overwhelming 98 percent margin.

MV Transportation manages the Connector bus service, which runs throughout Fairfax, VA, in the Washington, DC area. These newest ATU members join 178 Fairfax Connector drivers and mechanics at two other garages who are currently members of Local 1764.

“We welcome these former members of United Independence Transit to the ATU,” said Local 1764 President Wayne Baker. “We look forward to negotiating a strong and solid contract for all our members working at Fairfax Connector in the very near future.”

Fairfax, VA bus drivers vote to join Local 1764

It’s no secret politics have become extremely partisan and unfortunately this most likely will ring true concerning tranportation issues in the 113th Congress.

The transportation-centric Streetsblog examined an analysis of the members of the all-important House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The members were ranked by the percentage of car-free households in their district and the percentage of people who primarily commute by transit, according to Census numbers. Not surprisingly, the findings show Republicans have the fewest car-free constituents and Democrats have the highest number of people who use public transit.

What this most likely means is status quo on Capitol Hill. Democrats will be more supportive of public transportation than Republicans members.

Adding to the uncertainty, new T & I Chair Bill Shuster, R-PA, has been extremely vague on his priorities. When Rep. Shuster wrote an op-ed to reveal his agenda as chair, the crack team at Streetsblog had no idea how to report on it.

After longstanding inaction by previous T & I Committees, let’s hope this group finds a way to rise above the partisanship and help public transit, which has been facing a crisis of service cuts backs, fare increases, and funding issues for many years.

Who will be looking out for the interests of transit riders in 113th Congress?



Portland transit workers launch PR blitz in contract fight

Local 757-Portland, OR, is gearing up for contract negotiations by launching a PR campaign to refute TriMet’s repeated “lies and distortions” about workers and their health benefits.

The transit agency has said that employees should pay more for the benefits they receive to help solve the agency’s budget woes. The local argues the workers have chosen to forgo pay raises to preserve the benefits package, which are needed given the hazards of the job.

‘People don’t understand…’

Local President Bruce Hansen says the public has very little knowledge of the risks and stress workers face. “People don’t understand what our members do in their jobs. That’s part of the story we have to get out,” says Hansen.

Hansen recognizes the union has not communicated its position clearly to the riders and the general public. “We’ve dropped the ball in the past, there’s no doubt about that. We need to tell our story so the public understands what’s going on,” Hansen says.

Alternative strategies

The campaign will offer alternative strategies and budget cuts, including management’s positions and compensation, to reign in the agency’s “unsustainable spending.” A new website (transitvoice.org) will expose TriMet’s mismanagement and the local is building partnerships with other unions and community groups.

The contract talks have been in limbo since late November because TriMet has refused to open up the negotiations to the public, which the local argues is the right of citizens under the Public Meetings law.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR2013 CAN-AM CONFERENCE

The Peabody 149 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee

Tuesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 30, 2013

Details to Follow


ATU librando la batalla por todos los miembros, todos los sindicatos

Me dirijo a ustedes hoy desde los piquetes de los conductores de autobuses escolares y matronas en la ciudad de Nueva York, donde la última batalla contra los sindicatos ha pasado a un primer plano. (Ver artículo en la página 10).

De hecho, nadie debe dudar de que se trata de una batalla; una batalla en la cual el multimillonario alcalde Michael Bloomberg está intentando arrebatarle los salarios y privar de oportunidades de empleo a los miembros de nuestro local 1181 con el fin de limitar al máximo los impuestos de su clase rica y privilegiada.

Esto no es distinto a lo que le hizo el gobernador Scott Walker, R, a los trabajadores públicos en Wisconsin, a quienes básicamente privó de ejercer sus derechos de negociación colectiva

Lo mismo está sucediendo en Atlanta, donde se ha iniciado una “reorganización” del MARTA como herramienta para privatizar su sistema de transporte y reducir los salarios de sus trabajadores ahora representados por el Local 732.

También está ocurriendo en Canadá, donde los políticos conservadores están aguardando la ocasión propicia para presentar las leyes del derecho al trabajo en la legislatura de Ontario.

La estrategia específica utilizada en contra del ATU en Canadá ha sido que las provincias y localidades declaren nuestro trabajo como “servicio esencial” revocando así nuestro derecho a la huelga.

«El escenario de la batalla del transporte»

Este es el «escenario de la batalla del transporte » en una campaña global contra el pueblo trabajador, impulsada por el dinero de los hermanos Koch y sus amigos millonarios, y orquestada por el Consejo Estadounidense de Intercambio Legislativo (ALEC, por sus siglas en inglés). Los intereses empresariales de los dos países son los especuladores.

Las contiendas de nuestros miembros de Nueva York, Atlanta y Ontario pueden dar la apariencia

de ser problemas locales que no afectan a los demás trabajadores del transporte. Esto es porque los enemigos de los sindicatos tomaron la decisión estratégica de desplegar sus fuerzas a nivel estatal y provincial, más que a nivel federal.

No nos engañemos, esto es una guerra internacional de desgaste. Los enemigos de los trabajadores del transporte están culpando a los trabajadores por los crecientes costos y el déficit presupuestario. En ciudad tras ciudad afirman que a los trabajadores de ATU se les paga demasiado y que sus prestaciones son demasiado costosas.

Lentamente, pero con paso seguro, planean la des-sindicalización de todas las labores de servicio público, incluyendo el transporte público, y, finalmente, declarar ilegal todas las negociaciones colectivas, o hacerlas inservibles.

Los pasajeros y escolares también son víctimas

Los miembros de ATU no son las únicas víctimas de esta guerra. Nuestros pasajeros, que han llegado a depender de un transporte público profesional y confiable, por lo general terminan pagando más por el servicio deficiente.

Los escolares y su transporte seguro y confiable están siendo utilizados como peones.

Los pobres, que dependen más que los demás en el transporte público, son los más afectados. Con los recortes en los servicios, no sólo se está restringiendo su movilidad física, sino que también se está limitando su movilidad social, ya que se les impide acceder a empleos que les ayuden a salir de la pobreza.

Esta batalla ayuda a evitar que los ricos paguen su parte justa de impuestos, mientras se quejan de que las personas pobres deben dejar de depender en la ayuda del gobierno.

Si no se hace nada al respecto, podemos esperar ver este plan de batalla desarrollándose continuamente en una ciudad tras otra en el futuro inmediato. Nadie quedará inmune.

Nuestra misión es clara. Tenemos que luchar con todo lo que tenemos para detener este proceso ahora en Nueva York, Atlanta y Ontario, no sólo por nuestros miembros y los pasajeros de allí, sino también por aquellos que


se verán afectados por las batallas anti-sindicales que vendrán en un futuro si no lo hacemos.

Depende de nosotros

Los intereses corporativos están enviando un mensaje muy claro a los sindicatos en los Estados Unidos y Canadá, lo que significaría un retroceso en la legislación laboral de cien años o más:

• No importa si se ganan unas elecciones nacionales.

• Combatiremos contra ustedes en los estados. Combatiremos contra ustedes en las provincias. Combatiremos contra ustedes en los tribunales.

• Utilizaremos nuestras arcas de guerra corporativa para comprar nuestro paso a los tribunales estatales y provinciales y las legislaturas.

• Vamos a poner a la opinión pública en contra de ustedes. Haremos que se peleen entre sí.

• Vamos a utilizar la ignorancia del público sobre nuestras actividades, y las actividades de los sindicatos, para aprobar leyes que coloquen al sindicalismo en una situación de impotencia ante nosotros.

• Vamos a eliminar la atención de la salud paga, días de ausencia por enfermedad pagos, vacaciones pagas y pensiones

• Vamos a eliminar Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid y cualquier tipo de ayuda pública para poder pagar impuestos aún más bajos.

• Vamos a obligar a los trabajadores a retroceder a las filas de los trabajadores pobres, en las que estuvieron en los años 1800.

• Ese es el camino a (nuestra) la prosperidad.

Amplia evidencia

Tenemos muchas pruebas de que la campaña para destruir a los sindicatos sigue en pie a pesar de la victoria

del partido demócrata en las recientes elecciones.

Más adelante en este ejemplar, podrán leer acerca de la forma en que están tratando de privar el ejercicio de los derechos a la negociación colectiva y protección laboral a nuestro local más grande de la ciudad de Nueva York, el local 1181. Leerán acerca de cómo están conspirando para privar el ejercicio de los derechos a la negociación colectiva a los trabajadores del servicio público en Canadá.

Y al momento de recibir esta revista, estarán leyendo acerca de cómo una vez más en el congreso los republicanos están intentando impulsar a la nación a otro abismo fiscal, con el fin de beneficiarse del sacrificio de los trabajadores.

Hermanas y hermanos, no hay límite hasta donde puedan llegar los intereses corporativos de Canadá y EE.UU. para lograr obtener menores costos y mayores ganancias.

Carne de cañón

Y nosotros, los trabajadores, somos simplemente el combustible fungible que usan para enriquecerse - carne de cañón fácilmente sustituible por la máquina corporativa.

Hay quien diría que esto es una exageración, que el escenario anterior nunca podría volverse a presentar. Quisiera pedirles a todos que visiten las operaciones no sindicalizados a cargo de los proveedores de transporte en nuestros países y vean como es el empleo en esas propiedades.

Dense cuenta que es ahí donde ellos quieren que estemos, y si no hacemos algo ahora, ahí es donde vamos a estar todos.

Sin embargo, sepan que aunque ellos tengan dinero, nosotros tenemos miembros y muchas más voces de las que ellos tienen. Y, si afrontamos esto juntos y nos rehusamos a dejar que esto suceda, no podrán negarnos.

En los próximos meses los funcionarios ejecutivos y la Junta General Ejecutiva esbozarán un plan de acción para luchar contra aquellos que nos quieren obligar a remontarnos al siglo XIX.


Haber elegido líderes que no nos causaran perjuicios intencionalmente fue el primer paso. El resto depende de nosotros.

En Solidaridad, Bob Baker

Se aproxima la primavera

Esta es una temporada muy difícil para algunas personas. Permanece oscuro más tiempo que en cualquier otra época del año. ¡Hace frio! El tráfico es malo. Puede ser muy deprimente.

El invierno da la apariencia de ser una temporada sombría que tenemos que soportar entre las festividades de fin de año y la primavera. Parece que es muy poco lo que está sucediendo.

Sin embargo, sabemos que eso no es verdad. Es mucho lo que está ocurriendo.

El ángulo del sol cambia a medida que la luz permanece un poco más cada día. La tierra, las plantas y los árboles están cambiando, y están a punto de florecer. La nieve que cae en las montañas se derrite y pasa a aumentar la corriente que se precipita a los ríos.

Están ocurriendo muchas cosas que no advertimos. El invierno está lejos de ser una época «muerta» del año.

Se están estableciendo planes

Así también lo es en nuestro mundo político. Los que se oponen al transporte público ahora mismo están estableciendo sus planes.

Sabemos que hay personas en el Congreso y en nuestras legislaturas provinciales que planean utilizar los «presupuestos de austeridad» que encaran nuestras naciones como excusa para reducir o incluso eliminar los fondos del transporte.

Sabemos que más gobiernos locales van a declarar que ya no pueden darse el lujo de operar sus propios sistemas de transporte e intentarán contratarlos con proveedores particulares no sindicalizados.

Sabemos que se le pedirá a los tribunales revocar nuestros derechos a la negociación colectiva según el artículo 13 (c) en varias ciudades de los Estados Unidos, y declarar el transporte en las ciudades canadienses como «servicios esenciales», prohibiéndoles entrar en huelga a nuestros miembros que trabajan allí.

Todo esto es tan predecible como el cambio de estaciones.

Pero esto no es motivo para estar triste o deprimido, porque nosotros también estamos elaborando nuestros planes.

Dignidad.

Tenemos previsto luchar para proteger y mejorar los fondos del transporte en cualquier legislación nacional que se considere el próximo año.

Tenemos previsto luchar para proteger a los trabajadores del transporte contra los asaltos violentos, y para que se les proporcione a los conductores los descansos adecuados para ir al baño.

Tenemos previsto luchar por mejorar los salarios, prestaciones y condiciones de trabajo de todos los trabajadores.

Y tenemos previsto luchar para garantizar que los empleadores concedan a todos los trabajadores la dignidad que se merecen otorgada por Dios.

Porque, así con la misma seguridad que llega la primavera, los trabajadores lucharán por mejorar sus vidas y las vidas de sus familias.

Y así como no puede evitarse que el sol caliente la tierra, el proceso no podrá detenerse.

Usted puede participar en esa batalla hoy, mediante su donación voluntaria a ATU-COPE.


1- MEMBERS AT LARGEWILMER BRUNDAGEPHILIP F CAVANAUGHJIP L DYCUS JRROBERT P HILLERMAX L HUGHESCURTIS W MC GLONETOMMY B THREETJACK CORBITT WARRENDORSEY L WEDDINGTON

22- WORCESTER, MAERNEST H THORPE

26- DETROIT, MIPHILLIP L GRASTY

85- PITTSBURGH, PARICHARD DABECCOGERALDINE S DEELEYAMOS W DUNMORE

107- HAMILTON, ONSTERLING R LINTOTTJAMES D RAMSAYARNOLD STEWART

113- TORONTO, ONKENNETH ALLENGINO BERTOLADIAN BOLENJOHN BOLESPATRICK BRIANTCLIFFORD THOMAS BROWNNEVILLE CAMPBELLROLANDS DULMANISJAMES CLAUDE FALLSGEORGE GABORROBERT H GOWANSHAROLD K HORTONVERNON X HUGHSADRUDIN H KANJIRICHARD KAYEANGEL KEYESPHILIP LEGGIOGORDON MACKIERODGER MC TAGGARTDANNY MILLERGIUSEPPE PANZINIELWOOD S PEARSONGERALD A POLLARDDAVID WINSLOW PORTERDOMENICO SALVAGGIOJAMES HOLMES SHAWEDWARD A SOKOLOWSKIALEXANDER STEVENSONALVIN J SYMAKGINO VECELLIO

192- OAKLAND, CAFAY SEIDELL ENGELAGEGLORIA E PATTERSONJOE E REEDDONNELL L SAFFORDHAROLD G WHARTON JR

241- CHICAGO, ILFITZ J BARIFFERODOLFO S GARCIALARRY JOHNSONFRANK E JONESARE N MC MILLIONNYDIA REYESLESLIE B ROSSERICH W SICHERTALPHA J THOMASEMILIO G TORRES

256- SACRAMENTO, CAROGER M SCHAD

272- YOUNGSTOWN, OHWILLIAM J MASON

279- OTTAWA, ONLUCIEN BOUDRIAJ L MARCEL RIENDEAUKARL STROHMAIER

308- CHICAGO, ILDAVID L ALEXANDERCLEMENTINE BROWNJOSE A GREENMCKINLEY HOLMESJEFFERY KWIATKOWSKIBOBBY L REEVESERIC L SMITHMARY A TAYLOREUGENE TRIPPARNOLD H WHITETHEODORE WILLIAMS

313- ROCK ISLAND, ILFRED J KOONTZ

448- SPRINGFIELD, MAJEFFREY D BLACKMARIO ROSA

568- ERIE, PAJOSEPH E KONETSKY

569- EDMONTON, ABROMEO ALFRED BOURQUEHEINZ K DEUTSCHERMIKE DYRDAHYOUNGSUG Y KIMKING MAH

580- SYRACUSE, NYWILLIAM R GUMMERRICHARD W WILLIAMS

583- CALGARY, ABKENNETH F GAMMIESTEVEN SHIH

587- SEATTLE, WAVAN G HARKERROBERT E LEACH

588- REGINA, SKCYRIL JAMES REYNARD

589- BOSTON, MAKEVIN H EDGINTONFRANCIS J GALLAGHERJOHN J O’LEARYJAMES M QUINNPETER L WOOD

591- HULL, QCADELARD BAKER

615- SASKATOON, SKLAWRENCE EDWARD BACON

618- PROVIDENCE, RIROBERT B BARKERFRANK J FORTEPATRICIA A VAN PETTEN

627- CINCINNATI, OHERIKA HOWARDFRANCIS HUFF

682- FORT WAYNE, INCLEODIS BOYDROBERT HILL JR

689- WASHINGTON, DCCARL C GREEN JR

HARRIS H NGUYENGREGORY SMALLWOODJAMES HENRY SONNABENDJOSEPH STARENCHAK JR

694- SAN ANTONIO, TXMARTIN VAN BURE DIKESFILIBERTO G GALVANROBERT YBARRA

713- MEMPHIS, TNSILAS PARHAM JRTOMMIE SMITH

725- BIRMINGHAM, ALORVALLE G QUATTLEBAUM

726- STATEN ISLAND, NYLOUIS PIACENTINO

732- ATLANTA, GAMARCUS F CLEMENTSJOHN E ISAACSCHARLIE R KENDRICKRICHARD MARTINWILLIAM SHIPP JRSTANLEY SMALLS

757- PORTLAND, ORDAVID E CAHILLJORGE L CAO

758- TACOMA, WAMARCIA LINVILLE

788- ST. LOUIS, MORONALD L BLANKSCLARENCE H HAENELMARCIA A MITCHELLVIRGIE R VAUGHNCLARENCE J WASSER

820- UNION CITY, NJLUIS A DELEONALBERT MENKENPATRICK S OLAHRAYMOND THORPE

823- ELIZABETH, NJNAPOLEON HOLLEY

824- NEW BRUNSWICK, NJFRANCIS KUMINIEWICZ

825- ORADELL, NJJAGNANAN PRAGOAT

880- CAMDEN, NJSANTO R DE LUCAJAMES EASTERWOODLOUIS GOLDSTEINEDWARD J MATUSIAKDAVID G MONAHANJOHN PILIERE

998- MILWAUKEE, WIDAVID E RILEY

1001- DENVER, CODENNIS M CAGIANESEGERALD HENRY SEADERERIC S WAUGH

1005- MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, MNDANIEL P DREXLERJIM DUNCANMICHAEL A KRAKOWSKIEDWIN M LYSENG

1037- NEW BEDFORD, MAMAURICE A COTE

1179- NEW YORK, NYJOHN C HAANRAADTSPIERRE E JACOBMICHAEL J RENNA

1181- NEW YORK, NYMINDELSON ALRICHEDORITA BROWNMAJOR W HARTRIDGELESLIE W HILL JRJEAN JACOTINFRITZ LAURENTSHANA MAZYCKMATTHEW M MC HALEGRACE PERRINOJOSEPH HENRY SESSARALPH SESSAFRED STAITI

1220- RICHMOND, VACHRISTOPHER ARTIS

1235- NASHVILLE, TNJOSEPH JACKSON

1267- FT. LAUDERDALE, FLLOUISE MARIE CRAMERCHARLIE HAYNES

1277- LOS ANGELES, CAPATRICIA A ANDERSONVITRUVIUS H BROOKSGREGORY R FRANTZ

1309- SAN DIEGO, CARUTH D MERSHON

1321- ALBANY & TROY, NYDELORES B BROWNWILLIAM J KLEIN

1324- SAVANNAH, GADARNELL CRAWFORD

1336- BRIDGEPORT, CTMANUEL VAZQUEZ

1342- BUFFALO, NYFREDERICK C GRIESEDANIEL R LESINSKIEARL A TONGROOSEVELT R WILLIAMS

1385- DAYTON, OHNATHANIEL L ROBERTSON

1433- PHOENIX, AZREX E GLASCO

1447- LOUISVILLE, KYRICHARD COOPERWILLIAM H HATFIELDJOHN SIMMONS

1498- JOPLIN, MODONALD WINN

1548- PLYMOUTH, MASAMUEL J MARTINEZ

1582- NIAGARA FALLS, ONDONALD J CANHAM

1700- CHICAGO, ILJAMES ADAMSVERNON RICHARD GRIMES

1729- PITTSBURGH, PAJOHN H MICHAELSROBERT G MORGAN

In MemoriamDeath Benefits Awarded November 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012



In MemoriamDeath Benefits Awarded November 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Amalgamated Transit UnionConvention Delegates & Guests:

THE 57THINTERNATIONAL

CONVENTION

will be held at

Hilton San Diego BayfrontSan Diego, CA

August 25-30, 2013

Please be patient.No reservations available until the Convention Call

is published in 2013

AmalgamatedTransitUnion

AFL-CIO/CLC 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, D.C.20016 www.atu.org

STAY CONNECTED

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

The ATU Disaster Relief FundMother Nature recently unleashed her wrath with devastating floods and high winds, and ATU members’ homes and property have been destroyed and damaged in the process.

When a crisis hits, ATU members do what they do every day on the job, in their communities, in their places of worship. They don’t ask questions about when and where and how. They just help out.

To help out our brothers and sisters along the east coast, please contribute to the ATU Disaster Relief Fund. Donations can be made online by visiting www.atu.org or by mailing a check to:

Amalgamated Transit Union Disaster Relief Fund 5025 Wisconsin, Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20016 Attn: Lawrence J. Hanley

U.S. Contributors: Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

PLEASE GIVE.Help needed for members still suffering effects of Hurricane Sandy

Documents

In Transit - January/February 2013