In Transit - March/April 2012

2 0 1 2

M A R /A P R

www.atu.org

THE WAR ON MASS TRANSIT

O F F I C I A L J O U R N A L O F T H E A M A LG A M AT E D T R A N S I T U N I O N

|

A F L- C I O/C LC

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS LAWRENCE J. HANLEY International President ROBERT H. BAKER International Executive Vice President OSCAR OWENS International Secretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS RODNEY RICHMOND

New Orleans, LA – rrichmond@atu.org

LARRY R. KINNEAR

Ashburn, ON – lkinnear@atu.org

JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR.

Kansas City, MO – jperez@atu.org

NEWSBRIEFS Wage theft fight goes back to Palm Beach County Commission. Local 1577-West Palm Beach, FL, has been working with People Engaged in Active Community Efforts (PEACE) to push for the Palm Beach County Commission to approve a wagetheft law. Local 1577 paratransit drivers recently won a lawsuit awarding them $2 million in back wages (see story on page 5).

RICHARD M. MURPHY

Newburyport, MA – rmurphy@atu.org

BOB M. HYKAWAY

Calgary, AB – bhykaway@atu.org

CHARLES COOK

Petaluma, CA – ccook@atu.org

WILLIAM G. McLEAN

Reno, NV – wmclean@atu.org

JANIS M. BORCHARDT

Madison, WI – jborchardt@atu.org

PAUL BOWEN

Canton, MI – pbowen@atu.org

KENNETH R. KIRK

Lancaster, TX – kkirk@atu.org

GARY RAUEN

Clayton, NC – grauen@atu.org

MARCELLUS BARNES

Flossmore, IL – mbarnes@atu.org

RAY RIVERA

Lilburn, GA – rrivera@atu.org

YVETTE SALAZAR Thornton, CO – ysalazar@atu.org GARY JOHNSON, SR. Cleveland, OH – gjohnson@atu.org ROBIN WEST Rexdale, ON – rwest@atu.org JOHN COSTA Kenilworth, NJ – jcosta@atu.org CHUCK WATSON Syracuse, NY – cwatson@atu.org

Cleveland local reaches contract during Rock Hall of Fame celebration. Local 268 in Cleveland, OH, reached a tentative pact with the RTA, that offers a bonus and a pay increase this year, ending a 2 ½-year stand off. The agreement was announced a week after some Local 268 members made news by dressing up to appear like well-known rock stars as they operated a free trolley shuttle service for visitors to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Cleveland Channel 5 reporter Paul Brest said, “The RTA calls them ‘ambassadors’ since they meet visitors face to face as they navigate through downtown Cleveland. It’s their pleasant smiles and cordial ‘good mornings’ that make them loved by their passengers.”

Texas State tram operators could strike in May. Texas State University Provost Eugene Bourgeois says that the school will attempt to mediate a settlement to avoid a strike between members of Local 1091-Austin, TX, and their tram operator, First Transit. The shuttle workers have been in negotiations with the Scottish multinational for a year fighting for a variety of items including an hourly wage increase, health insurance benefits, sick days, safer buses and comfort for student passengers.

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ANTHONY WITHINGTON

Sebastopol, CA – awithington@atu.org

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUS

DENNIS ANTONELLIS

International President Jim La Sala, ret.

International President Warren George, ret.

CLAUDIA HUDSON

International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret.

International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret.

Spokane, WA – dantonellis@atu.org Oakland, CA – chudson@atu.org

STEPHAN MACDOUGALL

Boston, MA – smacdougall@atu.org

CANADIAN COUNCIL STAN DERA

Rexdale, ON - director@atucanada.ca

International Secretary-Treasurer Ray Wallace, ret.

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.

M A R /A P R

2012

www.atu.org

2

International Officers & General Executive Board

NEWS Briefs

3

Index Page

4

ATU Endorses Re-Election of President Obama

7

2012 Legislative Conference: The Fight Has Just Begun

8

Clock is Ticking: Lawmakers Avert Expiration of Transportation Bill with 90-Day Stopgap Measure

9

International President’s Message: Letter from the Road Our Moment is Near

13

International Executive Vice President’s Message: We Have A Clear Choice - Survival!

14

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz: ‘Nothing is Lost Until You Give Up’

15

Above & Beyond: ATU Activist in Action Lisa Pacheco Estrada

16

Judge Tosses Parts of Wisconsin Anti-Union Law. Walker Recall Vote on June 5

17

Chicago Local Fights CTA Exploitation of Part-Time Operators

18

Phoenix Local Strikes, Wins Two-Year Battle with French Multi-national

19

International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message: Will Clever Phrases Obscure the Truth?

20

Outrage Erupts Over Lenient Sentence for Driver Attack.

ATU, TWU Working to Combat Assaults

21

New Reporting Requirements for Commercial Drivers Licenses

45th Annual Black Caucus Conference

22

Mississauga Driver Suspended 5 Days for Using Washroom

23

New Local President, Financial Secretaries Receive Training

24

Fall River Transit Fights for “More” Service

Local Unions Celebrate 100th, 75th Anniversaries 25

100 Years Ago: Labor Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Bread & Roses Strike

27

Translations (French & Spanish)

30

In Memoriam

32

Win an iPad2 or an ATU Jacket!

Vol. 121, No. 2

FIVE FEET UNDER

5

SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT DAY OF ACTION

10

NOT SO SMART ALEC

26

ABOVE & BEYOND ATU ACTIVIST IN ACTION If you would like to nominate an ATU member for “Above & Beyond” contact your local president.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

3

atu endorses re-election of

president obama I

nternational President Larry Hanley announced, March 14, that ATU is endorsing the re-election of President Barack Obama.

“President Obama has fought for the things we care about,” Hanley said. “He has set forth an impressive plan to improve mass transit across our nation, and he has stood with working families in the face of an unprecedented assault on the middle class across the United States.

“The president doesn’t get enough credit for all that he has done for Labor over the last three years,” asserted Hanley, “and his record is impressive, especially given the obstructionist tactics of the Republican leadership of the House.

4

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

“Having taken office during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Barack Obama has set the right course to dig our nation out of this deep recession,” Hanley said. “The president has stabilized the economy with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved the auto industry, defied the House GOP by making recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board, expanded unemployment insurance, and passed a national health care plan desperately needed by so many Americans – a plan that Congressional Republicans are committed to repealing.

“We want to be clear; the 190,000 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union are on President Obama’s bus. Together, we will drive him to victory in November.”

O

n March 29, House Speaker John Boehner, R-OH, was forced to pass yet another short-term (90 day) extension of current transportation law in order to give Republicans more time to make changes to a highly controversial proposal that even their own members will not support. Later that day, the Senate, which had managed to pass its own bipartisan two-year bill, reluctantly passed the House measure in order to avoid a lapse in funding (see story, page 8).

workers who are already reeling from three years of the steepest fare hikes and deepest service cuts in history.

“House Republicans are more worried about their twoweek ‘spring break’ than rolling up their sleeves and passing a real funding bill that would set our nation’s transportation on the right course for the 21st Century,” charged ATU International President Larry Hanley.

Since the 1960s, the federal transportation bill, which authorizes highway and transit projects, has traditionally been a bipartisan package supported by the overwhelming majority of lawmakers because it has the potential to create thousands of jobs. H.R. 7, however, was written in secrecy by a handful of Republicans who were clearly targeting transit riders and organized labor, two groups assumed to be more supportive of progressives.

Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA, echoed those words saying, “They run off on their vacation and leave the people twisting in the wind.”

Teetering on brink of disaster Back in 1975, when New York City was facing imminent bankruptcy, President Gerald Ford declined to offer help and the New York Daily News’ headline famously screamed “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Today, it’s transit teetering on the brink of disaster.

During the past two months, Republicans in the House of Representatives have gone a step further than Ford, digging millions of burial plots for transit riders and

In early February, Republicans unveiled their long-delayed five-year surface transportation bill. The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7) would reform surface transportation programs like no bill in history, gutting transit funding and scrapping sound policies that have been in place for decades.

Dedicated transit funding: Gone!

Since 1982, when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that dedicated a penny of the federal gas tax to transit, agencies have had a steady source of reliable federal funding that allows them to keep their systems in good repair and plan for the future. The House bill eliminates this funding, bad news for the millions of people who rely on transit each day. ATU is supporting a bipartisan amendment to H.R. 7 to restore dedicated transit funding.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

5

Privatization aimed at heart of transit labor If enacted, the House bill would bring America back to a time when the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) all too often interfered with the local decision-making process. It is designed to spur massive privatization by the handful of foreign companies that dominate the transit sector.

Under long-standing Congressional policy, privatization decisions have been left to local authorities who are best equipped to make such choices. The House bill would reverse this policy by encouraging systems to contract out at least 20% of fixed route bus service. It also requires FTA to spoon feed local agencies information on the benefits of privatization. Welcome back to the 1980s.

an important tax benefit for commuters to expire.

Whether a person drove or took transit to work, they could spend up to $230 a month in pre-tax dollars to fund their commute. Unfortunately, as a result of House Republicans’ refusal to extend the law, the transit benefit on January 1 dropped to $125 a month, causing riders to dig deeper into their own pockets.

Secrets, lies, and tricks The reviews are in on H.R. 7, and they are not good. “The bill is an early Valentine to foreign national corporations who operate U.S. transit systems and who would reap a financial bonanza if the bill is passed,” said International President Larry Hanley.

ATU, which represents workers in both the public and private sectors, has long maintained that the federal government is clearly best suited for making broad policy decisions rather than micro-managing local transit agencies.

During the committee hearing, House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica, R-FL, claimed that 80% of the bill had been shared with Democrats as early as last summer. In reality, Democrats first got a glimpse of the legislation just days before the hearing.

Operating assistance rejected

A ‘lousy bill’

Despite the continuation of massive service cuts, fare increases, and layoffs, House Republicans turned a blind eye to transit riders and workers by rejecting language to allow transit systems to use their federal funds for operating assistance. Following more than 100 amendments in an 18-hour House Transportation Committee hearing, H.R. 3200 (Rep. Carnahan’s D-MO operating assistance bill) was finally considered as an amendment for inclusion in H.R 7 on February 2.

“The House has a lousy bill. It takes us back to the dark ages,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, a former Republican Congressman. LaHood touted President Obama’s $108 billion transit proposal which promotes increased transportation options and rider safety. Obama issued a veto threat on H.R. 7, citing the threat to transit programs.

The committee rejected the amendment by a vote of 28-26. Two Republicans joined every Democrat in support of the bill. Four members of the committee who had declared their support – three of whom were present earlier in the day – were absent for the final vote.

Republicans were successful in getting several GOP cosponsors of H.R. 3200 to vote against the amendment.

It was raw, union-busting politics at its worst.

ATU is continuing its campaign to include operating assistance language in H.R. 7 through a vote on the House floor.

Transit benefit allowed to expire Separate from H.R. 7, House Republicans have allowed

6

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Senator Robert Menendez, D-NJ, chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, meanwhile, has been leading the way on a Senate version of the bill supported by ATU (MAP-21) which includes operating assistance flexibility and no funding cuts or privatization.

Not buried yet Transit advocates and unions are no doubt the target of this partisan attack by GOP leadership. However, we are fighting back against this attempt to throw us under the bus. Republicans now realize they overreached on this bill, the reason for the delay in bringing it to the floor.

ATU’s campaign to save transit continues. Keep an eye on our website for the latest updates.

2012 LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE

T

here couldn’t have been a better time for ATU’s annual Legislative and Political Conference to occur than March 11 - 14, in Washington, DC, as the Union and the entire labor movement was in the midst of a huge struggle over mass transit and the rights of unions in the U.S. Much has been accomplished since last year’s gathering.

Many of the 2011 attendees and their members were active in the campaign that repealed Ohio Governor John Kasich’s anti-public worker union law, as well as the petition drive that forced a recall election on Wisconsin GOP Governor Scott Walker. They have also been energetic supporters of the Occupy Movement.

All of that and more are included in the video, The Fight Has Just Begun* which got the conference to a roaring start.

Challenges International President Larry Hanley followed the video with a discussion on the coming year’s aggrtessive ATU campaign.

ATU is developing a program to mobilize members for the 2012 election and beyond, building coalitions with riders, passing a solid, long-term transportation bill, and pushing back anti-union legislation in several states.

Without a doubt the marquee speaker was Ed Schultz, nationally syndicated radio broadcaster, host of the MSNBC cable news program, “The Ed Show,” and the foremost labor advocate in America today. Schultz, known for his passionate defense of working families, did not disappoint (more on Shultz’ speech* on page 12).

Election year The conference paid a lot of attention to the coming national elections. Participants heard from David Carpio, AFL-CIO’s national education and training coordinator, on the federation’s plans for the November contests.

Later, the group exchanged comments with panels of experts who contributed to the Union’s ongoing training on coalition building, safety in the over-the-road industry, protecting drivers from assault, and providing reasonable bathroom breaks for drivers.

On Wednesday, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff delivered a sobering overview of the difficulties transit proponents face in Congress, making ATU’s legislative efforts all the more important.

That afternoon the conference heard from Patrick Gaspard, executive director of the Democratic National Committee, who previously served as director of the Office of Political Affairs for the Obama administration.

The DNC director, and a long-time friend of the international president, presented a strong case for the re-election of President Obama, who has been endorsed by the Union.

International President Hanley concluded with a stirring call urging the participants to go home and use what they learned at the event. Working in solidarity with each other and coalitions will bring us more success than we can imagine. *The Fight Has Just Begun video, and Parts 1 & 2 of Ed Schultz’ entire speech can be found on the ATU YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/stpatuorg.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

7

Lawmakers avert expiration of transportation bill with 90-day stopgap measure

A

cting with unexpected speed, lawmakers voted March 29 for a 90-day extension of federal highway and mass transit programs, averting a giant crash on April 1 that would have halted up to 130,000 construction projects nationwide and cost hundreds of thousands of building trades jobs.

But the temporary fix doesn’t solve the basic partisan political fight over federal funds for highways, subways, buses and other transit – and that impasse left unions for both mass transit and highway workers fuming at the political game-playing.

That’s because the ruling House GOP leadership wouldn’t even let lawmakers vote on a two-year $109 billion bipartisan highway-mass transit bill the Democratic-run Senate approved earlier this month.

The House OK’d the 90-day bill on party lines just before noon on March 29, 266-158. The Senate zipped it through at 2:30 p.m. by voice vote.

House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica, R-FL, tried to bring up his own five-year bill (see story, page 5), which defunds mass transit and orders privatization of many transit systems as well as food

8

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

service on Amtrak.

International President Larry Hanley was similarly caustic about the 90-day extension. Hanley also prefers the Senate bill. It lacks the anti-union sections in Mica’s failed bill.

“House Republicans kicked the can down the road again, threatening the safety, security and reliability of our public transportation systems” by approving only the 90-day bill, Hanley said, adding, “Meanwhile, commuters all over the country are paying higher fares and waiting longer for crowded trains and buses to come, if they come at all.”

LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

LETTER FROM THE ROAD

Our moment is near write this column from the road. I am in California where I have been attending union meetings and meeting with local union officers. As I look into the eyes of our members and listen, I hear story after story reflecting the current state of the labor movement.

I

I asked our members at the meeting what they thought it was like to be Rosa Parks getting on the bus? That minute before she refused to give up her seat, how did she feel? Was she certain she would change anything other than her arrest record?

Gary Maurer, a longtime ATU organizer and my mentor, used to explain to groups of workers he was organizing that rich people plan their lives in years and decades. Poor people plan in weeks and by paychecks.

(Next week we will pay the electric bill; week after next, the mortgage.)

Rosa Parks knew she was risking a lot – maybe even her life – to say, “no,” to stand up for fairness and dignity in an unfair world. She knew her friends and family would question her common sense, or her sanity when she showed uncommon courage.

Every week it gets harder for ATU members to get past their bills. It’s the same for 99% of the people.

Will our kids have as good a life as we’ve had?

That sums up the real state of the union. Our members are planning their lives in short time – uncertain about housing and education for their kids. How will they live when they retire?

One of the reasons I’m on the road is to hear and learn from our members. But I’m also here to lead our members in a year-long campaign to answer their really pressing questions: How can we turn this around? Can we have a middle class at all anymore? Will our kids have as good a life as we’ve had?

Can transit workers who feed their bodies to the grinding wear and tear of everyday work on buses and trains expect to be treated with fairness and dignity?

In Riverside, CA, a local officer told me that many members feel hopeless. They believe they can’t win or even affect the outcome.

Her life would be easier if she went with the program and sat in the back of the bus. But she didn’t get arrested to make a point – she did it to change the program.

And her act of defiance against the law, the system and segregation was a defining moment in the entire civil rights movement and the last century.

Volunteers will create the change We need our members and leaders to think about Rosa Parks, her example and her guts. Think about your heroes. This labor movement’s future, and our children’s future will be determined by members who can find it within themselves to take the risk that every leader must take to force change. As I travel to union meetings in the ATU, I can sense that our moment is near and our members are getting ready to fight for change.

That change will be generated by members who volunteer their time to the work of making the Union stronger in their communities. I am leading and listening as I travel the ATU route, building a fighting Union.

Gotta run for now... off to the Bay Area!

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

9

ATU joins Occupy Movement for public transit Day of Action “Urban transit systems in most American cities, for example, have become a genuine civil rights issue – and a valid one…”

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A

TU honored the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, by joining the Occupy Movement in demonstrations that were a part of a National Day of Action to Defend Public Transportation across the United States. The event initiated by Occupy Boston brought attention to increasing fares and decreasing service in the transit industry, and the profits big lending institutions are realizing from interest on loans made to cash-strapped systems.

with disabilities, and others; fares which are really just another kind of tax imposed on those in the 99% who can least afford it.”

“Public transportation is a human right,” said International President Larry Hanley, “It is so appropriate that the Day of Action took place on the April 4 anniversaries of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 speech, ‘Beyond Vietnam: Breaking the Silence,’ and his death just one year later.”

“We need to be clear,” Hanley continued, “that the crisis in mass transit is caused in no small part by the diversion of taxpayer dollars to war and to the corporations that benefit from war. And that this inflicts a disproportionate burden of increased fares on seniors, the poor, persons

10

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Detroit The most intense actions took place in areas where riders are anticipating the deepest service reductions.

In Detroit, MI, where painful cuts were made in mass transit in March, and where more are expected, members held a candlelight vigil at the Rosa Parks Transit Center to remember the civil rights leader and protest the service reductions that dig an even bigger hole for the city to climb out of.

not be massive – at most I counted 100 or so gadflies inside the statehouse – but they’re f—ing bold. They even brought their own train.”

Motor City’s Local 26 President Henry Gaffney joined other municipal unions earlier in the day to protest the scapegoating of union members for the city’s financial problems, and the anticipated cuts in public worker pay and benefits that will take place as a result of the recent consent deal with the state.

“This is not going to help the city,” said Gaffney. “There’s no money in it. So how’s it going to get any better?”

Denver Day of Action participants gathered at the RTD Civic Center Station in Denver, CO, reiterating the theme expressed in the rallies in other cities that public transportation is a civil right.

Boston In Boston, MA, hailed as the “epicenter” of the action, members “occupied” the Massachusetts capitol from 11 am, Tuesday, April 3 to 11 pm, the following day. Many crowded into a hearing and shouted “Shame on you!” after the MBTA voted to cut service and increase fares as much as 23% The group also called on the state to provide funds to bridge the T’s $161 million budget gap in a rally inside the statehouse.

Commenting on the event, Boston Phoenix blogger Chris Faraone bore witness to the effectiveness of the coalition-building the ATU has been promoting saying: “…it’s not unusual for hundreds of nurses, laborers, or seniors to show up en masse. But there’s a huge difference between this crowd and those, this multifront operation and the pointed efforts of organized labor groups acting unilaterally. Today’s crowd might

The activists received a somewhat different reaction in the Mile-High City where an RTD spokesperson said that the agency sympathizes with the aims of the protest.

“The fact that we have faced cutbacks illustrates the importance of continuing appropriate levels of funding for transit services,” he said.

Las Vegas In Las Vegas, NV, Local 1637 joined Occupy to give free rides on the “Occubus” - a 15-seater van running up and down Charleston Blvd. Riders on the OccuBus received free sack lunches, and educational materials about public transit.

Pittsburgh Protesters in Pittsburgh, PA, gathered outside of the City-County Building to denounce proposed transit cuts there. Members of Local 85 came together with Occupy Pittsburgh to petition the state to provide more funding to the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

PAT is facing a $64 million budget deficit, and plans for a 35% service cut to take effect this September.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

11

Newark New Jersey members joined Occupy at bus stops and train stations in Newark, NJ, to hand out leaflets warning riders about how potential cuts in the federal transportation funding bill would affect their ride.

National Nurses United, the Chicago Teachers Union, and Citizens Taking Action to draw attention to the cuts in transit service happening there.

ATU was also expected to participate in Day of Action events in Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Worcester, MA; St. Paul, MN; Los Angeles, CA; and other locations.

Chicago

SA C O

PI T

12

A R TL PO

TS B

U

R

N

G

D

H

PE

O

R

N

LA

N

D

O

LA

N

C

EW

H IC

A G O

JE R SE Y

In Chicago, IL, ATU members gathered outside Chicago Transit Authority offices with members of Occupy,

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

BOB BAKER, INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

we have a clear choice –

survival!

T

he ATU has endorsed the re-election of President Obama. That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with what this Union stands for. It should remind us that we are urging our members to vote for candidates who support Labor and transit.

We know that some of our members don’t like anyone asking them to vote a certain way and we truly understand. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of folks say that yourself.

But, the stakes in this election are so high that we have to speak out loudly about our issues and we have to use our most powerful weapon – the ballot box.

Don’t have to look far Mitt Romney and the Tea Party have endorsed the anti-union measures introduced in several states. So, we don’t have to look far to determine who our mortal enemies are this time around.

The differences between the candidates on Labor and transit issues are clear. So let me be the first to tell you that you must vote and get everyone you know to vote to save working families in the United States.

Essential services - forced strikes and right to work? R-e-a-l-l-y – in Canada!

The ultra-conservatives are targeting working families on every front in Canada. They are trying to have our work declared an “essential service” in several places so that our members will not be allowed to strike. In other places, their idea of collective bargaining is making nonnegotiable demands, refusing to negotiate, and then

trying to wait our locals out in the subsequent strikes they cause.

Stan Dera, director of the ATU Canadian Council, has just notified us that the Canadian Labour Council in Alberta is in the fight of its life, trying to defeat the Rosedale Conservatives who have promised to introduce right-to-work legislation in the province if they get elected. Everyday they come at us with something else, yet they always blame the worker for any problems that arise.

Stop, look, listen!

Here at the International we are aggressively working to support our members. As I write, our international and local officers along with our Department of Field Mobilization are mobilizing our friends and community organizations to do battle. And we are seeing impressive victories. We repealed the anti-public worker union bill in Ohio. We submitted twice the number of petition signatures needed to mandate a recall election of Governor Walker in Wisconsin.

Despite some really difficult strikes the solidarity of our Canadian members is stronger than ever. The upcoming elections in the U.S. and Canada won’t be won easily, but the choice will certainly be clear. And with the help of our members, our families and our friends we will Survive – and we will Succeed!

In Solidarity,

Bob Baker

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

13

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz ‘Nothing is lost until you give up’

The following are excerpts from the address by Ed Shultz, host of the MSNBC cable TV show, “The Ed Show,” to the ATU Legislative and Political Conference, March 12, in Washington, DC:*

A

ll of you in leadership positions have a heavy lift for America in your industry. Being a leader today is to be willing to take special responsibility, willing to follow the plan and be disciplined, willing to never give up – because nothing’s lost until you give up…

This isn’t about just one election… This is about educating people to understand the attack that has been made on Labor and working families in this country…

If you’re there, if you’re standing on that wall, if you’re marching, if you’re spreading the word, if you’re leading in your community, if you’re leading in your group – that heart, that passion, that desire – it can’t be purchased.

People make the difference. You are in a position where you have to make a difference. You can’t give up. *The entire address can be found on the ATU YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/stpatuorg

You’re in the business of people… You may call it the “transportation” business and you may have certain skills that you have to use [in your work] but you’re really in the “people” business.

If you don’t care about people we’re not going to get better as a country… if working families don’t stand up and if we don’t have the proper leadership, who knows where this country’s going to go?

It starts with folks like you who are in a position to influence and encourage…

STAY CONNECTED

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

14

Facebook: facebook.com/ATUInternational

YouTube: youtube.com/user/stpatuorg

Twitter: twitter.com/ATUComm

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/atuinternational/

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Palm Beach paratransit workers win over $2 million in lost wages

A

judgment recently handed down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Florida could result in a back pay award of more than $2 million for paratransit drivers working for Metro in Palm Beach. Since 2007 ATU Local 1577 has been in a labor dispute with Metro – one of the contractors operating paratransit for Palm Tran Connection.

W

hen Local 1433-Phoenix, AZ, threatened to strike, member Lisa Pacheco Estrada knew it might be a long, tough fight. A former gang member, who had lost many friends to the streets and did jail time at age 18, Lisa prepared for the strike by getting her finances in order and moving into a smaller house with her children.

“When I first came to Veolia I noticed all the ‘walking dead’ and wanted to help in any way,” Lisa said. “Now with the strike I wanted to be a positive influence and a leader.”

And a difference she certainly made. Local 1433 Financial-Secretary Michael Cornelius said “Lisa became our No. 1 cheerleader. Her commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm served as a model for all. “Without her we could have never settled this strike.”

But Lisa’s moment to shine during the strike had actually been a work in progress. A member since 2008, Lisa has volunteered countless hours for union activities.

She started a fitness campaign called “Project Enough is Enough” for the local to get members eating healthier and exercising.

When asked why she committed so much time to the union Lisa reflected on her past. “I saw too much violence in my early life. Now I realize in order to respect life you must have integrity, and be willing to be sacrifice to help others while expecting nothing in return.”

“This is a victory not only for workers, but for the people who rely on experienced, professional Metro drivers to get to and from the doctor, church, and other daily tasks,” said Local 1577 President Dwight Mattingly. “At Metro the bottom line comes first. For drivers it’s about getting their passengers safely and securely to their destinations on time.”

Suit brought in 2008 The suit was brought in 2008, in response to Metro’s unilateral reduction of workers’ hours after their employees voted to form a union. The court ruled this a violation of a federal labor law, which says that – even without a first contract – employers may not make changes in working conditions that are not negotiated with the new union.

Metro appealed the original decision in favor of ATU by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The ALJ’s judgment was affirmed by the NLRB. Metro then appealed the NLRB decision in the 11th Circuit, which has also ruled in favor of the paratransit workers.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

15

Judge tosses parts of Wisconsin anti-union law Walker Recall vote on June 5

I

n an entertaining Wisconsin ruling that delved deeply into the politics surrounding Right Wing GOP Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union law, a federal judge in the Badger State tossed out parts of it, but kept its key section: a ban on collective bargaining for 200,000 state and local workers.

Passage of the law last year set off massive protests, in which ATU took part, and a later recall petition against the newlyelected governor. The day the judge ruled, Wisconsin’s official elections body confirmed that residents turned in a little more than 900,000 valid signatures on the recall – almost double what the law requires. Unions, including ATU, led the drive. The recall election is set for June 5.

Recertification requirement rejected The ruling by U.S. District Judge William Conley threw out the Walker law’s section that forced most public worker unions to seek yearly re-certification from at least 51% of all their members. The exceptions: several local police and fire fighter unions – only those, Conley noted, which backed Walker in 2010, while others did not.

Conley also tossed the section of Walker law’s saying that those police and fire fighter unions, in Milwaukee, could keep automatically deducting dues from workers’ pay-checks while other public worker unions could not. He said that distinction violated unions’ free speech rights of the U.S. Constitution’s 1st Amendment. He ordered automatic dues deductions reinstated by May 31.

They’ve been gone almost nine months.

16

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Chicago local fights CTA exploitation of part-time operators

B

usted! Documents recently obtained by Local 241-Chicago, IL, confirm that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) flagrantly violated their contract by continually requiring part-time bus operators (PTBOs) to work more than 32 hours per week since February 2010 – the month almost 1,000 full and part-time Chicago members were laid off. The local is pursuing the matter in an arbitration hearing. The union is asking for a make whole remedy that could cost CTA a significant amount of money.

“This is a blatant violation of our contract for our hard working part-time operators,” said ATU International Vice President and Local 241 Trustee Javier Perez. “We will pursue this matter to the full extent of the law until our members are compensated for this work.”

318,000 hours over contract agreement The documents requested by the local reveal that, over the last two years, PTBOs logged at least 318,000 hours more than the total they should have worked had the agency abided by the collective bargaining agreement.

CTA filled the void left by the lay-offs with the extra hours it demanded from part-time workers. And, since PTBOs don’t get the paid vacation, paid holidays, short term disability benefits, or pension contributions that full-time workers receive, CTA saved a bundle of money.

CTA not only exploited part-time workers, but harmed full-time workers by replacing those laid-off with cheaper labor.

Are you tired of the constant threats to your livelihood and your family’s wellbeing?

The ATU-COPE program collects voluntary contributions from ATU members to support political candidates who support mass transit and organized labor.

For every dollar your local contributes over its 2011 total the ATU will return a dollar for the local to use in a coalition campaign to restore transit service and put our members back to work in your community. COPE-PLUS is the tool you need.

Fight back with COPE-PLUS today!

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

17

Phoenix local strikes, wins two-year battle with French multi-national Local President Bob Bean, 1433-Phoenix, AZ, gives an account of the two-year struggle to get a new contract from French multi-national transit operator, Veolia, and the strike that finally brought them victory: actions and conduct finally left the drivers with no choice but to walk off of the job.

We went out at midnight, March 9, shutting down both the North and South Facility and on March 10, at 5:30 p.m. we put up the picket lines at Tempe as well.

The cities came to a standstill. We brought them to their knees as the company could only manage to get approximately 14% service on the road.

O

n January 26, 2010, Local 1433 sent out a request to renegotiate the contract that was set to expire on June 30, 2010. Veolia failed to meet with the ATU until June of that year.

Local never made ‘crazy’ demands ATU never entered these negotiations making crazy demands for huge increases. We understood that the economy of today would not support such proposals, irrespective of Veolia’s $388 million contract with the city, which included a 12% increase in city payments over their term. (The city also gave them almost $28 million to settle sick time and pension liabilities).

Veolia from day one was not reasonable in their demands, ultimately resulting in many “unfair labor practices.” Every charge filed against Veolia was upheld, so Veolia signed a settlement agreement with the Board.

The mayor of Phoenix went on TV asking that both sides go back to the table to settle the issues, Local 1433 was willing but Veolia couldn’t as their negotiator, had flown to DC to pedal himself at the APTA conference, and the GM of Phoenix had also left town on Friday, March 9.

Pizza for both sides We went back to the table on Tuesday March 13, with the Mayor Stanton talking to both sides before he left.

We had negotiated all day when Mayor Stanton delivered four pizzas to both sides. We came to an agreement late that night.

We came out of the negotiations with what we considered a big win as we retained what Veolia was trying to steal from us, we retained what the Teamsters and Operating Engineers gave away, plus we made forward movement by getting first day sick and paid bereavement for the first time.

A force to reckon with Veolia unlawfully imposes contract Almost as soon as they signed it, Veolia violated it and imposed (unlawfully) the terms of their “Last, Best and Final” offer onto their employees, effectively taking away over thirty years of progress in bargaining.

Even after all of this, the ATU refused to strike and made every attempt to find an alternative. But, Veolia’s

18

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

We had won the 22-month war against the big French corporation and we showed both Veolia and the City of Phoenix that ATU Local 1433 is a force to reckon with.

We could not have done this without our members, they were the strength, they held the lines and they came out winners.

OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

Will clever phrases obscure the truth?

D

id you follow the news from the Republican primaries and caucuses? It’s was amazing, wasn’t it? I don’t know how candidates can say the things they do with a straight face.

For example, after his loss in the South Carolina primary, Mitt Romney accused his Republican rivals of using Democratic “politics of envy” against him. Later, after the State of the Union address, Speaker John Boehner characterized the president’s speech in the same way.

It’s a clever phrase. It must have gotten a good reaction from Republican focus groups. But, like so many political clichés, it succeeds because it exploits people’s prejudices regardless of the truth.

Dog whistles

on mischaracterizations of their goals and intents. If these slogans are repeated often enough they become the “truth” for many people. That’s why you’re going to hear phrases like “politics of envy,” “food stamp president,” and “government-centered economy” over and over again.

Of course, we know the truth. Working people don’t waste their time being jealous of other people’s wealth.

But they do believe in an America where everyone has an equal shot at success. And, that’s what’s missing today.

That “politics of envy” line might work well among the elite Republican “one percenters,” but I think it will backfire in the general election. Their own words speak volumes about how far removed they are from the actual lived experience of the vast majority of the American people.

Another example can be found in Newt Gingrich’s attempt to define President Obama as the “food stamp president.” The phrase reminds voters of the “sainted” Ronald Reagan’s complaints about “welfare queens” in the 1980s. And, like a “dog whistle,” racists hear the former speaker agreeing with them, without him having to say it in so many words.

Right now, Republicans are working hard to insert notso-subtle epithets into our national lexicon that they hope will create a mind-set in which voters negatively interpret everything the president says.

Maddening What’s maddening is that so many people swallow this twisting of the truth (usually expressed in easy-to-remember two or three word phrases) and become passionate opponents of politicians based

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

19

Outrage erupts over lenient sentence for driver attack.

ATU, TWU working to combat assaults

T

he ATU is outraged by the lenient sentence given to a man convicted of assaulting a bus driver in Vancouver, BC. Del Louie was sentenced to 200 hours of community service. He will serve no jail time.

bus using the back door, Dixon told him to use the front door. Louie punched Dixon in the face so hard that he broke the bones in Dixon’s cheek. Dixon has undergone four surgeries as a result of the attack.

“We are furious,” says Canadian Council Director Stan Dera. “Del Louie sucker punches a driver, who is merely doing his job, and the court allows him to walk away a free man? Where’s the justice in that?”

‘How many more drivers must have their faces smashed?’

The ATU/TWU Alliance ATU and TWU have formed an alliance to address this growing problem of attacks on drivers; developing a strategic plan to deal with this issue.

“Assaults on drivers have skyrocketed across North America,” said ATU International President Larry Hanley. “In an economy that forces people out of the middle class and pushes the poor deeper into poverty, a uniformed bus driver may be viewed as an agent of the haves demanding even more resulting in unprovoked attack.”

Louie attacked Coast Mountain driver Charles Dixon, a member of the Canadian Automobile Workers, on February 15, 2011. When Louie attempted to board the

20

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Dera says his members are frustrated and disappointed with this decision and with what is happening to drivers across the country. “It’s decisions like these that make perpetrators believe they can do whatever they want.

The sentence is outrageous and further endangers the lives of drivers everywhere.”

The ATU has been proposing changes to the Criminal Code, to increase penalties for assaults on transit drivers. “We are trying to get all levels of government to acknowledge the problem with little effect,” says Dera.

“This is a matter of public safety. Transit workers can not go to their job and passengers can not travel on public transportation in fear of being attacked, assaulted or even shot,” Hanley continued. “Something needs to be done, and the ATU and the TWU are working to bring attention to and combat this problem.”

New reporting requirements for Commercial Drivers Licenses New Commercial Drivers License regulations took effect on January 30.* The new rules require: 1. All CDL license holders and applicants, both intrastate (transit, school bus, para-transit) and interstate service (over-the-road, charter) subject to the federal physical qualification requirements (49 CFR 391), must certify the type of service they provide at the time of their license renewal or application no later than January 30, 2014. (a) CDL holders must certify whether they operate: 1) interstate (exempt or non-exempt), or

2) intrastate (exempt or non-exempt)

(b) Those CDL license holders or applicants, certifying that they only operate intrastate, are not required to submit (see below) a copy of their medical examiners certificate to their state licensing agency, unless their state passes legislation requiring this action. None have done so to date. We will advise when and if any states enact such legislation.

2. Interstate CDL license holders and applicants must also provide their state licensing agency (SDLA) with a copy of their medical examiners certificate. The SDLA is usually the state department of transportation or motor vehicle division. (a) Interstate drivers must also retain paper copies of their certificate until January 30, 2014. (b) The information provided, as to type of service and medical qualification is then included by the state agency in the national Commercial Driver License Information System (CDLIS) that can be accessed by employers and law enforcement to verify that the driver is physically qualified to drive.

For specific state-by-state requirements for drivers and information related to how a state is handling the medical certification requirements, and to determine who to contact for additional information, please go to: http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=1&url_num=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atu.org%2Fatupdfs%2FMedicalCertificate_StateByStateSubmissionInstructions.pdf+ For more information go to CDL Renewals – Frequently Asked Questions (January 2012) at www.atu.org. * The full text may be found in the Federal Register, 73 Fed. Reg. 73096.

45th Annual Black Caucus Conference

“Focus on the Future” May 17-20, 2012 Dallas, TX

All information and forms pertaining to the Conference can be downloaded from the ATU Black Caucus website: www.atubc.org

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

21

Mississauga driver suspended 5 days for using washroom W

hen a Mississauga, ON, bus driver was suspended five days for taking too long in the bathroom Local 1572 President Nick Bye knew this wasn’t just another incident of “the boss being a jerk”, but a prevalent problem for operators across the U.S. and Canada.

ATU and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) have been working together to address this longstanding issue and Bye saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the problem. Bye called the International for assistance in bringing the story to light.

“It’s an important health and safety issue that really should be regarded as a human right.” said International President Larry Hanley. “Our members have been dealing with this problem for many years and this joint committee is working to find ways to deal with this issue.”

Chaos?

ATU filed a grievance on behalf of the disciplined driver, who was cited for “deliberate delay of service for using washroom facilities.” At the hearing in response to the union grievance company officials argued, “we can’t give every operator carte blanche to go to the washroom and be late, that would be chaos.”

According to a recent study in Neurourology and Urodynamics an extreme urge to use the bathroom has similar cognitive effects as 24 hours without sleep or a .05% blood alcohol content. In addition, extreme urine retention can lead to urinary tract infections, bladder damage, and kidney disease.

Health and safety risk “This is not only a matter of convenience for drivers, but it threatens the safety and security of passengers, pedestrians and other drivers on the road,” Bye stated.

Like Local 1572 bus drivers, many other ATU and TWU locals have been dealing with the problem of bathroom breaks for years. Many transit agencies don’t provide drivers clean, accessible bathrooms and drivers are forced to use the facilities of restaurants and stores on their routes.

“In what job would workers stand for not having the right to use the bathroom?”

Hanley continued. “We at the International are committed to fighting to change transit system policies on bathroom breaks.”

22

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

New local presidents, financial secretaries receive training

ATU’s new local presidents and financial secretaries traveled to the Maritime Training Center in the BaltimoreWashington area, February 20 – 24, to take part in a weeklong training session led by ATU international staff and labor experts. The participants heard from International President Larry Hanley about the challenges facing ATU today, the labor movement, and working families, and toured ATU headquarters. Other topics covered included coalition building, grievance training, social networking, media training, and record keeping.

IN MEMORIAM: RETIRED GEB MEMBER & CO-FOUNDER OF THE CANADIAN COUNCIL

Gunter Bruckner B

rother Alfred “Gunter” Bruckner, retired member of the ATU General Executive Board, co-founder of the Canadian Council, and former financial secretary/business agent of Local 583-Calglary, AB, passed away on April 19.

Gunter, a German immigrant, started as a cleaner, then became serviceman and trolley repairman in

1957. He was elected as a Local 583 executive board member and shop steward in 1969. In 1971, Gunter was elected Recording Secretary of the local. He went on to serve ATU as financial-secretary/business agent of Local 583, co-founder of the Canadian Council, and Canadian representative on the ATU General Executive Board.

Bruckner’s smiling face and good-natured personality has been a fixture at ATU events and Conventions for decades. He will be missed.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

23

Fall River Transit Fights for “More” Service with riders to fight service cuts and push for more bus service.

Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan, State Representative Paul Schmid and City Councilors Ray Mitchell and Mike Miozza all endorsed a proposal to expand bus service in the area at a meeting held by the Bus Riders United, February 18. A postcard circulated by the group has already garnered 2,000 signatures in favor of evening and Sunday hours.

U

nlike so many cities in which commuters are fighting just to keep the service they have, residents of Fall River, MA, continue to lobby for increased public transit in their area. “They want to see better transportation options at night and on Sundays,” says Local 174 President Eric Carvalho, who adds, “We are 100 percent behind it.” The campaign began in early 2011 when ATU Locals 174 and 1037 began building coalitions

Local Unions Celebrate 100th, 75th Anniversaries The Amalgamated Transit Union congratulates the officers and members all over Canada and the United States who are celebrating historic anniversaries of their local unions this year. The steadfastness and solidarity these locals have demonstrated over many years is an inspiration to us all.

24

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Recently the bus riders helped secure a federal grant that allows transit to provide service on Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Patriots Day and Memorial Day. They’ve also sent letters to Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown requesting they support the Carnahan bill that would allow transit systems to use a portion of their federal capital funding for operating assistance.

100th & 75th Anniversaries Local

Year

Charter Date

580-Syracuse, NY 582-Rome, NY 583-Calgary, AB 587-Seattle, WA 588-Regina, SK 589-Boston, MA 591-Hull, QC 610-Charleston, SC

100th 100th 100th 100th 100th 100th 100th 100th

January 10, 1912 January 29, 1912 February 26, 1912 April 8, 1912 April 25, 1912 May 22, 1912 May 25, 1912 October 28, 1912

981-Alexandria, LA

75th

February 14, 1927

100 YEARS AGO IN IN TRANSIT

Labor celebrates 100th anniversary of Bread & Roses Strike

T

his year marks the 100th anniversary of the historic Bread and Roses Strike that moved the conscience of the nation, bringing national attention to the plight of the families, including young children, who toiled in the dirty and dangerous factories of Lawrence, MA, and throughout the country.

A re-enactment in Lawrence on January 12 kicked off a yearlong celebration of the Bread and Roses centennial, which will commemorate historical events that gave rise to the U.S. labor movement.

On January 12, 1912, some 25,000 workers at the mills of the American Woolen Company in Lawrence walked off the job when the company cut their pay – already a mere $8 a week for the men, and less for the women and children – after the state legislature passed a law shortening the length of their workweek from 56 to 54 hours.

Workers stayed off the job for months, enduring beatings from police and the Massachusetts militia, who spared not even women and children.

The first ‘Occupy Movement’?

Some see in the conditions that led to the Bread and Roses strike parallels to today’s growing income disparity between the wealthy and the rest of us, as well as the exploitation of America’s workers by financial interests. Robert Forrant, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts, calls it “the first Occupy movement.”

Start of real workplace reform Ethan Snow, a member of the Centennial Committee and a UMass graduate student, noted that the Bread and Roses Strike spelled the beginning of the end for child labor in America, and the start of real workplace reforms.

“The strike is notable because it was the first time that over 25,000 people from 50 nationalities speaking 27 different languages united to win rights in the workplace,” he added. “The labor movement in 1912 was very young and few decisive victories had really been achieved until the 1912 strike in Lawrence.”

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

25

A

LEC, ALEC, ALEC! After years of toiling in obscurity to provide anti-worker, conservative and corporate-friendly model bills for state legislators to turn into law, the American Legislative Exchange Council is getting a ton of unfavorable publicity.

The news is so bad that some of its biggest corporate members are disassociating themselves from the organization as fast as they can.

ALEC is the organization behind legislation passed in Wisconsin and under consideration in other states stripping public worker unions of their collective bargaining rights. ALEC members in state legislatures have also introduced right-to-work legislation and bills that prohibit dues check off.

While you may not have seen ALEC’s name until now, you surely will recognize its supporters. WalMart, UPS, Bayer, State Farm and AT&T all help fund ALEC’s work, sit on its board, vote on its task forces, and access state lawmakers through its networking.

Lately ALEC has moved beyond its corporate agenda to promote more explicitly conservative political legislation such as the new voter ID laws that could potentially disenfranchise up to five million voters – especially people of color, young people, and seniors – in the next election.

26

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Unwelcome attention One of the bills ALEC pushed through several state legislatures – the “Stand Your Ground” gun law – has become a source of unwelcome attention.

The Florida “Stand your Ground“ law that may protect George Zimmerman, the man who recently shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, became the template for the ALEC model bill in dozens of states.

Recently Wendy’s, McDonalds, Kraft Foods, CocaCola, Pepsi and Intuit have decided to not renew their membership with ALEC and the Gates Foundation has pulled funding.

Advocacy groups are continuing to put pressure on other ALEC sponsors and are soliciting the support of the public. CREDO Action is targeting ALEC’s voter suppression campaign. Join the campaign at http://act. credoaction.com/campaign/alec_id/

Carta desde el camino Nuestro momento se aproxima Escribo esta columna desde el camino. Estoy en California, donde he estado asistiendo a reuniones sindicales y me he reunido con funcionarios del sindicato local. Mientras miro a los ojos de nuestros miembros y escucho, me llegan muchas historias sobre la situación actual del movimiento laboral.

Gary Maurer, un convocante veterano del ATU y mi mentor, solía explicar a los grupos de trabajadores que convocaba que las personas ricas planifican sus vidas en años y en décadas. Las personas sin recursos planifican en semanas y por cheque de pago —la semana próxima, pagaremos la factura de electricidad; la siguiente, la hipoteca).

Cada semana que pasa, los miembros del ATU tienen más dificultades para pagar sus cuentas. Y lo mismo le ocurre al 99% de las personas.

¿Tendrán nuestros hijos una vida tan buena como la que tuvimos nosotros?

Esto resume la situación real del sindicato. Nuestros miembros planifican sus vidas en períodos cortos, con dudas sobre la vivienda y la educación para sus hijos. ¿Cómo vivirán cuando se jubilen?

Una de las razones por las cuales viajo es para escuchar a nuestros miembros y para aprender de ellos. Pero también estoy aquí para convocar a nuestros miembros a una campaña anual para responder a las preguntas más urgentes: ¿Cómo se puede revertir esta situación? ¿Es posible que desaparezca la clase media por completo? ¿Tendrán nuestros hijos una vida tan buena como la que tuvimos nosotros? ¿Pueden los trabajadores del transporte que alimentan sus cuerpos con el desgaste del trabajo diario en autobuses y trenes esperar un trato digno y justo?

¿Tenía Rosa Parks la certeza de que algo cambiaría?

Durante la reunión, les pregunté a nuestros miembros qué creían que Rosa Parks sentía al subir al autobús. El minuto anterior de rehusarse a ceder su asiento, ¿cómo se sentiría? ¿Tendría la certeza de que cambiaría algo además de su registro de antecedentes penales?

Rosa Parks sabía que arriesgaba mucho – quizás su propia vida – como para decir “no” y dejar de lado su petición de justicia y dignidad en un mundo injusto. Sabía que su familia y sus amigos cuestionarían su sentido común o su cordura cuando dio muestras de un coraje poco común.

Su vida hubiera sido mucho más fácil si hubiera acatado el programa y se hubiera sentado en la parte trasera del autobús. Pero no se hizo arrestar para hacer un señalamiento; lo hizo para cambiar el programa. Y su acto de desafiar la ley, el sistema y la segregación fue un momento crucial para el movimiento pro derechos civiles y para el siglo pasado.

Los voluntarios crearán el cambio Necesitamos que nuestros miembros y líderes piensen en Rosa Parks, en su ejemplo y en su valor. Reflexionen sobre nuestros héroes. El futuro de este movimiento laboral y el futuro de nuestros hijos dependen de que los miembros puedan encontrar la fuerza interior para correr el riesgo que asumen los líderes para forzar el cambio. Mientras viajo para participar en las reuniones sindicales en el ATU, puedo sentir que nuestro momento se aproxima y que nuestros miembros se están aprontando para pelear por el cambio.

Ese cambio será generado por los miembros que ofrezcan su tiempo para trabajar en el fortalecimiento del sindicato dentro de sus comunidades. Lidero y escucho mientras recorro el camino del ATU de construcción de un sindicato combatiente. ¡Debo irme ahora... hacia Bay Area!

En Riverside, CA, un funcionario local me comentó que muchos miembros se sentían desesperanzados. Creen que no pueden ganar y ni siquiera afectar el resultado.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

27

Nuestra elección es clara: ¡sobrevivir!

El ATU ha decidido apoyar la reelección del presidente Obama. Esto no debería ser una sorpresa para nadie que esté familiarizado con los valores del Sindicato. Debería servir de recordatorio para nuestros miembros de que los instamos a votar por candidatos que apoyen el trabajo y el tránsito.

Sabemos que algunos de nuestros miembros no desean que se los invite a votar de determinada manera y los entendemos perfectamente. Tengo la certeza de que ustedes habrán escuchado lo mismo muchas veces.

Pero debido a que los intereses en juego en esta elección son tan importantes, debemos hablar abiertamente sobre nuestros problemas y debemos utilizar nuestra arma más poderosa: la urna electoral.

No hay que mirar demasiado lejos Mitt Romney y el Tea Party han apoyado las medidas antisindicales implementadas en varios estados. Por lo tanto, no es necesario mirar demasiado lejos para percibir quiénes son nuestros enemigos mortales esta vez.

Las diferencias entre los candidatos en las cuestiones laborales y de tránsito son claras. Por lo que permítanme ser el primero en decirles a quién deben votar ustedes y todos sus conocidos para salvar a las familias trabajadoras de Estados Unidos.

¿Servicios esenciales – huelgas forzadas y derecho a trabajar? D-e v-e-r-a-s ¡En Canadá!

Los ultraconservadores atacan a las familias trabajadoras por todos los frentes. En Canadá, intentan que nuestro trabajo sea declarado un «servicio esencial» en varios sitios de modo que nuestros miembros pierdan el derecho de huelga. En otros lugares, su idea de negociación colectiva es realizar demandas no negociables, negarse a negociar y entonces tratar de deshacerse de nuestros locales en las huelgas posteriores que causan.

28

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

Stan Dera, director del Consejo Canadiense del ATU, nos acaba de notificar que, si son electos, el Consejo Laboral Canadiense en Alberta está desplegando toda su artillería pesada para combatir a los conservadores de Rosedale que han prometido introducir la legislación right-towork (derecho a trabajar) en la provincia. Todos los días inventan algo distinto; no obstante, siempre culpan a los trabajadores por todos los problemas que surgen.

¡Deténgase, observe, escuche!

Aquí, en la Internacional, trabajamos con dinamismo para brindar apoyo a nuestros miembros. Mientras escribo, nuestros funcionarios locales e internacionales junto con nuestro Departamento de Movilización de Campo están movilizando a nuestros amigos y a las organizaciones comunitarias para dar batalla. Y estamos siendo testigos de victorias impresionantes. Repelimos la ley contra los sindicatos de empleados públicos en Ohio. Presentamos el doble de las firmas de petición exigidas para decretar la elección por revocación de mandato del gobernador Walker en Wisconsin.

A pesar de algunas huelgas francamente difíciles, la solidaridad de nuestros miembros canadienses es más fuerte que nunca. Las próximas elecciones en EE. UU. y Canadá no serán fáciles, pero la elección será seguramente clara. ¡Y con la ayuda de nuestros miembros, nuestras familias y nuestros amigos Sobreviviremos y Venceremos!!

Solidariamente.

Bob Baker

¿Lograrán algunas frases ingeniosas ocultar la verdad? ¿Siguió usted las noticias de las primarias de los republicanos y sus camarillas políticas? Fue increíble, ¿no lo cree? No sé cómo hacen los candidatos para decir lo que dicen con cara de póquer.

Por ejemplo, después de perder las primarias en Carolina del Sur, Mitt Romney acusó a sus rivales políticos de utilizar la “política de la envidia” de los demócratas contra él. Más adelante, después del informe de gobierno,

el orador, John Boehner, caracterizó el discurso del presidente de la misma manera.

Es una frase ingeniosa. Debe haber provocado una buena respuesta entre los grupos de muestra republicanos. Pero, como muchos otros clichés políticos, tiene éxito porque explota los prejuicios de la gente más allá de la verdad.

Política para entendidos Cabe citar otro ejemplo en el intento de Newt Gingrich de definir al presidente Obama como “el presidente de los vales de despensa”. La frase les recuerda a los votantes los reclamos del “santificado” Ronald Reagan sobre las “reinas del bienestar social” en la década del 80. Y, como buena “política para entendidos”, los racistas captan que el primer orador concuerda con ellos sin extenderse demasiado.

En este momento, los republicanos están trabajando duro para insertar epítetos no tan sutiles en nuestro léxico nacional, con lo cual esperan crear un enfoque en el que todos los dichos del presidente sean malinterpretados por los votantes.

Exasperante Lo que resulta exasperante es que tantas personas compren esta tergiversación de la verdad (normalmente expresada en frases de dos o tres palabras fáciles de recordar) y pasen a ser fervientes opositores de los políticos sobre la base de caracterizaciones erróneas de sus objetivos e intenciones. Si estas consignas se repiten lo suficiente, se transforman en “verdades” para mucha gente. Por eso escuchará repetidamente frases como “política de la envidia”, “presidente de los vales de despensa” y “economía centralizada en el gobierno”.

Por supuesto, sabemos cuál es la verdad. Los trabajadores no pierden tiempo celando la riqueza de los demás. Pero sí creen en una América en la que todos tengan las mismas posibilidades de triunfar. Y eso es lo que falta hoy en día.

Esa línea de “política de la envidia” puede funcionar bien entre el “uno por ciento” de la élite republicana, pero creo que les jugará en contra en las elecciones generales.

Sus propias palabras hablan por sí solas acerca de lo alejados que están de la experiencia vital real de la vasta mayoría de los estadounidenses.

Helping ATU Locals Harness the Power of the Internet for FREE ATU is launching a new service, TransitWeb, to set up a free state-of-the-art website for local unions. This new innovative program includes: EASE OF USE User-friendly rich features, varied design template options, and ease of use for updates and changes.

FRESH CONTENT Easily update your website with fresh content, photos and even videos.

SUPPORT Free training to learn how to easily update and maintain your website.

NO COST TransitWeb is a FREE program for all local unions, the full cost is covered by ATU International.

FLEXIBILITY TransitWeb has been developed for ATU local unions. We’ll help you make your website fit your needs.

To get your website up and running today contact: communications@atu.org.

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

29

In Memoriam

Death Benefits Awarded November 1, 2011 - February 29, 2012 1- MEMBERS AT LARGE ROBERT F BARGER WILLIAM M COWIESON GERALD J CREEDON TIMOTHY F DEVENY DOUGLAS D DON SR NELSON FRESQUEZ EUGENE R GARRETT RALPH WILLIAM INGLE HAROLD W KIRKENDALL PAUL JOSEPH KROCKMAN JOHN D LOVE LARRY OWEN MC LEOD DANIEL J MITCHELL ERNEST CALDWELL SNELL ROSS L STAGGS RAYMOND LEON SWINEY SAM TEMPLEMAN 22- WORCESTER, MA FRED A MILO 26- DETROIT, MI WILLIAM J ANDERSON WILLIAM P PENDER 85- PITTSBURGH, PA JOHN A BAYER JOHN F CALNAN JOHN JAMES CONNERS JR ANDREW FIORENTINI GEORGE JOHN GERBEN GORDON L GORR MICHAEL D HOLLY WILLIAM F HOLTZ JR WILLIE HUGULEY JR PETER P IPOLETTA CLIFFORD L JONES RITA E KING HOWARD E KRAUS DARRYL R KUNKEL THOMAS A LANG RICHARD ANTHONY LIPPI JOSEPH ROBERT ROMANO ANTHONY J ROSSETTI RUSSELL C STALEY JAMES G STUTHERS JAMES A TESTA REGIS J TOGNARINE JOSEPH C URBANEK WILLIAM A WEIMER 103- WHEELING, WV JOHN C KUPCHAK JERRY R SCOTT 107- HAMILTON, ON HARPAL S BHANDHAL WILLIAM K BLAIR JOHN BOCCACCIO GUY J HERSEY MATTHEW K KELLY BRIAN M LAMBERTUS LARRY R MARTIN HAROLD BURTON SHAW TOMAS E WALKER

30

113- TORONTO, ON EDWARD L DUCKWORTH ALLAN J ADAMS CLAUDE E FIZER BERT W ADAMS VICTOR FLORES PAUL AZZOPARDI GEORGE E GARFIELD JOHN PEARSON BELL CAROL L HARDY SYLVANUS BLAIR CHESTER HARRIS NORMAN H BULLOCK KYUSIK H HONG KENNETH D COLE EARNEST JEFFERSON JR DAVID COOPER BOBBY E JOHNSON SULTAN A K DAMJI JAMES L JONES ANTHONY FIELD RUBEN J LOPEZ AGOSTINO FLORA KAREN T LUCKETT GEORGE LLOYD GERRIE CHARLES LYONS JOHN W GILLION RUDOLPH MC DONALD DENNIS RICHARD GORDON JOSEPH E MC MILLAN NICHOLAS HALEWICH JOHNNY D MOORE BERNARD HARRIS RUTH M PEARSON HARRY BARRIE HIGGINS HATTIE B PETERSON ALLISON IRVINE GEORGE L POUNDS JOSEPH JOSTIAK ARTHUR L PRESTON EDWARD A KEARN IMOGENE REDD PATRICK H KENNEDY GENE A ROSS JOSEPH KISH FREDDIE SIMS JR FREDERICK R LOCKE LONNIE E SINGLETON MILTON LOMAX RONALD C STEFINSKY FRANCESCO LUCENO EDWARD C UNREIN MIKE R MAC DONALD ROBERT VINING JR DOMENICO MANDERELLO RILEY L WALSON WILLIAM J MC FADDEN LEON WILLIAMS VERNON MC LAREN ALOYSIOUS LEO ZUCKER ANTONIO MELO GARFIELD MENCHIONS 256- SACRAMENTO, CA SALVATORE PAGLIALUNGA LESTER RAY FRITTS PETER POERAZAFF THOMAS LEROY PARKISON RENOLD RAMSARRAN LENNARD J SCOTT 265- SAN JOSE, CA JOHN ANTHONY SHAW STEVEN M BURBANK PIRATHEEB SIVAPATHASUNTHRAM ROBERT DELGADO JAMES F TEEVAN ERNEST E GALLEGO VINCENT J WATTERS FAAFOUINA LEAENO DOUGLAS WEBSTER JOSE LORIGO JOHN YOUNGS PETER OLASIMAN RAYMOND A SAUNDERS 164- WILKES-BARRE, PA EVANGLIST TAYLOR WILLIAM J VETTER 268- CLEVELAND, OH 168- SCRANTON, PA HAROLD L FUNDERBURG ALLAN ROSSI JOHN S GARDNER WILBERT R GREEN 192- OAKLAND, CA DENNIS B MC COY LUCILLE ABNER STEVE PACHOLEWSKI JOEL C BROWN PETER ANTHONY CASEY 279- OTTAWA, ON KENNETH W DAILEY VERNON BEATTIE CHARLES R DENISON HERVE M GIROUX JAMES G DORAZIO PATRICK J MC HUGH PASCUAL A GUTIERREZ JEAN M PAQUETTE GERALD T JACOBS ROBERT L SIMPSON WILLIAM REYNOLDS EDMOND WEINHOLDT WALTER YADE 241- CHICAGO, IL BURTON L BOCKEL 281- NEW HAVEN, CT BEN N CARTER JOSEPH HALTER CURTIS COHEN LEONARD G DAKE 282- ROCHESTER, NY LUELLA F DAVIS RAYMOND F CINELLI

March/April 2012 | IN TRANSIT

MILOS GLIGIC EDWARD E HUGHES WILLIAM C LAW 308- CHICAGO, IL GAETANO M FAGIOLO MICHAEL MURPHY DEVON R OVERSTREET ELSIE M PATTERSON DANIEL RENO MYRON WAITES 425- HARTFORD, CT ROLAND BERTRAND RONALD GINA RICHARD HOLLAND ROBERT JONAH 443- STAMFORD, CT JOSEPH HARTLE 448- SPRINGFIELD, MA LEO SAGAN 519- LA CROSSE, WI THOMAS L SANDERSON 558- SHREVEPORT, LA GEORGE LEE KENDRICK 568- ERIE, PA RICHARD H COLLEY DANIEL J WYSOCKI 569- EDMONTON, AB PHILIP T HEEMERYCK THOMAS G JARVIS LORRAINE F PIERCE JOHN M ROCHE MATTHEW SULLIVAN DESMOND A THOMPSON DOUG WOLLMAN ALEXANDER J YAROSHUK 580- SYRACUSE, NY HARLEY S LOVELESS LOUIS MIKE 583- CALGARY, AB GORDON M ALEXANDER EDWARD S BARBER HARRY G BENNETT BEULAH CAMUS ANDREW CARMICHAEL MICHAEL J GROVES MICHAEL V RICHARD KENNETH K SCHULTZ RONALD G THIRLWELL FRANK WALDRON 587- SEATTLE, WA VERNON R ADLER CHRISTIAN M COLLINGWOOD JAMES T HULSLANDER JR GORDON M JENKINS CRYSTAL V LAW

588- REGINA, SK BERTRAM C REIMER 589- BOSTON, MA CHARLES E BANKS ROBERT J BOWES BERNARD A COGAVIN CARLO F CORDARO FRANCES J FLEMING JOSEPH F GORDON JAMES HALL BRUCE M HAPGOOD ANDREW HIGHET BLAIR S JOHNSON DAVID J LENANE RICHARD L LEWIS PAUL J MC CARTHY DONALD J MC COLGAN DOROTHY M MINGOES STEPHEN F NESTOR NICHOLAS OLIVOLO JAMES R PORTER PHILLIP K ROBERTSON FRANK C ROOME JAMES F RUSSELL TIMOTHY F SULLIVAN BENJAMIN F TILLEY CHARLES TUMASZ EMIL N WIEHER 591- HULL, PQ RENE NADON 618- PROVIDENCE, RI ROBERT S OSBORNE BRADFORD OXNARD III LOUIS PENNACCHIA ANDY SANTAGATA 627- CINCINNATI, OH JUAN J SCHAUPP 628- COVINGTON, KY MARVIN LEE BLACK JOSEPH RING DANNY L WEAVER 662- PUEBLO, CO WILLIAM M LUKENBILL 682- FORT WAYNE, IN ALICE M WRIGHT 689- WASHINGTON, DC COLEMAN ADAMS SAMUEL AHN PATRICK J ANASTASI EDWARD ANDERSON ALFRED D HARDY SR WILLIAM J HARRINGTON WILLIAM R HARRIS JR CARL ELLIS HOLT JOHN E JACKSON HORACE L JOHNSON CARROLL T JONES JR CLARA M JONES

JOSEPH B KEPLINGER JOHN E MACK RICHARD C MC KOY JAMES H MC NAIR HUBERT DOUGLAS MIMS JOHN C NOLAN CLYDE PILGRIM VICTOR LYLE QUICK DORSEY SHOUSE JR GEORGE P STARKS LAWRENCE WASHINGTON JOSEPH E WOOTEN KAY F WRIGHT SUMOIWU G YEKEH HOWARD C YOUNG 694- SAN ANTONIO, TX HENRY Z AREVALO EDWARD AVELAR CHARLES C CRAIG RICHARD MUNOZ 713- MEMPHIS, TN JAMES R AGEE DALE M CARNEY RALPH H GORDON JR THOMAS R HORTON WILLIE J HURT

RONALD L WILLEMS RODGER C ZWETZIG 758- TACOMA, WA WILLIAM D SMITH 765- MONTGOMERY, AL MILFORD W BROWN 788- ST. LOUIS, MO MARK C ABBOTT RALPH C ANDERSON FRANK J CAPASSO WILLIAM CARTER JR COY R EAKINS THELMA JOHNSON NANCY L LONG MICHAEL J NOCHTA STANLEY N PONCELET ELLA M STANTON RONALD J WILLIAMS SAM J ZUCCARELLO 801- ALTOONA, PA WILLIAM J FANELLI

714- PORTLAND, ME JOSEPH O MALLOY

819- NEWARK, NJ LOUIS DE MEDICI EARL EDWARDS JOHN M HARAS JOSEPH E MAHON

725- BIRMINGHAM, AL ROBERT BAKER BOBBY G WAID ERNEST EDGAR WHITE JR

820- UNION CITY, NJ JUAN GONZALES HAROLD PHILLIPS GEORGE SOBOLEWSKI

726- STATEN ISLAND, NY FRANK AHLBORN CHARLES ARGENTO JR WILLIAM W SIVERSON

824- NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ JAMES W MAHON MELVIN J MC GEE JAMES REILLY JOHN VAN HORN

732- ATLANTA, GA MARVIN P BRITTAIN IBRAHIMA CAMARA GLENN COLEMAN JOHN T CRINE THOMAS DEBOSE HAROLD C MC GUIRE JAMES M POORE JOHN D SMITH 757- PORTLAND, OR BERTHA C APLEY GEORGE W BOYNTON OBEDELL COXEFF EDWARD E CRUMBLE ROGER L DAVIS BILLIE D DIXON JOHN P DROZDA LARRY D DUNHAM BYRON L ESTES LEN G FAREY LUELLA L GANT JAMES W GARMAN RONNIE G HARTMAN JOHN D HODGDON JR CURTIS A IRWIN CHAD M MATHER PATRICK J MURNIN GEORGE R PAYNTER JAMES E ROCK SANDRA L RUTZ ELLIS J SIPLE MARY M WALKER

825- ORADELL, NJ RICHARD H SCULLY 842- WILMINGTON, DE JAMES H GILLEN 846- ST. CATHARINES, ON RONALD S KIVELL 847- ST. JOSEPH, MO GERALD LEHR 880- CAMDEN, NJ CHARLES BUNDY RICHARD DONLEY GARY L MORGAN THOMAS QUIGLEY FRED SEYMOUR 956- ALLENTOWN, PA ELAINE C MATHEWS 996- SOUTH BEND, IN GAIL KENNETH DIVINE 998- MILWAUKEE, WI KRISTIN GIERACH JOSEPH F GRAHAM JR MICHAEL J HOGAN REGINALD R KOSTRZEWA MICHAEL J NOONAN CHESTER PROPP

ROLAND C RANSOM GERALD REED JERRY L REED MICHAEL J VEIERSTAHLER

DENNIS ROBINSON RUTH M RUSSO CARMELA SCALA RICHARD W SCHMITT

1001- DENVER, CO BOBBY LA MARR JENT JOHN L MARTINEZ

1225- SAN FRANCISCO, CA MELVIN ALOYIUS ROSE

1005- MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, MN FRANCIS D ECKERT JEROLD D JOHNSON HOWARD J SWINTEK 1037- NEW BEDFORD, MA MICHAEL F CORREIA 1039- LANSING, MI JAVEL R LEWIS 1091- AUSTIN, TX BENNY GOODLOE CARLOS MEDRANO 1108- QUINCY, IL DOLORES FRANCES BIRCK DORIS E MILES 1160- MONROE, LA HOLLIS C CRUSE 1164- KNOXVILLE, TN RICHARD MC BEE PATRICK LISA M 1177- NORFOLK, VA JAMES W FLEETWOOD JAMES GAMMON 1179- NEW YORK, NY BRIAN K HARRELL SALVATORE MANNO ALFONSO MARULLO SAMUEL ROBINSON ANTHONY SAPPRAICONE ELMER SIEGEL 1181- NEW YORK, NY MARGARET AIELLO MINDAUGIS BACEY THOMAS CAMPONE JOSEPHINE CASALE MICHAEL CEA JOSEPH CONNOR BEAUBY DESROCHES ADELE FARBER YAKOV FILDER HANNELORE FLOOD BERNARD FRIEDMAN CHARLIE W HELWIG EDWARD W JOHNSON DAVID THOMAS KNAB JOSEPH LEGGIERO JOSEPH LOCICERO FRED WILLIAM LOFTIN MARIA MATARESE CARMINE MATONE PATSY MILONE GLADYS MOORER ERNEST A NAVARRA ANDREW J ORSO STANLEY J OWENS CHRISTINE PORFIDO RONALD RICE

1235- NASHVILLE, TN LEONARD ORR JOSEPH C STOREY 1267- FT. LAUDERDALE, FL STAFFORD KELLY PEDRO R NIEVES 1277- LOS ANGELES, CA MATTHEW ARAGON THOMAS EDWARD BARHAM VERNON E JACKSON PAUL C KIM 1287- KANSAS CITY, MO ROBERT E CARPENTER MARVIN GILES LARRY D RICE JOHN J YAKLEY 1300- BALTIMORE, MD EDMOND D AUSTIN STEVEN W FOCHT EVELYN UNDERDUE 1309- SAN DIEGO, CA KENNETH A MAUER DENNIS L MC KAY ARNOLD N NELSON HENRY L PHILLIPS 1317- CLIFTON, NJ LEONARD PATTI 1321- ALBANY & TROY, NY DARRYL L COLEMAN CHARLES J FOSMIRE THOMAS A MULLEN GERALD A WHITNEY 1342- BUFFALO, NY EDWARD BARRY LORETTA DOYLE FRANK C ERNST JR WILLIAM S KIRSCH JOSEPH LEWANDOWSKI MIGUEL LUGO CHARLES MARASCO SALAMON MARKOVITS SAMUEL H TEW 1374- CALGARY, AB ALFRED F BAGDON DAVID O BOYD ALFRED H COUPLAND HOWARD MILLER FORMO ROBERT G MARSHALL THOR SANDBERG ERNEST THILLMANN ALAN YAMAMOTO

1433- PHOENIX, AZ DENNIS J AUMAN NEIL H HAUAN DOYA HENDRIX JANET KARTAK 1436- HARRISBURG, PA D L JONES 1447- LOUISVILLE, KY ROBERT T FLEMING 1462- ST. JOHN’S, NL FREDERICK MOORES 1464- TAMPA, FL JERRY W WINTERS 1496- WILLIAMSPORT, PA JARRETT F TROWBRIDGE 1498- JOPLIN, MO DENNIS L SCHOEPHOERSTER 1505- WINNIPEG, MB WILLIAM A BREMNER WILLIAM A PANTING AMY RICHARDS MYRON D SMITH EDWIN G SUTHERLAND LORRAINE SUTHERLAND LLOYD WILDE 1548- PLYMOUTH, MA FRANCIS REYNOLDS RAYMOND B SULLIVAN 1555- OAKLAND, CA CHARLES E ABNER JULIAN L HARRIS 1576- LYNNWOOD, WA ROY D AKIN 1587- TORONTO, ON GEORGE GAUTREAU SCOTT GIBSON 1614- DOVER, NJ SEAD MAHALBASIC 1625- BUFFALO, NY CHARLES NANCE 1700- CHICAGO, IL JOHN R CRANFILL JR DONALD J DAVIS ADAM FREDMONSKI ROBERT J JURGENSEN JAMES N O’NEAL ANDREW J PEDDYCORD RAY PREECE JAMES H VICKERMAN 1701- SARASOTA, FL LUANNE M KELLER 1753- VENETIA, PA PEGGY KRAVEC

1385- DAYTON, OH MICHAEL D JEFFERSON JAMES T STORIE

1760- OTTAWA, ONT JOSEE ROLLIN

1415- TORONTO, ON ANTHONY FERGUSON

1765- OLYMPIA, WA VICTOR L SHAW

IN TRANSIT

| March/April 2012

31

Amalgamated Transit Union

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

STAY CONNECTED

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

WIN AN IPAD2 OR AN ATU JACKET! The International has upped the ante and is holding a new lottery drawing for an Apple iPad 2 or an ATU Jacket.

All you have to do is go to the ATU website send us your email!

Be sure to tell your fellow members to do the same to get a chance to win. More importantly, sending us your email will allow you to get the latest news and developments about ATU, politics, and the transit industry. And don’t worry, if you’ve already sent in your email for the first lottery you will be automatically included in the lottery for the iPad 2 or an ATU Jacket. Members can submit their emails on the opening window for www.atu.org that pops up in front of the home page or submit their email address in the “JOIN US” box in the upper right corner of the home page.