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NOV/DEC
www.atu.org Official Journal of the Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO/CLC
A CALL TO ACTION Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. -- Senator Robert F. Kennedy Capetown, South Africa June 6, 1966
AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION 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
RICHARD M. MURPHY
Braintree, 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
Un nouvel ordre des choses: Une onde d’espoir à ATU ! À la 56è Convention de l’ATU à Orlando, les délégués nous ont donné un mandat clair pour le changement. Ce fut une semaine passionnante et nos délégués étaient pleins de cette énergie qui vient du fait de savoir que l’on est à un tournant de l’histoire. Savoir que nous avons tous le pouvoir de modifier le cours de l’histoire a inspiré les membres des deux côtés, de notre combat politique. Le changement dont nous avons besoin ne peut se produire que si nous avons un leadership fort et créatif et une participation inspirée de la part des membres qui sont sur le terrain. À Ottawa, l’ATU continue à mettre la pression sur le gouvernement du Canada et le Parlement pour faire passer une loi visant à augmenter la peine encourue par les personnes reconnues coupables d’attaques sur les opérateurs ou les passagers des transports en commun, et à trouver un financement stable, fiable et annuel des transports en commun venant de la part des Provinces et du Gouvernement Fédéral. Alors que j’écris ceci, des milliers de membres de l’ATU aux ÉtatsUnis sont limogés. Des centaines de milliers d’usagers du transport en commun perdent leur mobilité et les centres urbains américains souffrent doublement : moins d’emplois et moins de service. A Washington, nous allons construire non seulement sur nos idées mais aussi sur celles de nos membres des sections syndicales et des dirigeants. C’est un moment critique. Pour avoir une Union qui fait bouger les choses et non pas une Union qui subit les choses, nous avons besoin des idées et du dévouement de tous les membres de l’ATU qu’ils soient au Canada ou aux États-Unis. Cela va nécessiter des mesures extraordinaires. C’EST MAINTENANT LE MOMENT C’est maintenant qu’il faut trouver des moyens pour aider vos officiers des sections syndicales et de l’International pour construire un Syndicat plus fort. Notre objectif est que nos membres croient en notre Syndicat et ses programmes et qu’ils nous aident à élaborer de nouvelles stratégies pour obtenir le retour au travail de l’ATU et le rétablissement des transports en commun.
C’est à la fois un moment difficile et passionnant d’être à la tête d’un syndicat. Nous avons commencé à mettre en place un programme qui rassemblera un groupe plus élargi de personnes intéressées dans les transports en commun. NOUS DEVONS ÊTRE LE CATALYSEUR Les syndicats, les écologistes, les défenseurs des transports en commun et de la justice sociale travaillent tous principalement dans l’isolement alors qu’ils ont des objectifs similaires. Nous devons être le catalyseur qui les rassemble. A Detroit, où 25% de nos membres sont renvoyés, et à Chicago, où plus de 1.000 d’entre eux ont perdu leur emploi, à Cleveland, à Cincinnati, à Sacramento et dans ma ville natale de New York, partout aux États-Unis, les travailleurs des transports en commun méritent nos meilleurs efforts pour qu’ils retrouvent leur travail. Dans toutes ces villes nos usagers des transports ont le même objectif. Aux Etats-Unis, cette année plus que n’importe quelle année précédente, les fonds fédéraux ont été dépensés pour les transports en commun. Cependant, nous subissons des coupures de services historiques, des augmentations de tarifs et des pertes d’emplois. La raison pour cela est que l’aide fédérale a été réservée exclusivement à des équipements et la construction de bâtiments. Le changement n’arrive pas facilement. Mais aujourd’hui il est essentiel pour l’ATU et le mouvement travailliste. Nous vous souhaitons beaucoup de chaleur à la maison et dans vos cœurs, de la joie et de la bonne volonté des amis pour les Fêtes et pour l’année à venir. La citation sur la couverture de ce numéro provient d’un discours prononcé en 1964 par le Sénateur Robert Kennedy à Cape Town en Afrique du Sud, lorsque Nelson Mandela était emprisonné de l’autre coté de la ville avec une condamnation à perpétuité pour avoir demandé le changement. Cette citation reflète bien l’essence du défi posé à mouvement syndical et la possibilité que nous avons à l’avenir d’aller de l’avant. (L’intégralité du discours est disponible sur Internet et je vous recommande à tous de le lire).
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
International Representatives ANTHONY WITHINGTON
Sebastopol, CA – awithington@atu.org
DENNIS ANTONELLIS
Spokane, WA – dantonellis@atu.org
KAREN MILLER-LEWIS
Memphis, TN – kmiller@atu.org
Canadian Council STAN DERA
Acting Canadian Director 61 International Boulevard, Suite 210 Rexdale, ON M9W 6K4 director@atucanada.ca
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Un Nuevo Órden en Nuestros Asuntos: ¡Una Onda de Esperanza en la ATU! En la 56ª Convención de ATU en Orlando los delegados nos confirieron un claro mandato para efectuar cambios. Fue una semana excitante y nuestros delegados estaban poseídos de la energía que resulta de saber que usted está en la presencia de un momento de cambio en la historia. La conciencia de que todos teníamos el poder de curvar esa historia inspiró a miembros en ambos lados de nuestra lucha política. El cambio que necesitamos solamente puede ocurrir si tenemos un fuerte, creativo liderazgo y la inspirada participación de los miembros en las bases. En Ottawa, la ATU continua presionando al Gobierno del Canadá y al Parlamento propugnando a favor de legislación que aumente las penalidades de aquellos que sean condenados por el asalto contra operadores del tránsito o sus pasajeros; y también estamos propugnando para obtener un financiamiento del tránsito que sea estable, confiable y anual por parte de las provincias y del gobierno federal. En los momentos en que escribo este mensaje, miles de miembros de ATU en los Estados Unidos están cesantes de empleo. Cientos de miles de pasajeros y usuarios están perdiendo su movilidad y la América urbana está sufriendo de un doble golpe – menos empleos y menos servicios. En Washington nosotros construiremos, no solamente basados en nuestras propias ideas pero también en las ideas de nuestros y miembros de las uniones locales. Este es el momento crítico y necesitamos las ideas y la dedicación de todos los miembros de ATU en Canadá y en los Estados Unidos para tener una Unión que haga que las cosas sucedan, pero no una Unión a quien le sucedan cosas. Esto requerirá una acción extraordinaria. AHORA ES EL MOMENTO Ahora es el momento de encontrar maneras de ayudar a sus dirigentes de las uniones locales y a su Unión Internacional en construir una Unión más poderosa. Nuestro objetivo es tener una membresía de base que tenga fe y confianza en nuestra Unión y sus programas, y que nos ayuden a desarrollar nuevas estrategias para lograr el regreso de miembros de ATU a sus empleos y restaurar el servicio de tránsito.
Es un momento difícil y excitante para liderar una unión. Hemos comenzado a poner en marcha un programa que reunirá bajo el mismo techo a un grupo más amplio de personas interesadas en el tránsito. NOSOTROS DEBEMOS SER EL FACTOR CATALIZADOR Uniones, ecologistas, defensores del tránsito y la comunidad pro justicia social están todos trabajando, primordialmente aislados, en la consecución de objetivos similares. Nosotros debemos ser el factor catalizador que produzca la unidad de todas esas partes. En Detroit, donde el 25% de nuestra membresía está cesante de empleos y en Chicago donde más de 1,000 perdieron sus empleos, hasta Cleveland, Cincinnati, Sacramento y mi propia ciudad natal de Nueva York, y por todo el país, los trabajadores del tránsito merecen los mejores esfuerzos que nosotros podemos hacer para retornarlos a sus empleos. En todas esas ciudades nuestros pasajeros tienen el mismo interés. Durante este año más fondos federales de Estados Unidos fueron gastados en el tránsito que en ningún año pasado. Sin embargo, estamos sufriendo de históricos recortes en el servicio, aumentos en las tarifas y pérdidas de empleos. Esto se debe a que la aplicación de la ayuda federal fue designada exclusivamente para la compra de equipo y construcción de edificios. El cambio no ocurre fácilmente. Pero hoy día el cambio es de esencial importancia para la ATU y para el movimiento sindical. Aprovecho esta oportunidad para desearles a todos ustedes un placentero calor hogareño y de chimenea, y la alegría y buena voluntad de amigos durante esta temporada de fiestas y en el año venidero. (La cita que aparece en la cubierta de esta edición fue extraída de un discurso presentado por el Senador Robert Kennedy en Cape Town, Sudáfrica en 1964, cuando Nelson Mandela estaba internado en una prisión en otra parte de la ciudad, cumpliendo una sentencia de encarcelamiento por vida por haber defendido el cambio en su país. Esta cita capta la esencia de nuestros retos como un movimiento sindical y la oportunidad que tenemos como una unión en salir adelante. (El texto del discurso en su totalidad está disponible en la Internet, y yo les recomiendo su lectura a todos ustedes.)
www.atu.org
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Change does not come easy. But it is essential for the ATU and the labor movement today.
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A NEW ORDER OF THINGS: AN ATU RIPPLE OF HOPE! LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
A
t ATU’s 56th Convention in Orlando the delegates gave us a clear mandate for change. It was an exciting week and our delegates were full of the energy that comes from knowing you are at a turning point in history. Knowing we all had the power to bend that history inspired members on both sides of our political struggle.
It is both a difficult and exciting time to be leading a union. We have begun to put in place a program that will bring together a broader group of people interested in transit.
The change we need can only happen if we have strong, creative leadership and the inspired participation of the members in the field.
Unions, environmentalists, transit advocates and the social justice community are all working, primarily in isolation toward similar goals. We must be the catalyst that brings them together.
In Ottawa, the ATU continues to press the government of Canada and Parliament for legislation to increase the penalty for those convicted of assaulting transit operators or their passengers, and seeks stable, reliable, and annual transit funding from the provinces and the government. As I write this thousands of ATU members in the U.S. are laid off. Hundreds of thousands of transit riders are losing their mobility and urban America is suffering from the double hit – less jobs and less service. In Washington we will build, not only on our ideas but on those of our local union members and leaders. This is a critical moment and we need the ideas and the dedication of all ATU members in Canada and the United States to have a union that makes things happen; not a union that things happen to. This will take extraordinary action. NOW IS THE TIME Now is the time to find ways to help your local officers and your International build a stronger union. Our goal is to have a rank and file membership that believes in our Union and its programs and helps us build new strategies to get the ATU back to work and restore transit.
www.atu.org
WE MUST BE THE CATALYST
From Detroit where 25% of our members are laid off and Chicago where over 1,000 lost their jobs, to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Sacramento, and my home city of New York, all over the U.S., transit workers deserve the best efforts we can make to bring them back to work. In all of those cities our passengers have the same interest. This year, more U.S. federal money was spent on transit than any year before. Yet we are suffering historic service cuts, fare increases and job loss. This is because the federal assistance was earmarked to be spent only on equipment and the construction of buildings. Change does not come easy. But it is essential for the ATU and the labor movement today. Here’s wishing you the warmth of home and hearth, and the cheer and good will of friends during this holiday season and the year to come. The quotation on the front cover of this issue is from a speech delivered by Senator Robert Kennedy in Cape Town, South Africa in 1966, while Nelson Mandela was imprisoned across town with a life sentence for standing for change there. It captures the essence of our challenge as a labor movement and the opportunity we have as a union going forward. (The full speech is available on the internet, and I recommend it to all.)
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
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DES PEINES PARTAGÉES, UNE ACTION COMMUNE Que ce soit en période de guerre ou de crise dans notre pays ou à l’étranger, l’ATU a toujours compté sur nos sections syndicales et notre solidarité des deux cotés de la frontière pour avoir la force nécessaire pour réussir. Ensemble, nous avons aidé nos nations à vaincre des dictateurs, à faire face à des terroristes et à aider des victimes de catastrophes d’origine naturelle ou causées par l’homme. Aujourd’hui il n’y a rien de changé. Plus que jamais on a besoin d’un ATU uni et d’UN syndicat. RELEVER ENSEMBLE LES DÉFIS La démocratie a résolu nos différences et, comme pour les élections nationales, le test pour être un grand syndicat est de s’unir et de combattre ensemble. Que nous vivions au Canada ou aux Etats-Unis, nous sommes confrontés à une crise économique mondiale qui a sapé les ressources des gouvernements locaux destinés à venir en aide aux services publics de base - y compris les services de transport en commun. Ensemble, nous faisons face à un manque de fonds, à la privatisation des services, à des licenciements et à une réduction de services. Nous avons vu nos transports en commun, bus scolaires, et des avantages attaqués ; la montée du GOP aux États-Unis et d’un gouvernement conservateur au Canada ont généré des sentiments anti-syndicalistes.
MAINTENANT C’EST LE MOMENT DE RIPOSTER Maintenant c’est le moment de riposter. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous lançons un nouvel appel pour passer à l’action : Il faut que nous unissions nos sections syndicales avec les usagers des transports en commun, nos membres avec les personnes qui sont pro-transports en commun, pro-communauté travailliste. Les forces auxquelles nous sommes confrontées ne sont pas seulement antisyndicales ou anti-travaillistes. Elles visent à saper les systèmes de soutien destinés à ceux qui dépendent des transports en commun, à la classe moyenne, à toutes les familles de travailleurs. Ainsi, tout comme un autre officier exécutif et ancien président de l’International, Abe Spradling, qui, à son époque, a travaillé à renforcer les liens au sein de notre Syndicat , moi aussi, je suis fier de répondre à l’appel d’Hanley, Président de l’International et au nom de tous nos membres au Canada et aux Etats Unis, de pouvoir travailler dur pour avoir un ATU uni dans les rues, dans nos communautés, dans les salles de réunions des gouvernements et aux tables de négociation. Avec le soutien de ceux que nous servons, des stratégies astucieuses, des campagnes dynamiques, et votre aide, je suis convaincu que nous réussirons. Thérèse et toute ma famille se joignent à moi pour vous souhaiter à tous, de joyeuses fêtes et une nouvelle année prospère.
DOLOR COMPARTIDO, ACCIÓN CONJUNTA Ya sea en tiempos de guerra, o de crisis en el país o en el exterior, la ATU siempre ha dependido en la unidad de sus uniones locales y en nuestra solidaridad a través de fronteras para lograr la fuerza que conduzca al éxito. Unidos, nosotros hemos ayudado a nuestras naciones a derrotar dictadores, enfrentar a los terroristas y ayudar a las víctimas de desastres naturales o de aquellos causado por el hombre. Hoy día no es nada diferente. Una unida ATU, Una Unión, se necesita ahora como nunca antes. ENFRENTANDO LOS DESAFÍOS CONJUNTAMENTE La democracia ha resuelto nuestras diferencias y según las elecciones nacionales, la prueba que refleja una gran unión se denota en la unidad de sus miembros y en la lucha conjunta por sus derechos. Si vivimos en el Canadá o en los Estados Unidos, nosotros enfrentamos una crisis económica mundial que ha socavado los recursos que gobiernos locales tienen a su disposición para proveer servicios básicos – incluyendo el tránsito urbano. Nosotros de manera conjunta enfrentamos déficits en el financiamiento, privatización, cesantías de empleos y reducción en el servicio. Nosotros hemos presenciado como nuestros beneficios del tránsito, de autobuses escolares y del transporte por carretera han sido objeto de virulentos ataques; y el ascenso del Partido Republicano en los Estados Unidos y de un gobierno Conservador en el Canadá augura el aumento de un sentimiento anti-unión.
AHORA ES EL MOMENTO DE LUCHAR CONTRA NUESTROS DETRACTORES Ahora es el momento de luchar contra nuestros detractores. De ahí la vital importancia de la nueva política de ATU “un llamado a la acción”, que une a nuestras uniones locales con nuestros pasajeros y usuarios, y a nuestros miembros con activistas comunitários que son pro-unión y pro-tránsito. Las fuerzas que nosotros enfrentamos no son solamente anti-unión y antitrabajador. Ellos están enfocados en socavar y debilitar los sistemas de apoyo para los que dependen del tránsito y la clase media en general, todos ellos familias trabajadoras. De la misma manera que otro dirigente ejecutivo internacional nativo Cincinnati, el ex Presidente Internacional Abe Spradling, trabajó con creces para fortalecer los vínculos de unidad dentro de nuestra Unión durante sus días como Presidente, yo también estoy muy orgullosos de prestarle atención al llamado del Presidente Internacional Larry Hanley en nombre de nuestros miembros en Canadá y en los Estados Unidos, y de trabajar arduamente para llevar una unida ATU a las calles, a nuestras comunidades, a los corredores de gobierno y a la mesa de negociación. Con el apoyo de aquellos a quienes servimos, estrategias inteligentes, campañas activas y vuestra ayuda, tengo la absoluta certeza de que triunfaremos. En nombre de Theresa y toda mi familia, aprovecho esta oportunidad para desearles a todos ustedes una muy feliz temporada de fiestas y un próspero año nuevo.
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: David F. Highnote. 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, USPS: 260-280. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40033361. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: B&M Mailing Service Limited, 35 Van Kirk Drive, Unit 15, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1A5, E-MAIL-BMCOMM@PATHCOM.COM The objects of this International Union shall be to organize Local Unions; to place our occupation upon a higher plane of intelligence, efficiency and skill; to encourage the formation in Local Unions of sick and funeral benefit funds in order that we may properly care for our sick and bury our dead; to encourage the organization of cooperative credit unions in the Local Unions; to establish schools of instruction for imparting a practical knowledge of modern and improved methods and systems of transportation and trade matters generally; to encourage the settlement of all disputes between employees and employers by arbitration; to secure employment and adequate pay for our work, including vacations with pay and old age pensions; to reduce the hours of labor and by all legal and proper means to elevate our moral, intellectual and social condition. To engage in such legislative, political, educational, cultural, social, and welfare activities as will further the interests and welfare of the membership of the Organization. To seek the improvement of social and economic conditions in the United States and Canada and to promote the interests of labor everywhere.
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The test of a great union is to stand and fight together.
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SHARED PAIN, JOINT ACTION BOB BAKER, INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
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hether in times of war or crisis at home or abroad, the ATU has always relied upon the unity among our locals and our solidarity across borders for the strength to succeed. Together we have helped our nations defeat dictators, stand up to terrorists and aid victims of both natural and manmade disasters. Today is no different. A united ATU, One Union, is needed now as never before. FACING CHALLENGES TOGETHER Democracy has resolved our differences and as with national elections, the test of a great union is the ability to stand and fight together. Whether we live in Canada or the U.S. we face a worldwide economic crisis that has sapped the resources local governments have at their disposal to support basic services – including mass transit. Together we face funding shortfalls, privatization, layoffs and service cuts. We have seen our transit, school bus and over-the-road benefits come under attack, the rise of the GOP in the U.S., and the embrace of anti-union sentiments by Conservative governments in Canada.
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NOW IS THE TIME TO FIGHT BACK Now is the time to fight back. That is why the ATU’s new “call to action” uniting our locals with our riders, our members with protransit/pro-labor community activists is so important. The forces we face are not just anti-union or anti-worker. They are aimed at undermining the support systems for the transit-dependent and the entire middle class – all working families. So just as another international executive officer from Cincinnati, former International President Abe Spradling, worked to strengthen the bonds within our Union in his day, I, too, am proud to heed the call of International President Hanley on behalf of all of our members in Canada and the United States, and work hard to bring a united ATU to the streets, to our communities, to the halls of government and to the bargaining table. With support from those we serve, smart strategies, active campaigns and your help, I am confident we will succeed. On behalf of Theresa and my entire family, I would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
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NE CÉDEZ JAMAIS Ne cédez jamais. Ne cédez jamais. Jamais, jamais, jamais, jamais – pour rien, immense ou petit, grand ou joli – ne jamais céder, sauf à des convictions d’honneur et de bon sens.”
– Winston Churchill
En pensant à cet éditorial, je réalise que mon message serait le même quel que soit le résultat des élections du 2 novembre - je vous aurais exhorté et encouragé à continuer votre combat pour les familles de travailleurs même si les démocrates avaient gardé le contrôle de la Chambre des Représentants. L’aile droite du Congrès a démontré qu’ils feront obstacle à toutes les législations qui viendraient en aide aux familles des travailleurs quel que soit le parti qui contrôle le Congrès. Donc, même si les démocrates avaient gardé la majorité à la Chambre, on aurait quand même eu autant de combats entre nos mais que nous en avons maintenant.
En Angleterre, pendant les journées les plus sombres de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, une époque pendant laquelle les Britanniques ont plus souffert que la plupart d’entre nous n’en aurons l’expérience, Winston Churchill rallia ses citoyens en disant « Ne cédez jamais. Ne cédez jamais… » Et, ceci est le message que j’exhorte tous les membres de l’ATU de prendre à cœur. PERSÉVÉRER POUR CONQUÉRIR Dans ce même discours, Churchill a rappelé au public que l’Angleterre a été exclue par la plupart de l’Europe. Mais en octobre 1941, il a dit que les choses avaient changé,
LES BULLETINS DE VOTE NE PEUVENT PAS CRÉER LE CHANGEMENT Les membres de l’ATU et les travailleurs en général ont mis beaucoup d’efforts dans les élections de 2008 et quelques personnes ont peut-être cru que c’est tout ce dont on avait besoin pour amener le changement que nous recherchions. Cependant, seuls, les bulletins de vote ne peuvent pas créer le changement.
“ D’autres nations pensaient que la Grande Bretagne avait passé une éponge sur son ardoise. En fait, notre pays était dans un fossé. On n’a pas bronché et on n’a pas pensé à céder et, ce qui semblait presque un miracle à tous ceux qui vivaient en dehors de ces îles, et bien que nous-mêmes n’en ayons jamais douté, nous nous trouvons maintenant dans une position où je dis que nous pouvons être sûrs que nous n’avons qu’à persévérer pour conquérir. “
Cela prend beaucoup d’énergie et d’engagement de la part de ceux qui ont le souci de participer au processus politique après une élection pour amener le changement. Malheureusement, la déception sur la lenteur des progrès amène au cynisme et au désengagement du processus politique.
Nous connaissons tous le résultat de cette guerre. Et, je ne doute pas que, nous aussi, nous réussirons si nous persévérons.
Je suis ici pour vous dire “faites en sorte que cela ne vous arrive pas”.
Je vous souhaite beaucoup de bonheur pendant cette saison des fêtes et le meilleur pour l’année qui vient.
¡JAMAS SE DÉ POR VENCIDO! ¡Jamás se dé por vencido! ¡Jamás se dé por vencido! Nunca, nunca, nunca, nunca – en nada ya sea grande o pequeño, enorme o insignificante – jamás se dé por vencido, excepto a las convicciones de honor y sentido común.” ¡Jamás se dé por vencido! ¡Jamás se dé por vencido! Nunca, nunca, nunca, nunca – en nada ya sea grande o pequeño, enorme o insignificante – jamás se dé por vencido, excepto a las convicciones de honor y sentido común.” – Winston Churchill Reflexionando sobre el contenido de esta columna, me dí cuenta de que mi mensaje sería el mismo sin tomar en consideración el resultado de las elecciones de noviembre 2 – es decir, que yo les hubiera instando a ustedes a que continúen luchando a favor de las familias trabajadoras aun en el caso de que los Demócratas hubieran retenido el control de la Cámara de Representantes. Como ustedes ven, el ala derecha en el Congreso ha demostrado que ellos presentarán obstáculos a cualquier legislación que pudiera ayudar a las familias trabajadoras, sin importarles quien controla el Congreso. Así, pues, aun si los Demócratas hubieran mantenido su mayoría en la Cámara, nosotros todavía tendríamos en nuestras manos una lucha de las mismas enormes proporciones que tenemos actualmente. LAS BOLETAS DE VOTACIÓN POR SÍ MISMAS NO PUEDEN CREAR CAMBIO Los miembros de la ATUY y el movimiento sindical en general realizaron un tremendo esfuerzo en las elecciones del 2008, y algunos pensaron que eso era todo lo que era necesario para producir el cambio que ellos anhelaban. Pero, las boletas de votación por sí mismas no pueden crear cambio. Para producir el cambio se requiere energía y compromiso continuo por parte que aquellos que tienen la conciencia necesaria para participar en el proceso político después de una elección. Desafortunadamente, la decepción
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– Winston Churchill sobre la lentitud del paso del progreso puede conducir al cinismo y al divorcio del proceso político. Por eso, estoy aquí para decirles: “No permita que eso les suceda a ustedes.” En Inglaterra, durante los días más oscuros de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, un período cuando la nación Británica soportó un sufrimiento mucho mayor de lo que cualquiera de nosotros jamás ha experimentado, Winston Churchill exhortó a sus ciudadanos diciéndoles “Jamás se den por vencidos…..” Y este es el mensaje que yo urgentemente les envío a todos y cada uno de los miembros de ATU para que lo apliquen en su caso. PERSEVERANCIA PARA CONQUISTAR En ese mismo discurso, Churchill les recordó a su audiencia de que Inglaterra había sido dada por muerta por la mayoría de de otros países en Europa. Pero, en octubre de 1941, él dijo, las cosas han cambiado: “Inglaterra, según otras naciones pensaron, había pasado una esponja sobre su pizarra. Pero, por el contrario nuestra nación se irguió en medio de la brecha. No hubo ningún estremecimiento y ningún pensamiento de darse por vencido; y por lo que parecía casi un milagro para aquellos fuera de estas Islas, aunque nosotros mismos nunca lo dudamos, ahora nos encontramos en una posición en la cual yo digo que podemos estar seguros de que solamente necesitamos perseverar para conquistar.” Todos sabemos el resultado eventual de esa guerra. Y yo no tengo dudas de que nosotros también tendremos éxito si perseveramos. Aquí les deseo a todos ustedes muchas felicidades durante estas fiestas y muchas bendiciones en el año entrante.
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Even if the Democrats had kept their majority in the House…We would still have had just
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as much of a fight on our hands.
NEVER GIVE IN OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.” –Winston Churchill
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n reflecting on this column I realized my message would be the same regardless of the outcome of the November 2 elections – that I would have urged and encouraged you to continue fighting for working families even if the Democrats had retained control of the House of Representatives.
In England, during the darkest days of World War II, a time when the British nation endured suffering greater than most of us have ever experienced, Winston Churchill rallied his citizens saying “Never give in. Never give in….” And that is a message I’m urging every ATU member to take to heart.
You see, the right-wing in Congress has shown that it will obstruct any legislation that would help working families no matter who controls Congress. So, even if the Democrats had kept their majority in the House, we would still have had just as much of a fight on our hands as we do now.
PERSEVERE TO CONQUER
BALLOTS ALONE CANNOT CREATE CHANGE
“Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.”
ATU members and Labor, in general, put a tremendous amount of effort into the 2008 election, and some people may have thought that was all that was needed to produce the change they were looking for. But ballots alone cannot create change. It takes continued energy and commitment on the part of those who care enough to participate in the political process after an election to produce change. Unfortunately, disappointment over the slow pace of progress can lead to cynicism and disengagement from the political process.
In that same speech, Churchill reminded his audience that England had been written off by much of Europe. But, by October 1941, he said, things had changed:
We all know the eventual outcome of that war. And, I have no doubt that we too will succeed if we persevere. Here’s wishing you much happiness during this holiday season, and many blessings in the coming year.
I’m here to say, “Don’t let that happen to you.”
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NOV/DEC
2010 Vol. 119, No. 6
w w w . a t u . o r g
Contents 2
International Officers & General Executive Board International President’s Message in French & Spanish
3
A New Order of Things: An ATU Ripple of Hope!
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International Executive Vice President’s Message in French & Spanish
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Shared Pain, Joint Action
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International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message in French & Spanish
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Never Give In
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Index
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NJ Local’s Challenge Provides Textbook Template for Success
A Tiny Ripple of Hope The quotation on the front cover is taken from the “Day of Affirmation Address” delivered by the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1966, at Cape Town University in South Africa. Entitled “A Tiny Ripple of Hope,” the speech remains an inspiring call to action for many including those of us who work for better wages and working conditions around the world.
10 Hanley Assembles Transit Advocates
The entire speech can be read and heard at: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkcapetown.htm.
12 ‘Wounded Warriors’ Join MS Tournament ATU Joins Rebuild America March in Detroit Cartoon by Konopaki 12 Trumka Takes Wheel at Pittsburgh GOTV Event Hanley Thanks ATU Activists ATU Activists Help ‘Get Out the Vote’
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14 Canadian Agenda Major Issues for Transit Workers Have No Nationailty 15 ‘Keep TTC Public’ Campaign Challenges Myth that Privitaization Works 16 56th International Convention is History 18 New Executives Have Long Experience in Labor Advocacy 19 Locals Lauded for Organizing Efforts 20 56th Convention Committees 24 100 Years Ago in the ATU International, Local 1700 Plan Campaign to Regulate Bus Industry 25 Acting Canadian Director Dera Called to Serve a Little Longer IVP Joe Welch Retires 26 Local 1181 Fights for Paratransit Jobs, Wages ATU on Strike in St. Johns, NL 27 Legislative Report Raising Their Voices Union Plus Scholarship Notice 28 LEGAL NOTICE FY2010 Notice for Fair Share Feepayers 30 Know Your Rights The Fair Labor Standards Act: Part II 31 In Memoriam 32 Season’s Greetings
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9 10 15
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56th International Convention is History
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NY Local Fights for Paratransit Jobs, Wages
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Legal Notice for Fair Share Feepayers
NJ Local’s Challenge Provides Template for Success Hanley Assembles Transit Advocates Toronto Members Challenge Privatization Myth
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NJ Local’s Challenge Provides Textbook Template for Success Local President’s Unselfish Act Cleared Way for Crucial Agreement The work and sacrifice of our local officers often goes unnoticed. Below, in the story of retired Local President John McHale, 1614-Dover, NJ, I hope you can find a part of the untold story of your own local officers. This Local 1614 story also maps out the road to a successful contract campaign. – IP LARRY HANLEY
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ohn McHale was elected president of Local 1614-Dover, NJ, in 1989, and served in that post for 20 years. McHale had some difficult times during his two decades at the helm of the local, but by far, the most trying experience came during the last years he served in that office. In May 2007 after years of litigation with the employer, Local 1614 entered into bargaining with Lakeland Bus Company of Dover, NJ. One of the first agreements reached was to restore the lost pension credits of the local president. It was a key union proposal because John McHale was nearing retirement. It was unfair that his pension would be less than his members due to his union lost time over the years. The company had other concerns, chiefly keeping down the wages of the members and shifting health care costs to them. It became clear that without a strike threat the company would offer less than 2% per year and much of that would be eroded by healthcare cost increases. Compounding this was the company’s firm belief that Local 1614 members did not have the ability to sustain a strike. The local had failed in two strike attempts in the past. ACTION COMMITTEE, PHONE BANK, RALLY This time, however, the local set up a contract “action committee” and a phone bank which got every member involved. Next, the local passed out 10,000 flyers notifying passengers that there could be a strike. Finally, the local notified elected officials about the possibility of a strike. The union built support among riders and the public. Lakeland responded by leaving the negotiating table. But, the committee was undeterred. Members informed their passengers about a new website the local had set up to make them aware of developments. Local 1614 drove all the public information including press accounts. A rally was held which brought together representatives of ATU locals and other labor unions. Lakeland attempted to intimidate its employees by videoing the event, and the local responded by filing an unfair labor practice complaint. STRIKE DEADLINE The local set a strike deadline of May 5, 2008. Lakeland brought in scab drivers from Michigan who were kept at the ready. But, a call to Governor Corzine resulted in an order which prohibited scab drivers from operating NJT buses.
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Local President John McHale, 1614-Dover, NJ, retired December 12, 2009, after a long struggle for a good contract with Lakeland Bus Company. Several of those who fought with him were present at his retirement party. From left, is John Costa, then-chair of the New Jersey State Council; Financial Secretary David Moore,1614; McHale; then-International Vice President Larry Hanley; and Local Vice President Tracey Tredway, 1614.
Strike support responsibilities were given to every member. In the event of a strike, some members would visit politicians, some raise money, some build community support and some find part-time jobs for strikers. With the May 5 deadline just a day away, the state labor commissioner brought both parties together for five hours of intense negotiations at the commissioner’s office, on Sunday afternoon, May 4. Under pressure from the commissioner, the two sides agreed to a significant increase in wages over the four years of the contract, as well as a mutually acceptable agreement concerning part-time workers. SPITE Then, when the language of the final contract was presented by the company, the previously agreed-upon provision crediting McHale for all of the lost time he put in over the years was not included. The managers at Lakeland had thrown a monkey-wrench into the agreement by flatly refusing to credit the local president’s lost time toward his pension. It was the only remaining issue in an otherwise great contract that the company resented having to agree to. It was spite. With Local 1614 members ready to strike, McHale said “no.” “I had always said,” McHale recalled, “that I would never stop a contract for the sake of just one member. It just so happened that this time that member was me.” And so this critically important contract was signed in May 2008. McHale retired the following year. His pension was reduced by $4,000 per year for his time in service to Local 1614. And what about his retirement? “I’m doing excellent,” he declares.
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Hanley Assembles Transit Advocates, COALITION PARTNERS PARTICIPATING ATU International International President Larry Hanley International Executive Vice President Bob Baker International SecretaryTreasurer Oscar Owens Legislative Director Jeff Rosenberg Attorney Robert Molofsky ATU Local 689Washington, DC Jackie Jeter AFL-CIO-New York State Joe Jamison AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department Larry Willis Brendan Danaher AFSCME, International Dennis Houlihian Bill Lynch Associates Bill Lynch Sabrina Philson Community Transportation Association of America Scott Bogren Dale J. Marsico Good Jobs First Greg LeRoy
NAACP Roslyn Brock, Chair Policylink Anita Hairston Reconnecting America/ T4 America Sarah Kline T4 America Vivian Buckingham Akshai Singh Teamsters Fred McLuckie Transit Riders for Public Transportation Chantal Coudoux Transportation Equity Network Casey Stanton TWU, International Portia Reddick White TWU Local 100New York, NY J.P. Patafio Shannon Poland John Samuelson, President Harry Wills Vic Fingerhut Campaigns Vic Fingerhut
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oming on the heels of his recent ATU election, International President Larry Hanley convened representatives of all of the major transit and labor groups working to address the mass transit crisis in the United States. Hanley brought the group together Thursday, October 14, at the Union’s international headquarters in Washington, DC, to explore whether there was sufficient interest to mount a national campaign to restore the transit service which is being cut at record levels all over America. Specifically, the new international president suggested that the group focus on: • Bringing activists from key cities to a “boot camp” where they would receive training in community organizing. The activists would then take these skills back home where they would create local coalitions to pressure legislators to restore transit service. • Working to persuade Congress to appropriate funds to restore transit jobs and service. CHIEF CONCERN: LAID-OFF WORKERS General agreement was expressed by the group on the goals, above, and a wideranging discussion ensued on the problems facing mass transit and what could be done about it. Chief among the concerns expressed by participants were the 3,000+ transit workers who have been laid-off as a result of the current recession. Greg LeRoy, from the organization “Good Jobs First” asserted that the alliance should ask why a decrease in real estate tax revenue should deny people “the right to go to work.” John Samuelson, president of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union in New York, warned that the group shouldn’t let its long-term strategy “overlook the immediate crisis of laid-off workers.”
Meeting at ATU international headquarters on October 14, from left, were J.P. Patafio, TWU Local 100; Roslyn Brock, chair of the NAACP; John Samuelson, president of TWU Local 100; Anita Hairston, Policy Link; and Joe Jamison, NY State AFL-CIO.
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Labor to Plan Assault on Transit Crisis
Among those attending the October 14 meeting at international headquarters in Washington, DC, were, from left, Greg LeRoy, Good Jobs First; J.P. Patafio, TWU Local 100; Harry Wills, TWU Local 100; John Samuelson, president, TWU Local 100; Casey Stanton, Transportation Equity Network; (partially hidden) Chantal Coudoux, Transit Riders for Public Transportation; Jackie Jeter, president ATU Local 689-Washington, DC; and International Executive Vice President Bob Baker.
‘THE BEST STORY IN TOWN’
‘GOT TO GET OUR ISSUES ON THEIR PLATE’
Hanley acknowledged the nature of the challenge, saying that “we want to create a very ambitious plan that stretches people’s imaginations. We have the best story in town. We just have to stop just saying it to each other, and say it to those outside our circle.”
Local President Jackie Jeter, 689-Washington, DC, emphasized that the coalition needed to make maintaining mass transit service the “topic of conversation” just as transit safety and security is now. If that happens, she predicted, we’ll start getting things done. “We’ve got to get our issues on their plate,” she asserted.
Several at the table stressed that the alliance needed to present a “clear, simple message,” devoid of the legislative jargon that so often scrambles what the public hears when we make our case. ‘THIS IS AN EMERGENCY’
Various goals and strategies with regard to Congress were discussed. It was generally acknowledged that time was short for accomplishing anything during the lame duck session, but that wouldn’t dissuade the group from trying. However, everyone understood that this would be a long-term battle.
Dale Marisco, executive director of the Community Transportation Association stressed the urgency of the situation for riders, declaring, “The people we have access to have not found favor in the current thinking about mass transit. We’re talking about mobility for people who have already been hurt.”
International Executive Vice President Bob Baker brought the gathering back to the immediate crisis, saying, “We need to get people back to work and then people can become productive, tax-paying citizens” – something even conservative politicians should want.
“We’re losing ground every day in terms of state and local funding,” he added.
International President Hanley was given enough encouragement by the group to continue bringing together the mass transit coalition. In broad terms, he said, their goal would be to change the way people think about mass transit; the reality of where transit stands in the mind of the public and Congress. “We’re gonna change reality,” he said.
“We’ve been telling people this is an emergency,” Hanley said, “but we’re not saying it loud enough. We ought to figure how to build a fire under Congress.”
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‘Wounded Warriors’ Participate in MS Golf Tournament Wounded Warriors Dan Pulsipher, Rafael Delgado, Johnnie Gardner were among the 100+ golfers who participated in the Union’s 25th annual MS Research Golf Tournament, which took place October 24 – 25, at the Worthington Manor Golf Club in Urbana, MD. The veterans are among those who are currently recuperating from war injuries at the Army’s Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. Proceeds from the tournament contributed to the $107,000 the ATU raised for Multiple Sclerosis in 2010. Leading the list of local union contributors again this year, Local 113-Toronto, ON, contributed $44,050, to the cause. Both Local 1181-New York, NY, and Local 589-Boston, MA, donated $5,000 each; Local 1587-Toronto, ON, gave $1,000. The money raised will be distributed to MS research projects in the United States and Canada.
ATU Joins Rebuild America March in Detroit International Vice President Paul Bowen, center, in the picture at right, and fellow Detroit ATU officers and members took part in the Rebuild America March in Detroit, MI, on August 29. The march, organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the United Auto Workers marks “the beginning of a new campaign that will call on our leaders to rebuild America by enacting policy that will unleash the skills and talent of the American workforce.” The event took place on the anniversary of that day in 1963 when Walter Reuther, president of UAW, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights
leaders joined with hundreds of thousands of Americans for the historic March on Washington.
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world.
War veterans Dan Pulsipher, Rafael Delgado, and Johnnie Gardner receive the grateful applause of participants at the 25th annual Golf Tournament for the benefit of ATU MS Research Funds, in Urbana, MD, October 25. The “Wounded Warriors” enjoyed a day of golf with the International and our members to show the Union’s appreciation for their sacrifice and service.
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From left, in the picture above are Recording Secretary and Local 85 Political Director Mike Harms, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, Local 85 Political Director Bryon Shane, and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Financial Secretary Frank Snyder. Both Harms and Shane worked as released staff for the AFL-CIO’s Labor 2010 campaign. President Trumka is seen behind the wheel of a Port Authority bus, at left.
AFL-CIO President Takes the Wheel at GOTV Event in Pittsburgh AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka spoke to about 200 members of Local 85 at a Get Out the Vote Event in Pittsburgh, PA, during the final week of the 2010 election campaign. The event took place at the Manchester shop where the federation president got behind the wheel of a Port Authority bus. No word on whether he’s applied for his CDL.
Thanks for Your Hard Work UNITED STATES
CANADA
To all the U.S. members and officers who worked in the mid-term elections this year. Thank You!
In Canada Local 113 waged an extraordinary campaign for transit including the production of an excellent 18 minute video on the privatization of public transit. I encourage all members to visit the Local 113 website (http://wemovetoronto.ca/) as well as the site Local 113 set up to inform the public about privatization (http://keepttcpublic.ca/).
Across the United States many members and activists worked hard for pro-transit candidates. The work of these dedicated ATU members is a beacon for us all at a time when our jobs and livelihoods are under constant attack. Some of your pictures are here. Please send more for our website!
ATU Activists Help ‘Get Out the Vote’ in Campaign ATU Activists helped “get out the vote” for prounion and pro-transit candidates in the November 2 midterm elections. MICHIGAN (left) From left, Local Presidents Kim Hearns, 1564-Detroit, MI, and Loren Antes, 1251-Battle Creek, MI, discuss absentee voting. DES MOINES, IA (right) Members of Local 441-Des Moines, IA, helped Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-IA, win re-election to the House of Representatives in the national mid-term elections, November 2.
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From left, are Local President Cheryl Wolfe, Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kane, Executive Board Members Meshack Koech and Danny Townsend, Boswell, and International Vice President Javier Perez, Jr.
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Canadian Agenda MAJOR ISSUES FOR TRANSIT WORKERS HAVE NO NATIONALITY by Bob Kinnear, President, Local 113-Toronto, ON
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anada did not get hit quite as hard as the U.S. by the 2008 economic meltdown and the deep recession that we are still in. But the impact on public transit has been much the same on both sides of the border. Everywhere in Canada, as in the U.S., transit funding is under attack. Which means transit workers’ livelihoods are also under attack. If we as a Union are to protect our members, now and in the future, we must respond very aggressively to these attacks. Now, more than ever, we need to go public, get political and form alliances with progressive pro-transit organizations. The new wave of attacks against transit is not surprising. All public transit systems require public subsidies. Because of the recession, governments are taking in less money. Raising taxes during a recession would be political suicide so there is increasingly intense competition for shrinking public revenues. Transit budgets are large and tempting targets for politicians who want to portray themselves as fiscally responsible without raising taxes. And they usually get away with cutting (or flat-lining) those budgets because even though transit users complain bitterly about worsening services they are not politically organized around this issue.
NEW TORONTO MAYOR PLAYS ‘NO STRIKE’ CARD At the same time, right wing politicians try to distract attention from their negligence by turning the public against transit workers. The recent Toronto civic election gave us an example of this “divide and conquer” strategy at work. The newly-elected right-wing mayor, Rob Ford, promised to make the Toronto Transit Commission an “essential service,” thereby outlawing strikes. It proved to be a popular idea. Public anger about years of declining services and rising fares was directed at ATU members, not against the penny-pinching politicians who caused the problems. It’s frustrating. Even though the TTC has been out of service only 13 days in the last 30 years due to work stoppages, (a 99.9% on-the job rate) many people are convinced that transit workers “are always going on strike.” They also believe that the transit system will somehow magically get better if the workers can’t legally strike. But the obvious truth is that taking away our right to free collective bargaining for our labour will not put one more bus on the road. The service deficiencies will still be there – service gaps that waste far more transit users’ time, and on a daily basis, than strikes ever did.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION, COOPERATION NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER Canadian locals have a lot of experience in addressing issues that are of equal importance to our U.S. brothers and sisters. And vice versa. Whether they work in Winnipeg or Washington, Seattle or Saskatoon, the fundamental issues facing ATU members are largely the same. Health and safety, assaults, inadequate government funding, media hostility – these are just some of the issues that have no nationality. For transit workers, being part of an international union makes sense, but only if we recognize and use its great potential. We absolutely have to figure out how to better communicate internally and learn from and support one another – Canadian and American. A lot has happened this year and the new leadership has an historic opportunity to do so many of the things we all know should have been done years ago to keep our Union growing and vibrant. 2010 will be seen as a turning point in our Union’s history if we put our heads and our hearts together on both sides of the border and figure out how we can bring substance and sustainability to the powerful idea of One ATU.
Enjeux majeurs car les travailleurs de transport en commun n’ont pas de nationalité par Bob Kinnear / Président, Section Syndicale 113-Toronto, ON
Le Canada n’a pas été frappé aussi durement que les ÉtatsUnis par la crise économique de 2008 et par la grave récession dans laquelle nous nous trouvons encore. Mais, l’impact sur le transport en commun a été sensiblement le même des deux côtés de la frontière. Partout au Canada comme aux États-Unis, le financement des transports en commun est attaqué. Ce qui implique que les moyens de subsistance des travailleurs des transports sont aussi l’objet d’attaques Si, en tant que syndicat, nous devons protéger nos membres, maintenant et à l’avenir, nous devons répondre à ces attaques de façon très agressive. Plus que jamais, nous avons besoin d’être plus ouvert au public, de faire de la politique et de former des alliances avec des organismes progressifs pro-transports en commun. La nouvelle vague d’attaques contre les transports en commun n’est pas surprenante. Tous les systèmes de transport en commun ont besoin de subventions publiques. A cause de la récession, les gouvernements ont moins d’argent. Augmenter les impôts en période de récession serait suicidaire politiquement donc il y a une concurrence de plus en plus serrée pour réduire les
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dépenses publiques. Les budgets pour les transports en commun sont de grandes cibles tentantes pour les hommes politiques qui veulent se montrer comme fiscalement responsables sans augmenter les impôts. Et ils s’en tirent généralement en supprimant (ou en dégraissant) ces budgets, car même si les usagers des transports en commun se plaignent amèrement de la détérioration des services ils ne sont pas organisés politiquement autour de cette question. Le nouveau maire de Toronto joue la carte de “pas de grève’ Parallèlement, les politiciens de droite tentent de détourner l’attention de leur négligence en montant le public contre les travailleurs des transports en commun. Les récentes élections municipales de Toronto nous ont donné un véritable exemple de la stratégie «diviser pour régner ». Rob Ford, le nouveau maire élu de droite, a promis de faire de la Commission des Transports en Commun de Toronto (TTC) un «service essentiel» en interdisant la grève. Ceci s’est avéré être une idée populaire. En raison d’une diminution des services pendant plusieurs années et de la hausse des tarifs, la colère du
public a été dirigée vers les membres de l’ATU, et non pas vers les politiciens pingres qui, en fait, étaient la cause des problèmes. C’est frustrant. Même si la TTC a arrêté son service pendant seulement 13 jours au cours de ces 30 dernières années, (elle a fonctionné 99,9% du temps) beaucoup de gens sont convaincus que les travailleurs des transports en commun” sont toujours en grève.” Ils croient également que le système de transport en commun s’améliorera comme par magie si les travailleurs n’ont pas le droit de faire légalement la grève. Mais la vérité évidente est que si on nous retire notre droit à la libre négociation collective pour notre travail cela n’aidera pas à mettre un bus de plus sur la route. Les carences en service seront toujours là – les réductions de service font perdre beaucoup plus de temps aux usagers des transports en commun que les grèves dans le passé, et ceci quotidiennement. Communication internationale, la coopération s’impose plus que jamais PAS DE NATIONALITÉ – Recherche de la page 25
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A high-impact 30-second TV ad created by Local 113 informed voters about the failures of transit privatization elsewhere and urged Toronto voters to support municipal election candidates who were opposed to TTC privatization. (Une annonce publicitaire télévisée à fort impact de 30 secondes a été créée par la Section syndicale 113 pour mettre en garde contre les échecs de la privatisation des transports en commun dans d’autres villes et pour exhorter les électeurs de Toronto à soutenir les candidats aux élections municipales qui s’opposent à la privatisation de TTC.)
Local President Bob Kinnear, 113-Toronto, ON, emerged during the Toronto election as the leader of the City’s anti-privatization movement. (Bob Kinnear, Président de la Section syndicale 113-Toronto, ON est ressorti de la campagne électorale de Toronto comme le leader du mouvement anti-privatisation de la ville.)
Keep TTC Public Campaign Challenged the Myth that Privatization Works
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hen the Toronto civic election got going in the spring of 2010, four out of the five major mayoral candidates were calling for some degree of privatization of the Toronto Transit Commission. To many voters, it made sense. After all, doesn’t the private sector do things more efficiently than the public sector? Actually, no, not in the case of transit, anyway. Experiments with transit privatization around the world have largely failed to meet their stated objectives of lower public subsidies and improved transit services. In several high-profile cases (London, Melbourne, Vancouver, Auckland), privatization has been a disaster for taxpayers and riders alike.
To challenge the myth of private sector “efficiency” when it comes to transit, Toronto Local 113 allied with the city’s Public Transit Coalition (publictransitcoalition.ca) and mounted a major public advocacy campaign called Keep TTC Public. A special website was developed (KeepTTCPublic.ca) to present the facts and myths about transit privatization. A hard-hitting 30-second TV ad aired nearly one thousand times in the run-up to the October 25 municipal election. That ad, as well as newspaper and transit ads, sent tens of thousands of people to the website. A 17-minute video accessible on the site, and on YouTube, effectively destroyed the idea that privatization works as
advertised. There were over 35,000 views of the video on the website and on YouTube combined. The campaign got great public attention and, more importantly, affected the election dialogue around this issue. Almost immediately after the launch of the campaign in mid-September, the mayoral candidates stopped talking about privatization, or its more innocent-sounding name: “public-private partnerships.” Local 113 and its allies effectively challenged the notion that privatization was the answer to the TTC’s problems. The battle will continue on, but the first round went to the ATU.
The home page of the KeepTTCPublic.ca website was designed to look like the inside of a Toronto subway car. Tens of thousands have visited the site. (La page d’accueil du site KeepTTCPublic.ca a été conçue pour ressembler à l’intérieur d’une voiture de métro de Toronto. Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont visité le site.)
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56th International Convention is History
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he 56th International Convention of the Amalgamated Transit Union convened at 9:00 am, Monday, September 27, in Orlando, FL. The Colors were presented, followed by the singing of the national anthems by Jacqueline Gant, 732-Atlanta, GA. The main event – the election of international officers – came on the fourth day of the Convention.
was declared international president-elect and immediately assumed the chair. Of the 641 valid ballots cast, International Vice President Robert Baker received 358 votes; incumbent International Executive Vice President Randy Graham received 283 votes. Bob Baker was decalred international executive vice president-elect.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Running unopposed, International SecretaryTreasurer Oscar Owens was re-elected by acclamation.
Of the 644 valid ballots cast, International Vice President Larry Hanley received 372 votes; incumbent International President Ron Heintzman received 272 votes. Larry Hanley
INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS The following incumbent international presidents ran unopposed and were re-elected by acclamation:
First International Vice President Rodney Richmond
Sixth International Vice President Charles Cook
Eleventh International Vice President Gary E. Rauen
Second International Vice President Larry Kinnear
Seventh International Vice President William G. McLean
Twelfth International Vice President Marcellus Barnes
Third International Vice President Javier M. Perez, Jr.
Eighth International Vice President Janis M. Borchardt
Thirteenth International Vice President Rafael Rivera
Fourth International Vice President Richard M. Murphy
Ninth International Vice President Paul D. Bowen
Fourteenth International Vice President Yvette J. Salazar
Fifth International Vice President Bob Hykaway
Tenth International Vice President Kenneth R. Kirk
Fifteenth International Vice President Gary Johnson, Sr.
The following were elected International Vice President for the first time: Sixteenth International Vice President Robin West
Seventeenth International Vice President John Costa
Eighteenth International Vice President Chuck Watson
AFL-CIO CONVENTION DELEGATES The following Delegates and Alternates to the AFL-CIO Convention were elected: AFL-CIO Delegate No. 1 Claudia Hudson, 192-Oakland, CA
AFL-CIO Delegate No. 4 Roland Jeter, 689- Washington, DC
AFL-CIO Delegate No. 2 Stephen Farrell, 618-Providence, RI
AFL-CIO Delegate No. 5 Mickey Ferrell, 752-Bloomington, IL
AFL-CIO Delegate No. 3 David Benavides, 694-San Antonio, TX
AFL-CIO Alt. No. 1 Carmen Acevedo, 1181-New York, NY
Following the election of international officers, the delegates took a moment to pay tribute to retiring International Vice President Joe Welch. On Friday, October 1 – the last day of the Convention – International Executive Vice President-Elect Bob Baker took a “special point of privilege” to introduce the permanent chair of the final session of the Convention, International President-Elect Larry Hanley. Steve MacDougall, 589-Boston, MA, made a motion to bestow emeritus status upon retired
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Alt. No. 2 Dwight Mattingly, 1577West Palm Beach, FL Alt. No. 3 Patrick McMahon, 85-Pittsburgh, PA
International President Jim LaSala, retired International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, and retired International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, which was adopted unanimously. International President Emeritus James LaSala administered the oath of office to the newly-elected international officers and General Executive Board members. The 56th International ATU Convention adjourned at 10:10 am, Friday, October 1.
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International President
RODNEY RICHMOND
LARRY R. KINNEAR
International Vice President
International Vice President
WILLIAM G. MCLEAN
JANIS M. BORCHARDT
International Vice President
RAY RIVERA
International Vice President
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ROBERT H. BAKER
International Executive Vice President
JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR. International Vice President
PAUL BOWEN
International Vice President
International Vice President
YVETTE SALAZAR
GARY JOHNSON, SR.
International Vice President
International Vice President
RICHARD M. MURPHY International Vice President
KENNETH R. KIRK
International Vice President
ROBIN WEST
International Vice President
OSCAR OWENS
International Secretary-Treasurer
BOB A. HYKAWAY
CHARLES COOK
International Vice President
International Vice President
GARY RAUEN
MARCELLUS BARNES
International Vice President
JOHN COSTA
International Vice President
International Vice President
CHUCK WATSON
International Vice President
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LAWRENCE J. HANLEY
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NEW EXECUTIVES HAVE LONG EXPERIENCE IN LABOR ADVOCACY New International President Larry Hanley Took on Mayors, MTA while President of Staten Island Local In November 1979, he transferred to Staten Island and became a member of the ATU Local 726. By April 1980, he was involved in his first strike and walked picket lines day and night. The strike was ruled illegal and lasted 11 days. LOCAL OFFICER In 1984, Hanley was elected secretary-treasurer of the local. Shortly after his election, a strike broke out in Austin, MN, at the George Hormel Company. This strike caught the attention of the media due to the anti-union climate in the Reagan administration and the brilliant tactics of the strikers.
International President Larry Hanley served as president of Local 726-Staten Island, NY, from 1987 - 2002.
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nternational President Larry Hanley began driving a bus in 1978, at age 21, in Brooklyn, NY, and attended his first union meeting that September. He was first an activist in the Transport Workers Union (TWU) during the 18 months he was a member, organizing efforts to get police protection on buses in New York City.
He joined the New York support group which traveled to Austin. Concerning that time he said, “It was a chilling experience to see the National Guard brought out by the governor to take the side of the owners. I joined many thousands of union members from across America and I walked the line. It was a formative experience.” He served as secretary-treasurer until January 1987, when he was elected president, the youngest in his local’s history. Hanley would go on to be reelected to five terms and served until 2002.
International Executive Vice President Bob Baker his election as local vice president in 1977. He was elected president of Local 627 in 1980. During his terms as president, Baker was able to attend the Cincinnati Branch of Ohio State University from 1976 through 1980, and earned his degrees in Labor Law and Labor History. In 2005, he graduated from the Harvard Law School/Trade Union Program. International Executive Vice President Bob Baker is a 37-year member/35-year union officer. He graduated from Robert A. Taft High School in 1966 and from 1967 - ’68 attended the University of Cincinnati-Co-OP School of Engineering. He then went to work for the City as a Draftsman. Baker then started as a bus operator with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority in November 1973. The son of a United Mine Workers organizer whose 35-year career saw dedicated union involvement in the “Bloody Harlen” southeastern Kentucky coal strike, Bob quickly became involved in the activities of Local 627-Cincinnati, OH. In 1975, Brother Baker was elected to the local’s executive board and served in that capacity until
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While serving his local he also served as president of the Ohio Legislative Conference for 10 years, president of the ATU-Joint Conference for six years and president and executive board member of the over-100,000 member Cincinnati AFL-CIO for 12 years. In 1989, he was elected an international vice-president and was re-elected to that position at the next seven Conventions. He was elected international executive vice president at the 56th International Convention in September. While assisting over 90 different locals in the ATU, Baker negotiated hundreds of contracts, presenting many interest arbitrations and factfinding reports. He has done several local union audits, fair share audits, by-law amendments, organizing drives, and fought against raids by other unions.
IST Oscar Owens International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens was appointed to that office on January 1, 2001, and was unanimously elected at the 53rd International Convention in September of that year. He was unanimously re-elected by the delegates to the International Conventions of 2004, 2007, and 2010. A U.S. Army veteran, Owens began his career in the transit industry in 1966, with ATU Local 192-Oakland, CA, as an operator for AC Transit. His union career began in July 1973, when he became shop steward. In 1977, he was elected business agent and served in that position until 1982. Owens joined the international staff as a special organizer in 1982, and was appointed international representative in July 1984. He was elected international vice president in 1986.
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CHALLENGING THE MTA “We challenged the MTA in New York through internal member organization. We also made great strides in organizing the riders of our buses. We worked every day in the community to convince both our members and the passengers that our interests were one and the same.” The result was a 125% increase in ridership and 500 more jobs in his local. The local’s investment of $160,000 in the campaign has now generated $450 million in ATU salaries and $1 billion in capital spending on transit. Hanley relates, “Around the same time, I organized a multi-union effort that successfully elected 515 labor union members and officers to the Staten Island Democratic Party – effectively putting Labor in charge. “We were named by New York Magazine as one of the most ‘politically important unions’ in New York City, an honor we shared with other local unions that have tens of thousands more members.” In 2002, Hanley was asked by International President Jim LaSala to join the staff of the International. “Though it was difficult for me to leave my local,”
International President Hanley used stage coaches like the one above to get the attention of the media when he was president of Local 726-Staten Island, NY.
he says, “I took the job. I immediately went to work bargaining contracts, often seven days a week throughout the East Coast.” Hanley was the international vice president assigned to the most locals. He negotiated the national Greyhound contract for Local 1700 that resulted in his working with ATU members in many states. Hanley has worked in about 80 locals in 14 states, including Right to Work states and Canada, and bargained in units as small as 14 people and as large as 50,000.
Locals Lauded for Organizing Efforts The ATU John J. Sweeney Organizing Awards were given to recognize seven locals who focused on organizing over the last three-year convention period. Michael Cordiello Local 1181-New York, NY
Kenneth Day Local 1338-Dallas, TX
Pennie D. Johnson Local 1733-Vernon Hills, IL
Michelle Sommers Local 1005-Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
David E. Garcia Local 1756-Arcadia, CA
Tim Johnston Local 1724-Vancouver, BC
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Stan Dera (not pictured) Local 1573-Brampton, ON
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Hanley recalls, “I hit the ground running and quickly learned to lead in a crisis. No sooner had I become president than our local union faced a threat to completely privatize all of our express bus work. This crisis led us to devise a creative form of protest: carrying coffins into hearings, hiring stagecoaches to demonstrate the poor funding of mass transit, and taking the fight directly to our opponents.”
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CONVENTION COMMITTEES
BALLOTTING COMMITTEE SEATED: Louis A. Castro (820), Gary T. Schaefer (900), Nancy Spence (823), Carl Turner (1342), Kathleen Custer (1576), Stanley A. Grant (558), Secretary Michael Simmons (241), Chair Doug Johannes (583), Mike Fecteau (279), Rudy Truijillo (1001), Gary Sager (1320), Alan Burrows (846), Timothy DeFranco (268), Sandra Surgeon Jones (1464). STANDING: Richard Davis (1498), James Kennedy (1700), Rueben Johnson (241), John Brown (113), Leon Challenger (1587), Stephen Farrell (618), Adolfo Soto (1277), Wayne Baker (1764), Edward Gigliotti (1181), Clifford Strickler (583), Phil Hotte (685), David Sayre (1742), William Howard (1267), Scott Gordon (113), Martin Stone (1093), Ray Rivera (IVP), Chuck Cook (IVP), Steve Parrish (1015), John Callahan (1505). STANDING THIRD ROW: Gerald Ewald (1005), Ken Richins (757). NOT PICTURED: Christopher Bruce (22), Art Levandowski (168), Ralph Niz (256), Richard Longden (717), Thomas A. Bohner III (956), Aaron Hilligas (ATU Staff), Jessica Chu (ATU Staff).
COPE COMMITTEE SEATED: Thomas Cute (618), William Frees (1345), Julian Tom Cook (NOT LISTED), Stewart Golditch (1001), Corina De La Torre (256), Chair Sharon Anderson (627), Joe Welch (IVP), Secretary Raymond Messier (1575), John Deloatch (1181), Gary Pires (1037), Dorothy Mudd (1333), George Okie (726). STANDING: Olliver Cody (788), Bryon Shane (85), Dee Wakenight (587), Michael Cribb (540), Raul Vargas (1256), Camilla Hunter (892), Jimmy Crutcher (1235), Earl Hardy, Jr. (821), Reginald Lane (825), Sesil Rubain (1700), John Lee (589), Anthony Barnes (689), David Benavides (694), Douglas Kurowski (1277), Melody Williams (732), Delores Coker (1220), Alphonso Burns (1208), Carolyn McKinley (268). NOT PICTURED: William MacLunny (164), Robert Scott (192), Michael J. Wesolowski (241), Sherman Ariel (822), Willie Moorer (1056), Robert Burley (1300), Charles Sikora (1342), Karen Head (ATU Staff), Michael Bocchini (ATU Staff).
CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE SEATED: Jeff Richardson (1342), Patricia Giles (732), Yolandas Dixon (312), Steven Oss (883), Secretary Felix Gendron (591), Chair Omega Robinson (993), Ruth Latson (241), Tommy Bellfield (1005), John Clifton Bullock (1328), Brian Sherlock (587), Joyce Ledell (1070), Rick Hirt (1505), Bill Chrisp (113), Geoff Devlin (134). STANDING: David McClure (1300), Javier M. Perez, Jr. (IVP), Paul D. Bowen (IVP), Michele Wilkinson (1385), Gary Padgett (1603), Evelana Garrett (1338), Rod Dunn (382), Lawrence Prosser (1091), Bryant Alexander (308), Sheillena Brunston (265), Michael Roberts (425), Juan Fernandez (694), Donna Meanor (1595), Gladys McDaniel (1056), Peggy LaPaglia (589), Antonio Westbrook (268), Larry Juley (857), Ray Greaves (819), Charles Hehman (628), Kevin Barrett (85), Sue Potts (1704), Charlie Brown (966), Stuart Litwinowich (569), Karen Stites (1765). NOT PICTURED: Anthony Garland (689), Richard Stark (825), Jessica Chu (ATU Staff), Tyler Home (ATU Staff).
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GENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT COMMITTEE SEATED: Rick Jurkovic (1576), Barbara O’Donnell (1563), Ayana Bell (732), Deanna Brant (1738), Rachael Clark (1761), Chair Jay Wyatt (1091), Secretary Christine Jones (1591), Terry Reed (589), Charletta Carter (1300), Stacey Jones (1552), Loren Antes (1251), Guilles Tessier (1374). STANDING: Eddie Bailey (1700), Frank J. Olive, Jr. (880), Art Aguilar (1277), Don Baker (588), Gerard Webb (689), James Hedge (1181), Ray Doyle (1587), Don MacAdam (587), Thomas Salerno (1181), Patrick Finn (1267), Glenn Tolbert (26), Frederick Edwards (1279). NOT PICTURED: Carmen Lint (113), Carlos Harris (241), Dragan Markovic (616), William Barber (713), Mickey Ferrell (752), Kathryn Smith (1212), William Wright (1605), Larry Hanley (then-IVP), Jeff Rosenberg (ATU Staff).
INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT’S REPORT COMMITTEE SEATED: (unidentified), Howard Eisenrod (1181), William Wilson (1287), Yogi Sharma (279), Chair Deborah DeMart (1753), Secretary Budh Dhillon (107), Evette Farra (757), Tyrone E. Burke, Sr. (580), Roger Brice (1493), Terry Reed (589). STANDING: Kim Mitchell (308), Judy Trotman (583), Charles W. Endsley (847), Luis Acosta (1622), Junius Matthews (1028), David Garcia (1756), Dale E. Moore (1704), Rick Chiaramonte (1561), Angela Cain (1095), Frank Smathers (1374). NOT PICTURED: Richard Cerra (85), Pino D’Armiento (113), Venita Jones (241), Michael Moore (587), John Nixon (689), Angelo Tanzi (726), Mickey Ferrell (752), Betty Risher (819), Stephen L. McClease (1177), Steve Green (1321), Bruce Brown (1338), John J. Keller (1436), Stephen L. Lewis (1517) Scott Penvose (1749), LaVerne Spinks-Hatcher (1763), Bob Baker (then-IVP), Karen Head (ATU Staff).
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT COMMITTEE SEATED: Bertrand DeLoatch (1300), Clarise Tabron (819), Patricia Ceis (1576), Peter Brown (1587), Norman Brewster (1028), Joseph Gotcher (1309), Chair Sabatino DiNardo (85), Oscar Owens (IST), Secretary Gwendolyn Harris (788), Nancy Trumbull (ATU Staff), Michael Hale (1070), Edward L. Reid (694), Joseph Frank (842), Don R. McKnight (758), Julio X. Rivera (1001). STANDING: Claude Doucette (569), Paul Doucette (107), John Campanella (880), James Lindsay (1277), Johnny Wilson (1338), Robert R. Roach (1287), Paul Neil (587), Shelley Thompson (ATU Staff), Marilyn Perkins-Hooker (308), Daniel Cassella (726), Donna Davis (1564), Clyde Beckham, Jr. (256), Kevin M. Millea (618), Ken Sundberg (1415), Rodney Richmond (IVP), Jim Allgier (382), Rick Ratcliff (583), Stephen P. Fein (1447), Bennie Caughman (1179). NOT PICTURED: Deborah Johnson (192), Daniel Hrycyk (241), Jim Haddad (279), Nicholas Bye (1572), William T. Chase (1764).
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CONVENTION COMMITTEES
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LAWS COMMITTEE SEATED: Bill McLean (IVP), Patrick McMahon (85), Robin West (CC), Mark Bennett (627), Keith Scott (1505), Chair Neil Silver (1277), Secretary Michelle Sommers (1005), Isaac Tate (758), Fred Barry (1177), Victor Guerra (256), Vincent Crehan (1342), Janis Borchardt (IVP). STANDING: John Longo (1179), Steve Alcove (1309), Calvin Kennedy (1324), Mike Aldrich (279), William Nix (268), John Costa (NJC), Bruce Hamilton (1700), Robert Kelly (308), Darrell Jefferson (241), Steve MacDougall (589), Ronald Cox (416), Michael Cordiello (1181), Kenneth Day (1338), Jonathan Hunt (757), Edward Fleming (788), Robert Bean (1433), Freda Braylock (996), Jesse Hunt (1555), Alan Simonis (998), Dale Anderson (519), Paul Bachtel (587). NOT PICTURED: Bob Kinnear (113), Barton Hofherr (682), Jackie Jeter (689), Benita West (732), Michelle Vigh (822), Ian Laird (1415), Donnie Small (1535), Stan Dera (1573), Pennie Johnson (1733), Aaron Hilligas (ATU Staff).
ORGANIZING AND STRATEGIC CAMPAIGNS COMMITTEE SEATED: Gerald M. Sullivan (192), Lewis C. Hohman (256), Larry Holverson (381), Carl Haymore (241), Lillian Shavers (842), Renee Jean-Louis (1181), Marcellus Barnes (IVP), Chair Richard Gardner (448), Lisa Nault (587), John Voccola (1267), Eric Carr (1374), Kathy Crawford (1602), Albert P. Dirla Jr. (1338), Bernadette Anderson (788), Brian Laity (107). STANDING: Charles Lester (ATU Staff), Jimmie McCoy (1700), Tony Livia (1181), Carmen Acevedo (1181), Doug Sappie (382), (unidentified), Daniel Drouin (279), Marilyn Williams (ATU Staff), Dan Sundquist (ATU Staff), Woodrow Eiland (241), Clayton Sinyai (ATU Staff), Michael J. Harms (85), Dorothy Maki (1005), Ricky Romero (1001), Tia Brown (ATU Staff), Tim Johnston (1724), Gary Daters (1189), Jerry W. Winters (1464). NOT PICTURED: Secretary Larry Jodouin (1573), Troy Hoskins (627), Michael J. Thomas (732), Terry Howard (757), Gerald Ewald (1005), Larry Allen (1197), Douglas Wallace (1225), Jeff Glover (1415), Michael J. Cornelius (1433), Darrell C. Felix (1560), Gary Rauen (IVP).
RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE SEATED: Brian Chamberlain (1624), Jean Claude Calixte (1181), Thomas Jemmott (1181), Jamie Larkin (279), Chair Wayne Crabtree (1760), Secretary Henry Gaffney (26), Judy Kaur (265), Nancy McCurdy (1733), Patricia Carfagna (1729), Joseph Sullivan (880). STANDING: Tom McGraw (1182), Richard O’Flaherty (1547), Jeffrey S. DiPerna (85), Yvette Salazar (IVP), Gary Johnson, Sr. (IVP), Phil Madonna (281), Freda Griffith (732), Russell Dixon, Sr. (1005). NOT PICTURED: Claudia Hudson (192), Frank Grimaldi (113), Vincent Contino (276), Eric Dixon (308), John E. Ridenour (313), Neil Armitage (583), Esker Bilger (689), Roland Jeter (689), David Benavides (694), Charles White (704), Sam Schwarz (757), David Tolliver (788), Jack Hill (824), Holman Carter (1001), Michael L. Cullimore (1039), Robert Johnson (1091), Joe A. Stickles (1360), Mike Lowery (1395), Kimberly Hearns (1564), Bill White (1700), Jeff Rosenberg (ATU Staff).
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RULES & ORDER COMMITTEE SEATED: Gary Schweers (1737), Kathleen Lane (1633), Brijida Pilgrim (1181), Pauline Palmieri (690), Roy D. Jennings (757), Kenneth Kirk (IVP), Chair Martha D. Stevens (1464), Secretary Richard Johnson (1433), Larry Kinnear (IVP), Richard Bassler (998), Michael Warden (1249), Nanette Ruffin (859), Colleen McCann (1555). STANDING: Michael Fleming (1624), Peter H. Schiraldi (1145), John A. Clancy (589), Gerard L. Wyse (1709), Robert Horton (1363), Keith Hill (241), Theodore Kielur (85), William R. Parks (1225), Steven Stitz (1494), Dan Abromowitz (1005), David Lampe (1108), Charlene Valentine (128), Joseph Prier Jr. (1560), Antonie Maiben (770). NOT PICTURED: Paul Callaghan (113), Bill Dellipoali (443), Wayne MacKenzie (508), Chuck Watson (580), Ray Campbell (587), Raymond Jackson (689), Lois Robinson (819), Gabe Sullivan (880), Olivia Whetstone (1300), Amanda West (1374), Paul Churchill (1462), Dwight Mattingly (1577), Guy Smith (1598), Jessica Chu (ATU Staff).
SAFETY & SECURITY COMMITTEE SEATED: Bill Merlin (113), Joseph Casalino (1181), MaryAnn Taylor (1596), Mary Beard (241), David T. Robinson (689), Richard Murphy (IVP), Secretary Pat Hunniford (741), Chair Curtis Howard (732), Bob M. Hykaway (IVP), Brian Sherlock (587), Glen Carr (1229), Jim Kouleas (1572), Miguel Claudio (1512), Bill Johnson (583), Walter Oakman (1181). STANDING: Karen Head (ATU Staff), Robert Labrecque (279), Darren Thoresen (1374), Ricky Booker (1338), Mark Weems (308), Mike McPhee (589), Melvin Brentley (85), Jose C. Colon (241), Daniel Revega (569), Denyse Mitchell (1724), Ronald A. Jordan (1700), David R. Kay (757), Destry Taylor (398), Charles Harvey (1064), Felix Avila (1056). NOT PICTURED: Ronald W. Jackson, Sr. (268), Mike Ehmann (588), Troy Hoskins (627), Christina Van Lieu (1001), Leroy Carpenter (1300), Clayton Sinyai (ATU Staff), Andrew Gena (ATU Staff).
SERGEANTS-AT-ARMS SEATED: John McCormick, Spiros Karidis, John Hink, Marcel Malboeuf, Bill McCombe, Ron Atkinson, Sharon Kelly-Vrontos, Nick Norton. STANDING: Antonio Velez, Claude Lessard, Harvey Ward, Nelson Zollicoffer, Bob Mazzei,Rufus Cosby, Rick Harris, Lance Norton. NOT PICTURED: Madonna Gems (ATU Staff).
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CONVENTION COMMITTEES
100 Years Ago
HOW LABOR WILL WIN The following opinion piece by Rev. Charles Stelzle was published in the October 1910 Motorman & Conductor (the predecessor of In Transit). That same year, Rev. Charles Stelzle, a prominent member of the Presbyterian Home Mission Board, established the Labor Temple in New York City. The Labor Temple was a church, but also a meeting space, union hiring hall, and school. His message may hold meaning for women and men in the labor movement today:
Authorities are investigating the cause of the September 11 crash in upstate New York of a Megabus double-decker traveling from Philadelphia to Toronto. Don Carmichael, a senior vice-president at Coach USA, which operates Megabus, said the company has never had a crash of this magnitude. This is the third reported incident of a Megabus crash on its way to Toronto in less than a year.
No organization can keep alive the interest of its members without a great purpose. The perfunctory meeting and the platitudinous address never wins out. This is just as true of the labor union as it is of the church or any other movement.
International, Local 1700 Plan Campaign to Regulate Bus Industry
The social aspect of an organization’s life is important, but oyster suppers, vaudeville shows, smokers and all the rest of it never yet held together a company of earnest men who were supposedly banded together for the purpose of really doing things. When an organization is compelled to resort to such features in order to hold its men, it is an indication that somewhere there is a falling down, wither in leadership or in purpose, and it is destined to fail. No movement can long remain a force when all men speak well of it. There is danger in too much commendation. Always will there be a letting go when prosperity and flattery enter, and almost invariably it can be said that the man who is always approved by everybody doesn’t count for much as a real power. The man or the movement which lives and moves is bound to make mistakes. He who never makes mistakes, never makes anything else… No movement can maintain its place in social and industrial life unless it is based upon a moral principle. In this day and generation might does not long continue to make right, wither on the side of the boss or the workman. It may seem like good policy to force an issue because one has the whip hand, but no question is ever settled until it is settled right. More and more men are insisting that social questions must be dealt with in absolute fairness.
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AP Photo/The Post-Standard, Peter Chen
International President Larry Hanley met with the officers of national Greyhound Local 1700, and Jim Hall, former Clinton Administration chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, on November 5 to discuss a plan for a national effort to regulate the over-the-road industry to improve safety, service, and increase industry employment. “Greyhound has lost 80% of its workforce and a similar number of route miles since the interstate
bus industry was deregulated in 1982. Our members’ jobs were devalued and their contracts gutted. All over the country we learn of tragic bus accidents that are the result of hours that are way too long and pay that is way too short,” noted Local 1700 President Bruce Hamilton. “We are ready to work with the International to address these issues,” Hamilton added.
From left, at the Greyhound meeting at international headquarters in Washington, DC, November 5, are Executive Vice President Jimmie McCoy, 1700-Greyhound, US; International President Larry Hanley; an unidentified person; Financial Secretary Sesil Rubain, 1700, Jim Hall, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board; and Local President Bruce Hamilton, 1700.
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ACTING CANADIAN DIRECTOR DERA CALLED TO SERVE A LITTLE LONGER
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tan Dera was about to retire, but something came up. The Canadian who has served the ATU in one form or other since 1983 has been called upon to serve just a little longer. Former Canadian Director Robin West was elected an international vice president at the recently-completed ATU Convention. So, the Canadian Council asked Dera, the president of Local 1573-Brampton, ON, and a council member, to serve as acting director until the Council’s next conference in June. Of course, he said yes, just as he did when the president of Local 1573 asked him to serve as a shop steward shortly after he was hired as a Brampton Transit operator, 27 years ago. POLISH IMMIGRANT Dera is a Polish immigrant who, like the Irish, Italians, and Germans before him, came to the
U.S. and Canada in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries pursuing a better life for themselves and for their families. In 1985, Brother Dera was elected executive vice president of the local. While EVP, Dera broadened his experience as the officer in charge of overseeing the benefits of his members. He was a member of the health and safety committee, and he completed the coursework to become an WIMS instructor (teaching employees how to deal with chemicals in their work) – a cause that is still “near and dear” to him. In 1998, Dera was elected president of the local. He has been a full-fledged member of the Council for the past year.
Acting Canadian Director Stand Dera, right, with International Executive Vice President Bob Baker at the 56th Convention.
“It was sad to leave 1573,” the acting Canadian director said, “but it had to be done [in order to do the new job].” Dera says he hopes that this
interim period will provide the Council with the time it needs to consider who they want to elect to leadership next year.
PAS DE NATIONALITÉ – Recherche de la page 25
Les sections syndicales canadiennes ont beaucoup d’expérience dans le traitement des questions qui ont la même importance pour nos frères et sœurs aux États-Unis. Et vice versa. Qu’ils travaillent à Winnipeg ou à Washington, à Seattle ou à Saskatoon, les problèmes fondamentaux des membres de l’ATU sont essentiellement les mêmes : Santé et sécurité, agressions, financement public insuffisant, jusqu’à l’hostilité des médias -- ce ne sont que quelques-unes des questions qui n’ont pas de nationalité. Pour les travailleurs des transports en commun, faire partie d’un syndicat international fait sens, mais seulement si nous en connaissons et en utilisons son énorme potentiel. Nous devons
absolument trouver un moyen de mieux communiquer en interne, et apprendre et se soutenir les uns les autres - canadiens et américains.
Beloved International Vice President Joe Welch Retires
Beaucoup d’événements ont eu lieu cette année et les nouveaux dirigeants ont une occasion historique de faire beaucoup de choses que nous aurions dû faire il y a plusieurs années pour que notre syndicat reste dynamique et en croissance. L’année 2010 sera considérée comme un tournant de l’histoire de notre syndicat si nous mettons nos têtes et nos cœurs ensemble des deux côtés de la frontière et déterminons comment nous pouvons apporter de la substance et de la durabilité à l’idée puissante d’UN seul ATU.
Gardez la campagne de TTC pour combattre le mythe que la privatisation marche Lors de l’élection municipale de Toronto au printemps 2010, quatre des cinq principaux candidats pour la mairie faisaient campagne pour un certain degré de privatisation de la Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Pour de nombreux électeurs, cela était logique. Après tout, le secteur privé n’est il pas plus efficace que le secteur public? En fait, non, ce n’est pas vrai dans le cas des transports en commun. Les expériences de privatisation des transports en commun à travers le monde n’ont pas réussi à remplir les objectifs qu’ils avaient déclarés concernant la réduction des subventions publiques et l’amélioration des services de transport. Dans plusieurs cas très médiatisés (Londres, Melbourne, Vancouver et Auckland), la privatisation a été un désastre pour les contribuables et les usagers des transports en commun. Pour défier le mythe de « l’efficacité » du secteur privé dans les transports en commun, la section syndicale 113 de Toronto en collaboration avec la coalition des transports en commun de la ville (publictransitcoalition.ca) a monté une campagne majeure de sensibilisation du public appelée « Gardez TTC public ». Un site spécial a été développé (KeepTTCPublic.ca)
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pour présenter les faits et les mythes sur la privatisation des transports en commun. Une annonce publicitaire télévisée percutante de 30 secondes a été diffusée près de mille fois dans la période qui a précédé les élections municipales du 25 Octobre. Cette annonce, ainsi que des annonces dans les journaux et dans les transports en commun, a envoyé des dizaines de milliers de personnes visiter le site. Une vidéo de 17 minutes, accessible sur le site, et sur YouTube, a réussi à détruire l’idée que la privatisation fonctionne comme annoncé. Il y avait plus de 35.000 vues de la vidéo sur le site Web et sur YouTube. La campagne a reçu beaucoup d’attention du public et, plus important encore, elle a eu un impact sur le dialogue des candidats aux élections sur cette question. Presque immédiatement après le lancement de la campagne à la miseptembre, les candidats à la mairie ont cessé de parler de privatisation, ou de son nom à consonance plus innocente “Partenariats public-privé”.
International Vice President Joe Welch, the longest-serving IVP on the General Executive Board, retired at the recently completed 56th International Convention. Joe has been a beloved international officer for many years both in his native New York and the Union at large. He is seen, center, in the picture above, with former President Bill Clinton, and thenSenator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, who now serves as Secretary of State. Joe will be missed by his many friends and admirers. We wish him God-speed.
La section syndicale 113 et ses alliés ont contesté efficacement l’idée que la privatisation est la réponse aux problèmes du TTC. La bataille se poursuivra, mais l’ATU a gagné le premier point.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
25
Local 1181 Fights for Paratransit Jobs, Wages
T
he fight to retain transit jobs and wages has come to Local 1181-New York, NY – the ATU’s largest local. The dispute concerns the local’s operators working for Atlantic Paratransit, who are threatened with layoffs if they do not agree to concessions. The problem began in February when New York’s MTA asked its paratransit companies to make significant cuts in expenses. MTA suggested that the paratransit companies wash vehicles less frequently, employ fewer road inspectors, and use less expensive tires. Two paratransit providers found ways to reduce their budgets enough to satisfy the MTA without cutting wages or laying off workers. Atlantic, however, demanded concessions from its workers, and Local 1181 President Michael Cordiello said, “Absolutely Not!” Not only was the request unfair, but, if those concessions were granted it would lead to a reduction in the wages and benefits at Local 1181’s other paratransit properties. On September 30, Local 1181 was notified that Atlantic Paratransit lost their contract with the MTA due to its inability to make sufficient budget cuts. This meant that 500 of their members would be out of work by December 31.
Local President Michael Cordiello, 1181-New York, NY, addresses members and supporters from many locals and unions at a rally to protest cuts in paratransit service, October 27, in New York.
LOCAL TAKES ACTION The local took action, meeting with a New York state senator, and with a New York City councilman who held a hearing on the impact of the cuts the very next day. Cordiello held a meeting with the local’s Atlantic Paratransit employees on October 8, updating them on the local’s strategy. On October 13, the local picketed outside a building where a breakfast was being given in honor of MTA CEO Jay Walder. On October 27, Local 1181 members staged a rally to protest the job cuts in front of the MTA building on Madison Ave. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them was TWU Local 100 President John Samuelson, Local 726 President Angelo Tanzi, Local 1179 Vice President John Lyons, Local 1056 President Daneek Miller, Local 1700 President Bruce Hamilton, rank and file members from all of their locals, members of 1199 SEIU and the UFT, as well as several city councilmembers. ‘WE ALL STOOD TOGETHER’
Picketing Local 1462 members hold ATU placards, above. They are joined from right by International Vice President Robin West, Churchill, and International Executive Vice President Bob Baker.
ATU on Strike against Metrobus Transit in St. John’s, NL Local 1462-St. John’s, NL, went on strike against Metrobus Transit in St. John’s NL, on November 4, and was still on strike as of press time. The local is rejecting a Metrobus demand that new employees pay for half of the costs of the group insurance plan. Local 1462 President Paul Churchill is countering with a proposal that Metrobus managers disclose what they earn from the transit authority. “I’d like for them to put in public their benefit package,” Churchill said, “They got no problems talking about ours.”
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IN TRANSIT
Cordiello proudly relates, “We all stood together with our brothers and sisters from Atlantic Paratransit as well as other paratransit drivers within the city, united in a common cause to ask the MTA to stop the cuts, preserve our jobs and at the same time, continue to provide a safe, clean ride for the disabled and elderly.” Local 1181 also reached out to the community, contacting parents and disabled organizations. “Our goal,” Cordiello says “is to eventually partner with them and continue to put pressure on the MTA.” A temporary restraining order halting the layoffs was imposed on October 26, and on November 9, the court ordered Local 1181, and Atlantic Paratransit into arbitration. Since then, Atlantic has been demanding that their members accept a 12% reduction in wages. Cordiello says he won’t consider any give-backs until the company demonstrates the need. “If the company chooses,” he responds, “they can give back what the MTA wants, come back to the table with the union, open their books and show us whether they are losing money or not. Then we can consider any changes to our wage structure.”
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— LEGISLATIVE REPORT —
Raising Their Voices Y
es, the U.S. House of Representatives will be under new management in January. The new leadership is quite conservative. Their stated goals are to cut spending on vital programs no matter what the impact on working families. Some would privatize Social Security, raise the minimum retirement age, and repeal the health care bill, even the provision that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions.
This bill, which would help bring back our laid off members and restore critical services for passengers, now has 144 cosponsors. But you might not know that many more House Members who declined to support the bill were Democrats. Several of them lost their reelection, and we are not terribly sorry to see them go. OUR GOAL REMAINS THE SAME
Voters are rightfully fed up with the slow economy and many people who went to the polls on November 2 were either unemployed or live with someone who is out of a job. As a result, the party in power – the Democrats – lost overwhelmingly. The labor movement and ATU have far fewer friends in elected positions than we did prior to the elections.
The point is that while we will no doubt have new challenges confronting us in the next Congress as a result of the shift to the right – including transit funding battles, privatization, and other matters – the fact is that our goal remains the same: to convince lawmakers that there is a transit crisis that needs their immediate attention.
Even the chair of the House Transportation Committee, James Oberstar, D-MN, one of the most solid transit and labor supporters of the past three decades, lost his election. Without question, our challenges – which were already quite daunting – just got tougher.
It matters little whether those elected officials are Democrats or Republicans. Norman Mineta, the former Secretary of Transportation, was fond of saying, “There are no Democratic or Republican highways, no such thing as Republican or Democratic traffic congestion.” He was right. The bottom line is that transit cuts all across the U.S. run deep. People are paying more and getting far less. They are angry, and rightfully so.
ANOTHER ANGLE However, let’s try looking at this from another angle. In September 2009, 113 ATU members in Detroit were laid off. Five months later, nearly 1,100 transit workers in Chicago met the same fate. In each case, transit service was slashed beyond recognition. Here is what you might not have heard: the mayor of each city is a Democrat, and they both went to war with our local unions, pitting the riders against the workers in an attempt to gain painful concessions. Last June, Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-MO, introduced ATU-drafted legislation that would allow federal transit funds to be used for operations.
Many of these same people went to the ballot box in November and took it out on their elected officials. That is the power of the people. Conservatives may be singing from the rooftops today, but they should know that if they do not listen to their constituents over the next two years, they will face the same fate as their Democratic counterparts, who managed to give back all 55 seats that they had gained in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2006 in just one day. It can happen that fast. This year, the voters were mad about the overall economy. Let’s make 2011 the year that they raise their voices about the transit crisis. With your help, we can do it.
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
27
LEGAL NOTICE
TO: Employees Represented by ATU Locals in U.S. Bargaining Units Who Are Subject to Union Security Arrangements Employees working under collective bargaining agreements which contain a union security clause are required, as a condition of their employment, to pay monthly dues or fees to the union. Regardless of the specific wording used in such a clause, however, formal union membership cannot be, and is not, actually mandated. Those who are members of the ATU pay monthly union dues. Nonmembers, or “agency feepayers,” meet their obligation through the payment of an equivalent “agency fee.” Nonmembers subject to a union security clause also have the additional legal right to file objections to their funding of certain expenditures with which they may disagree. More specifically, in a series of judicial and agency decisions it has been determined that objecting nonmembers may not properly be charged for union activities and expenditures which are “unrelated to collective bargaining, contract administration, or grievance adjustment” and/or are otherwise “nongermane to the collective bargaining process.” When considering these matters, individuals should remember that the union security clause included in their labor contract was negotiated and ratified by their fellow employees based upon the principle that everyone who benefits from the collective bargaining process should share in its costs. Simply stated, the well‑being of all bargaining unit employees is improved immeasurably when the union obtains higher wages, better health care and retirement benefits, fairness in the discipline system, and the many other improvements realized in contract negotiations. But it would be difficult to provide such effective representation at the bargaining table without the influence earned through the “nongermane” political and ideological activities of the trade union movement. Any individual thinking of electing objector status also needs to keep in mind the considerable benefits of union membership that must first be surrendered. As a nonmember, a fee objector relinquishes many valuable privileges, including the right to attend and participate in union meetings; the right to run in local union elections and to otherwise nominate and vote for any candidates for union office; the right to participate in the formation of ATU bargaining demands; the right to vote on contract ratification questions; and the right to enjoy the many benefits of the Union Privilege Benefits Program, which offers low-interest credit cards, legal and travel services, prescription drug cards, and life insurance.
The following ATU Statement of Law and Procedures concerning union security objections applies only to the International per capita tax charged to objectors as part of local union fees (unless this Notice and Statement has been adopted by the local union for application to the local union’s total fees). 1. Any ATU-represented nonmember employee, whether publicly or privately employed, who is subject to a union security clause conditioning continued employment on the payment of dues or fees has the right to become an objector to expenditures not related to collective bargaining, contract administration, grievance adjustment, or other chargeable expenditures. A current ATU member who chooses not to tender the full periodic (monthly) dues and assessments uniformly required for the acquisition or retention of full membership in the union, but who instead opts to become an objector, must assume nonmember status prior to filing an objection through these procedures. An objector shall pay reduced fees calculated in accordance with Section 5. 2. To become an objector,1 an ATU-represented nonmember employee shall notify the International Secretary-Treasurer in writing of the objection transmitted during the month of January or within thirty (30) days after assuming nonmember status. Employees who were not subject to an ATU union security clause as of January in any given year must forward an objection within thirty (30) days after becoming subject to union security obligations and receiving notice of these procedures or within thirty (30) days after assuming nonmember status. The objection shall be signed and shall specify the objector’s current home mailing address, name the objector’s employer with which the applicable union security arrangements have been entered into, and identify the ATU local union number, if known. All objections should be mailed to the International Secretary-Treasurer, 5025 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-4139 or transmitted by facsimile to 202-244-7824 with a separate cover page directing such to the attention of the International Secretary-Treasurer and specifying the subject thereof to be the “Election of Fee Objector Status.” 3. The following categories of expenditure are chargeable to the extent permitted by law: a. All expenses concerning the negotiation of agreements, practices and working conditions; b. All expenses concerning the administration of agreements, practices and working conditions, including grievance handling, all activities related to arbitration, and discussion with employees in the bargaining unit or employer representatives regarding working conditions, benefits and contract rights; c. Convention expenses and other normal union internal governance and management expenses; d. Social activities and union business meeting expenses; e. Publication expenses to the extent coverage is related to otherwise chargeable activities; f. Expenses of litigation before the courts and administrative agencies related to contract administration, collective bargaining rights and internal governance; g. Expenses for legislative, executive branch and administrative agency representation on legislative and regulatory matters closely related to contract ratification or the implementation of contracts; h. All expenses for the education and training of members, officers, and staff intended to prepare the participants to better perform chargeable activities; i. All strike fund expenditures and costs of group cohesion and economic action, e.g., general strike activity, informational picketing, etc.;
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IN TRANSIT
The Notice of Statement of Law and Procedures which appears below sets forth the specific means by which an individual who decides to become a nonmember agency feepayer notwithstanding the above considerations may lodge and perfect a request for a reduction in the amount of his or her monthly International per capita fee obligation. (This notice applies only to the International Union expenditures and to the per capita tax portion of local union dues except where – as is typically the case – the local union has, by voluntary and affirmative action, adopted this Notice and Statement for application to the local union’s total fees in order to comply with the dictates of the applicable law in this area.) First implemented two decades ago, this detailed process has been carefully tailored to satisfy the objectors’ rights to not financially support “nongermane” activities while still requiring them to share in the full costs of union representation. As noted, these procedures have been effectively imposed upon us. It remains our opinion that all of our organizing and all the legislative, litigation, and similar activities undertaken by the ATU – some of which tribunals have indicated may in part be ideological and, therefore, nonchargeable – are essential to improving the working conditions of all the employees we represent. Still, as a democratic and law-abiding union, we acknowledge and stand fully prepared to honor an individual’s freedom to choose not to participate as a full member of the ATU and to not support these essential union endeavors. The rights are, of course, yours. But for only pennies more per day, you can enjoy the many advantages of union membership in the ATU.
Lawrence J. Hanley International President
j. All funeral or dismemberment benefits; and k. A proportional share of all overhead and administrative expenses. 4. Each December, the International Union shall publish these policies and procedures in the In Transit to provide to ATU-represented employees notice of their right to object and of the procedures for objecting. The International shall also send a copy of these policies and procedures to each person who objected the previous year to inform the person of his or her rights. 5. The International retains an independent auditor who submits an annual report for the purpose of verifying the percentage of expenditures that fall within the categories specified in Section 3. Similarly, if the local union has adopted these procedures for application to its total fees, the local union arranges for the audit of the records, enabling the local union to verify annually the percentage of its total expenditures other than the International per capita tax that is chargeable to objectors. The amount of the International and local union expenditures falling within Section 3 made during that fiscal year which ended in the previous calendar year shall be the basis for calculating the reduced fees that must be paid by the objector for the current calendar year.2 For each objector, an amount equal to the reduced fees paid by the objector shall be placed in an interestbearing escrow account. 6. The report(s) of the independent auditor(s) shall be completed prior to the publication of these policies and procedures in December. The report(s) shall include verification of the major categories of union expenses attributable to chargeable and nonchargeable activities. Local unions which adopt these procedures shall provide a copy of their independent auditor’s report to each nonmember employee represented by the local union. 7. In the absence of an exclusive statutory review procedure,3 each objector may challenge the legal and arithmetical bases of the calculations contained in the independent auditor report(s) by filing an appeal with the International Secretary-Treasurer. Nonmember objectors in bargaining units covered by the National Labor Relations Act shall also have the right to seek a determination of any issues relating to these procedures by invoking the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board. If such an objector chooses not to invoke the Board’s jurisdiction, or if the Board defers to these appeal procedures, the nonmember objector’s appeal shall be filed exclusively with the International Secretary-Treasurer. Any such appeal must be made by sending a signed letter to the International Secretary-Treasurer postmarked or transmitted via facsimile no later than thirty (30) days after the International Secretary-Treasurer has forwarded a letter to the objector acknowledging receipt of the objection or the date the National Labor Relations Board affirmatively declines to assert its reviewing jurisdiction, whichever is later. 8. Except where state law provides an exclusive statutory review procedure as discussed in Note 3 below or when an objector proceeds before the National Labor Relations Board as set forth in Section 7, all such appeals received by the union within the time limits specified above shall be determined by expeditious referral to an impartial arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its rules for impartial determination of union fees and these procedures. The International Union will notify the AAA that challenges of its fees, which have been received from one or more individual employees, are to be determined by an impartial arbitrator and will include the names and addresses of the individuals who have filed the appeals challenging the union’s fees and who should be notified of the proceedings. a. All appeals filed within any given forty-five (45) day period shall be
consolidated. Appeals shall be heard as soon as the AAA can schedule the arbitration and shall be at a location selected by the AAA to be the most convenient for those involved in the proceeding. b. Each party to the arbitration shall bear its own costs. The challengers shall have the option of paying a pro-rata portion of the arbitrator’s fees and expenses. The union shall pay the balance of such fees and expenses. c. Challengers may, at their expense, be represented by counsel or other representative of choice. Challengers need not appear at the hearing and shall be permitted to instead file written statements with the arbitrator no later than the beginning of the arbitration hearing. Post-hearing statements maybe filed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8(g). d. Fourteen (14) days prior to the start of the arbitration, challengers shall be provided with copies of all exhibits or a list of all such exhibits intended to be introduced at the arbitration by the union and a list of all witnesses the union intends to call, except for exhibits and witnesses the union may introduce for rebuttal. Where a list of exhibits has been provided, challengers shall have a right to receive copies of such exhibits by making a written request for them to the International Secretary-Treasurer. Additionally, copies of all exhibits shall be available for inspection and copying at the hearing. e. A court reporter shall make a transcript of all proceedings before the arbitrator. This transcript shall be the only official record of the proceedings and may be purchased by the challengers. If challengers do not purchase a copy of the transcript, a copy shall be available for inspection by challengers at the International headquarters during normal business hours. f. The arbitrator shall have control over all procedural matters affecting the arbitration in order to fulfill the dual needs of an informed and an expeditious arbitration. The arbitrator shall set forth in the decision the legal and arithmetic bases for the decision, giving full consideration to the legal requirements limiting the amount objectors may be charged. g. The parties to the arbitration shall have the right to file a post-hearing statement within fifteen (15) days after both parties have completed submission of their cases at the hearing. Such statements may not introduce new evidence nor discuss evidence not introduced in the arbitration. The arbitrator shall issue a decision within forty-five (45) days after the final date for submission of post-hearing statements or within such other reasonable period as is consistent with the applicable AAA rules and the requirements of law. h. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on all findings of fact supported by substantial evidence on the record considered as a whole and on other findings legally permitted to be binding on all parties. i. Upon receipt of the arbitrator’s award, any adjustment in favor of the challenger will be made from the escrow account. 9. Under Section 18.1 of the ATU Constitution and General Laws, each local union will be responsible for collecting and transmitting to the International Union each month from those who have made an objection the amount of the per capita tax certified as due under these procedures. In addition, each local will be responsible for developing a system covering local union fees that will meet the legal requirements relative to the objectors in the local. If the local union affirmatively opts to adopt the International procedures concerning fee objections on an integrated basis, no multiple notice (other than providing its independent auditor’s report to nonmember employees represented by the local union), objection, challenge or appeal procedures will be
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necessary. If, however, the local union adopts an independent system covering local union expenditures other than per capita tax, such arrangements must, by law, be included in the local’s procedures. The local’s procedures must, further, at a minimum: (1) establish record-keeping methods sufficient to permit an accurate calculation of the percentage of the local’s total expenditures that are chargeable to objectors; (2) provide for an independent audit which will enable the local union to verify annually the chargeable portion of the local’s total expenditures, the amount of the reduced fees payable by objectors, and the appropriate escrow amount; and (3) provide objectors a single, expeditious review of the calculation of the chargeable expenditures before a neutral person not selected by the local. Under either an integrated or independent local system governing local union fees, each local union is responsible for collecting only those fees as may be certified as properly due to the local union. 10. The provisions of this procedure shall be considered legally separable. Should any provision or portion hereof be held contrary to law by a court, administrative agency or arbitrator, the remaining provisions or portions thereof shall continue to be legally effective and binding. If, after consultation with each other, the International President or the local union business agent determines that modifications in this procedure are necessary to maintain compliance with applicable law, such modifications may be made in accordance with the Constitution and General Laws of the International Union or the bylaws of the local union, as applicable. NOTES 1. ATU-represented public employees in Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, or Oregon who are not members of the union are automatically considered objectors and are not required to make a filing under the provisions of Sections 2 and 4 of this Statement of Law and Procedures. The collective bargaining statute applicable to New Jersey public employers (with the significant exceptions of New Jersey Transit and NJT-Mercer) has the same impact. Similarly, except where a more stringent union security arrangement was in place on January 1, 1970, and has been continued in accordance with the “grandfathering” provisions of state law, the Pennsylvania public employee bargaining statute only permits a fair share union security clause under which every nonmember is obligated to pay only a reduced fee based upon prior chargeable expenditures. Local unions representing such members shall forward the names of all such nonmember objectors to the International Secretary-Treasurer, including the objector’s current home address and employer. 2. In accordance with applicable state laws, the reduced per capita tax owed by nonmember public employee objectors in Minnesota and New Jersey (except those working for New Jersey Transit or NJT-Mercer) shall be computed utilizing either the percentage of chargeable expenditures as verified by the report of the independent auditor retained by the International or eighty-five (85%) percent, whichever is lesser. 3. State statutes covering public employees in Minnesota and New Jersey (again, other than those workers employed by New Jersey Transit or NJT-Mercer)require that any person wishing to challenge the fees file an action with the state public employment board (Minnesota) or with a three-member board appointed by the governor specifically to hear fair share challenges (New Jersey). Where these statutes are applicable, any local union procedure must provide that the binding expeditious review be through the applicable state process.
Amalgamated Transit Union Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses Year Ended June 30, 2010 Net (U.S.) Includable Expenses
EXPENSES
General Fund Salaries and expenses $ 11,749,523 Seminars 848,265 Donations, charitable, political and scholarship expenses 356,306 Per capita taxes 1,307,633 Insurance 124,838 IN TRANSIT expenses 442,315 Net building operating expenses 282,022 Office and administrative 465,246 Other 475,112 Funeral and Dismemberment Benefits Fund Benefits paid Net building operating expenses
Chargeable
NonChargeable
$ 9,937,103 544,908
$ 1,812,420 303,357
100,407 334,700
356,306 1,307,633 24,431 107,615
226,830 374,197 371,037
55,192 91,049 104,075
Allocation Method
Time Records Content Non-Chargeable Non-Chargeable Time Records Space and Content Time Records Time Records Various
1,077,267
1,077,267
-
100% Chargeable
112,809
112,809
-
100% Chargeable
64,163 667,236
64,163 496,079
171,157
100% Chargeable Identified by case
1,263,439
817,346
446,093
Time Records
169,214 185,940
119,854 149,671
49,360 36,269
Building Fund Depreciation
Time Records Specific Identification
248,848
200,148
48,700
Time Records
Convention Fund Convention expenses
109,266
109,266
-
3,144,516
2,529,134
Defense Fund Arbitration expenses Outside legal fees Legal Department salaries and expenses Net building operating expenses Other
Health Fund Health care premium expenses Organizing Fund Total expenses Totals Percentage
323,463 $ 23,417,421 100.00%
$ 17,564,919
100% Chargeable
615,382
Time Records
323,463
100% Non-Chargeable
$ 5,852,502
75.01%
24.99%
Amalgamated Transit Union - Analysis of Objectors' Expenses - Year Ended June 30, 2010 To the Chair and Members of the General Executive Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union
NOTES TO ANALYSIS OF OBJECTORS’ EXPENSES YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2010
We have audited the accompanying Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses of the Amalgamated Transit Union (the Analysis) for the year ended June 30, 2010. The Analysis is the responsibility of the Union’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Analysis based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the Analysis is free of material misstatement. An audit includes consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the Analysis, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by ATU’s management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the Analysis. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. As described in Note 1, the Analysis was prepared on a modified cash basis of accounting, which is a comprehensive basis of accounting other than generally accepted accounting principles. The total net (U.S.) includable expenses presented in the Analysis agree to the expenses in the audited financial statements of the ATU for the year ended June 30, 2010, modified as discussed in Note 3. The allocations of expenses between chargeable and non-chargeable are based on the descriptions and the significant factors and assumptions described in Note 2. The accompanying Analysis was prepared for the purpose of determining the amount of the ATU’s expenses that are chargeable or non-chargeable to fee objectors. The accompanying Analysis is not intended to be a complete presentation of the ATU’s financial statements. In our opinion, the Analysis referred to above presents fairly, in all material respects, the includable expenses of the Amalgamated Transit Union for the year ended June 30, 2010, and the allocation between chargeable and non-chargeable expenses, on the basis of accounting described in Note 1 and significant factors and assumptions described in Note 2. This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Amalgamated Transit Union and its fee objectors and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.
NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Method of Accounting - The Analysis is presented using a modified cash basis of accounting. Generally, expenses are recognized when paid rather than when the obligation is incurred. However, accruals of expenses are recorded for certain transactions with local unions, funeral benefits and other items. Depreciation - Depreciation of property and equipment is charged to operations over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straightline method. Benefit Payments - The Union’s Constitution and General Laws provide for the payment of a $1,000 funeral or dismemberment benefit on behalf of members and fee payers in good standing with one or more years of continuous membership or fee payment at the time of their death or dismemberment. An expense is recognized for the benefit for life members at the time they become life members. The costs associated with this benefit for other members and fee payers are accounted for upon disbursement of the benefit. Estimates - The preparation of this Analysis requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates.
Washington, DC
Dated: September 9, 2010, except for the allocation of expenditures described in Note 2 as to which the date is November 10, 2010
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NOTE 2. PURPOSE OF ANALYSIS OF OBJECTORS’ EXPENSES AND SIGNIFICANT FACTORS AND ASSUMPTIONS USED IN DETERMINING CHARGEABLE AND NON-CHARGEABLE EXPENSES The purpose of this Analysis is for the determination of the percentage of fee objector dues (or their equivalent) expended by the Union for chargeable activities. Expenses for chargeable activities are those deemed “necessarily or reasonably incurred” to execute the representational duties of the Union. The percentage of Union expenses deemed not chargeable is used for determining advance dues (or their equivalent) reduction for fee objectors for the subsequent calendar year. The procedures followed in the preparation of this Analysis include categorization of each classification of expenses by chargeable and nonchargeable activities. This is accomplished by analyzing each classification of expenses and identifying amounts which are either chargeable or non-chargeable. The Union engaged professional assistance to determine criteria for identifying chargeable and non-chargeable expenses. The procedures and significant factors and assumptions used in this Analysis in determining these expenses are as follows: A. All expenses are identified by fund and reconciled to the Union’s annual financial statements. B. Canadian expenses within each fund are eliminated. C. Certain interfund transfers are recorded to more accurately reflect the Union activity for which certain expenditures were made.
D. Expenses are analyzed to identify chargeable and non-chargeable amounts using the following criteria: 1. Chargeable expenses include: • All- 3expenses concerning the negotiation of agreements, practices and working conditions; • All expenses concerning the administration of agreements, practices and working conditions, including grievance handling, all activities related to arbitration and discussion with employees in the bargaining unit or employer representatives regarding working conditions, benefits and contract rights; • Convention expenses and other normal Union internal governance and management expenses; • Social activities and Union business meeting expenses; • Publication expenses to the extent coverage is related to chargeable activities; • Expenses of litigation before the courts and administrative agencies related to contract administration, collective bargaining rights and internal governance; • Expenses for legislative, executive branch and administrative agency representation on legislative and regulatory matters closely related to contract ratification or the implementation of contracts; • All strike fund expenditures and other costs of group cohesion and economic action, e.g., demonstrations, general strike activity, informational picketing, etc.; • All expenses for the education and training of members, officers and staff intended to prepare the participants to better perform chargeable activities; • All funeral and dismemberment benefits; and • An allocable amount of all net building expenses. 2. Non-chargeable expenses include all other expenses. E. For those expenses which have both chargeable or non-chargeable aspects, allocations are made using certain ratios. Significant ratios used for these allocated expenses include ratios based on salary costs supported by time records and other ratios such as printed line ratios for allocation of certain publication costs. NOTE 3. RECONCILIATION OF ANALYSIS TO AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The expenses included in this analysis are based upon the total expenses of $26,450,827 reported in the audited financial statements of the Amalgamated Transit Union modified for the following: $2,821,014 in Canadian expenses has been excluded from this analysis. $212,392 relating to various expenses which have been offset by corresponding revenue items have been excluded from this analysis.
NOVEMBER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 2010
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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: The Fair Labor Standards Act: Part II I
n this second installment examining the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, we continue to explore how it applies to your day-to-day work routine. In the September/October In Transit, we looked at what constitutes work time. We now turn our attention to the wage and overtime rules set forth in the FLSA. As we previously noted, it is important to keep in mind that FLSA regulations are baseline rules, and an employer may not seek through a collective bargaining agreement to lessen the rights afforded employees under the FLSA. Collective bargaining agreements and state laws can, however, broaden the regulations of the FLSA, and that is no different when it comes to overtime pay and minimum wage requirements. As always, remember that the following information provides general guidelines and individual cases will vary based upon the particular facts and circumstances. OVERTIME PAY Compliance with FLSA overtime wage payment requirements is determined on a workweek basis. An employee’s workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours composed of seven consecutive 24hour periods. The workweek does not need to be defined as a calendar week and may begin on any day and at any hour of the day as set by the employer. Once established, however, the workweek remains fixed regardless of which hours an employee works. Although the FLSA does not require overtime pay if an employee works in excess of eight hours on a given day, there is no limit on the number of hours employees may work in any workday or workweek. For covered, nonexempt employees, the FLSA requires overtime pay at a rate of not less than one and one half times an employee’s regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek. Normally, overtime pay earned in a particular workweek must be paid on the regular pay day for the pay period in which the wages were earned. The FLSA does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, unless of course the work done on those days results in exceeding the 40 hours of work in the employee’s workweek.
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IN TRANSIT
The employer and employee cannot agree to waive overtime payment that is due under the FLSA, but it is possible that your collective bargaining agreement could provide for additional overtime benefits not mandated by the FLSA. In addition to the FLSA’s overtime regulations, 34 states have also enacted their own overtime pay laws. In situations where an employee is subject to both the state and federal overtime laws, the employee is entitled to overtime according to the higher standard (i.e., the standard that will provide the higher rate of pay). MINIMUM WAGE While the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by your local union will generally set forth the relevant wage structure, it is still important to have a fundamental understanding of the minimum wage law. The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour, a standard that went into effect on July 24, 2009. Most states have also established their own minimum wage, while five actually have no minimum wage law at all. Similar to situations in which a state has its own overtime pay regulations, where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. The Department of Labor provides a helpful guide to state minimum wage laws at http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm. RECORDKEEPING AND REPORTING Employers are required to keep accurate records on employees and their wages and hours worked. While there is no specific form for such records, some of the basic records that must be kept include: the time and day of the week upon which an employee’s workweek begins, the hours worked each day and the total hours worked each workweek, total straight-time and overtime earnings each workweek, and pay days and the pay period covered by each paycheck. There are no specific reporting requirements in the FLSA with regard to the these records, but the employer’s records must be kept open for inspection by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The records may be kept at the place of employment or at a central records office. If you feel your employer is not adhering to any FLSA requirements, we recommend you consult with your appropriate local union representatives. In addition, you may contact the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division at http://www. dol.gov/whd/america2.htm or 1-866-4USWAGE to file a complaint.
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In Memoriam
Death Benefits Awarded September 1, 2010 - October 31, 2010 1- MEMBERS AT LARGE VERNE E AUSTIN NOAH J CHRISTNER SAMUEL P ENTSMINGER WALLACE L HENMAN ANTHONY P ROMBOUTS BURL B SCARBOROUGH EDWARD L VAUGHN 26- DETROIT, MI CARLTON W BRADLEY VERNON LEE BROWN LAKEISHA R DAWSON JEWELL RAY GREENE RALPH C JONES BERNETA LEE JOHN DAVID MULCAHY WALTER PORTER SAMUEL THOMAS 85- PITTSBURGH, PA ALAN J BENKO JAMES ENGELSIEPEN LOIS R HODGE-EPPS ERIC RAYMOND LINDBERG JOHN R MURRAY DARLENE Y PERKINS GEORGE H TAYLOR DAVID H WELCH 113- TORONTO, ON HAROLD CHAMBERLAIN GIUSEPPE CONTE POMPILIO DEFRANCESCO VASSILIKI DROUTSAS GORDON C FORBES MIKE GRIESI LOUIE KOUSMANIDIS JOSEPH JOHN LACEY GHEORGHE LAZAR BURTON LEY JACK MEIKLE DEREK MOYES BRENDAN O’CARROLL DAVID RAMNARINE BAXTER REGULAR WILLIAM W SAMLER WILLIAM W SMITH AZADE THERIAULT KOSMAS VELLIANIS FREDERICK C WALDERS 134- VANCOUVER, BC DERRICK HENRY DREDGE 192- OAKLAND, CA CARL J GAINES VIVIAN C KAHL GLORIA G MORGAN-WILLIAMS HARVEY B RICHARDSON ANTONIO A TOSTE RITA M TURNER 241- CHICAGO, IL KEITH ANWAR WILLIAM R BAILEY LOUIS BELL JR ALDON A BLAND NORMAN BOLDEN EDWARD BROWN RICHARD BROWN PETER A CORONADO JACK GRAHAM GEORGIA M GUYTON JESSE L JUMPER LUIS A MONTALVO AMOS PEARSON SHERI RAYNARD ROY C RIPKA JOSEPH J SCALETTA THEODAS SMITH THEODORE R WEDDINGTON
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265- SAN JOSE, CA TIM LOUGHRAN LETICIA SILVESTER RICHARD VAUGHAN 268- CLEVELAND, OH PETER ALBERINO JOHN KRYCH 272- YOUNGSTOWN, OH GEORGE P CLARK 276- STOCKTON, CA DWAYNE L SPIVEY 279- OTTAWA, ON JEAN-PAUL DUBIEN BOBBI JO FIELD-DE LOS SANTOS BERNARD HENRIE VLADIMIR KRELINA GERALD ROY ALFRED WITTKOPF 282- ROCHESTER, NY ARTHUR DANA JR PETER B JACOB 308- CHICAGO, IL MICHAEL D CASELMAN MICHAEL G JEFFERSON WILBERT JOHNSON ELWOOD LATHAM JEROME MUHAMMAD THOMAS RACKY SULLIVAN RICHARDSON JAMES J WATKINS JOHN M WORLDS 425- HARTFORD, CT EDWARD C NYACK JR EDWARD JOHN SAPOLIS
JOHN M O’DONNELL OTTAVIO J PRIZZIO JOHN J WALL 615- SASKATOON, SK WILLIAM JOHN CAMPBELL FRANK ROGALSKY 616- WINDSOR, ON CORBETT W RYAN GLENN SIEGNER 618- PROVIDENCE, RI JOHN P WALSH JOHN C WATKINS JR 689- WASHINGTON, DC JOSEPH F ABOSSO JR GEORGE C ADAMS ROBERT M ANDERSON MOSES D BAKER CURTIS L BROWN THOMAS WILLIS BROWNER VANZAGO D DAVIS JOHN KEITH EDWARDS RONNY FERGUSON GREGORY L HALL ROBERT M HAMBERG DAVID H HERNDON JR RAY E HITT MEDFORD LEE JENKINS EDWARD C KLINE WARREN S MORGAN WILLARD H PINKNEY LESTER E PRUITT DAVID H SCROGGS RICHARD LEE STOKELY 694- SAN ANTONIO, TX FRANK S GARCIA NICOLAS B GOMEZ
448- SPRINGFIELD, MA CARROLL L GRANGER
713- MEMPHIS, TN JOE E CASHER ARTHUR C CONNER BEN W KNIGHT FLOYD M PANNELL EWITT YOUNG
508- HALIFAX, NS TODD G JAMES
726- STATEN ISLAND, NY STEVEN SANTAGELO
569- EDMONTON, AB KEN CHELLIAH ROBERT S DOLAN CYRIL JOHN PATON KENNETH H RUTH JOHN FRANCIS SILLIS
732- ATLANTA, GA RALPH BURTS
443- STAMFORD, CT VICTOR P CHIAPPETTA
758- TACOMA, WA CINDEE K DOSS MICHAEL FILBY
583- CALGARY, AB ROY A GIRLING DONALD A MATTHEWS
779- SIOUX CITY, IA LESTER W WILSON
587- SEATTLE, WA RICHARD STONE KIMBALL ANTHONY T LEE VICTOR J VERDOORN JERBE A WEBSTER
788- ST. LOUIS, MO ARTHUR FRANKLIN DARLENE JONES EDDIE W MOORE JERALD D TAGGART ROBERT WAGNER
588- REGINA, SK NOEL J PARISIEN 589- BOSTON, MA JOHN J CURRAN JR VINCENT ERTI NATHANIEL HARRISON JOHN J HAYES JR JOHN R MARIANI THOMAS H MC GLOWN KINGSTON C NORMAN
819- NEWARK, NJ ANTONIO ALMEIDA GUMERSINDO BONILLA CALVIN B BROOKS WANIKI BRYANT CRAIG LOGAN SADIE MOCCIOLA ROBERT T POWELL 820- UNION CITY, NJ FRANCISCO ACOSTA
878- EVANSVILLE, IN WILLIAM L SCOTT 880- CAMDEN, NJ JOHN E DIXON RAUSHANAH RASHEED HOMER M THOMPSON
1300- BALTIMORE, MD CHARLES L CALHOUN FLORES NICOL CHAPPLE ROBERT W GRIFFIN CORNELIOUS JACKSON LOUISE JORDAN ALFRED V LANG
981- ALEXANDRIA, LA ROOSEVELT VANDYKE
1309- SAN DIEGO, CA RAYMOND E DEY
993- OKLAHOMA CITY, OK GROVER C CAYWOOD
1342- BUFFALO, NY LAWRENCE COYLE LONNIE FOUNTAIN CHARLES JEFFERYS THOMAS M MC CARTHY CHESTER OLEN ROBERT J SMITH JOHN T WILLIAMS LESLIE H WRIGHT
998- MILWAUKEE, WI LEE E FULFORD JAMES HEIDENREICH FLORYAN B LITKOWIEC CORNELIUS MITCHELL JR JOHN A PERKOWICH JR KENNETH W WEBER
1374- CALGARY, AB WILLIAM A BARTLETT FREDERICK R BROOKS WAYNE STEPHEN WILSON
1001- DENVER, CO ERNEST E DE BACA 1005- MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, MN GARY A DAHLBERG HERBERT W FRIEDRICH PAUL R HAKALA DONALD J LINDNER EUGENE E SEIFERT
1385- DAYTON, OH ROBERT A HUTCHISON SHIRLEY D ISNER
1015- SPOKANE, WA BARBARA G HAGER
1436- HARRISBURG, PA JOSEPH JACENKO LARRY MOYER
1091- AUSTIN, TX JOHN MUGNO 1177- NORFOLK, VA RICHARD S ELLIOTT 1181- NEW YORK, NY LAWRENCE ABEL EDWARD ALEXANDER ELIZABETH BRUNO SALVATORE CASCONE ROBERT CONNOLLY KENNETH JOHN DE MARIA JOSEPH DONAHUE NILDA Z ECHEVARRIA ROSE MONDELLA ENRIQUE MURRELL ANTOINETTE SANTIAGO ROSE TOWARD FRANCES TOWNSON ELEANOR WILLIAMS 1209- NEW LONDON, CT VINCENT L CIRRITO KENNETH I HAYDEN
1415- TORONTO, ON JOSEPH ST LOUIS
1464- TAMPA, FL CHERLYLENE M BEALL 1498- JOPLIN, MO ARTHUR KRAEMER HAROLD WOLF 1505- WINNIPEG, MB ROBERT JAMES DEAMEL WALTER J GREGORY WILLIAM R HOPKINS ROLAND HUTLET BARRIE M ROBB 1548- PLYMOUTH, MA PAUL L JOHNSON 1555- OAKLAND, CA FREDDIE J EVANS 1564- DETROIT, MI KENNETH L WEBSTER 1572- MISSISSAUGA, ON ROBERT MC FARLANE
1220- RICHMOND, VA DONALD L SMITH MERRIX WILSON JR
1573- BRAMPTON, ON ROSS STURINO
1229- ST JOHN, NB LAWRENCE R CALVIN
1596- ORLANDO, FL BRYAN W WALDEN
1235- NASHVILLE, TN PHILLIP D STEWART
1624- PETERBOROUGH, ON JOHN ABBOTT
1277- LOS ANGELES, CA RODNEY A BOWEN MANUEL S GONZALES LEON GOUDEAU RICO T HUDSON WILFREDO PANGILINAN EDUARDO F RAMIREZ ELIAS SERRANO HIDEO TAKEMOTO
1700- CHICAGO, IL DONNIE M JOHNSON HARRY A NIEC 1743- PITTSBURGH, PA WENDELL E COUNCIL 1763- ROCKY HILL, CT DEBRA KIRBY
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
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Amalgamated Transit Union
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Season’s Greetings from the International Officers and Staff !
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID WASHINGTON, D.C. PERMIT NO. 2656