In Transit - November/December

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

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS LAWRENCE J. HANLEY International President JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR. International Executive Vice President OSCAR OWENS International Secretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS RICHARD M. MURPHY Newburyport, MA – rmurphy@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 MARCELLUS BARNES Flossmore, IL – mbarnes@atu.org RAY RIVERA Lilburn, GA – rrivera@atu.org YVETTE TRUJILLO Thornton, CO – ytrujillo@atu.org GARY JOHNSON, SR. Cleveland, OH – gjohnson@atu.org ROBIN WEST Halifax, NS – rwest@atu.org JOHN COSTA Kenilworth, NJ – jcosta@atu.org CHUCK WATSON Syracuse, NY – cwatson@atu.org BRUCE HAMILTON New York, NY – bhamilton@atu.org MICHELLE SOMMERS Brooklyn Park, MN – msommers@atu.org JAMES LINDSAY Santa Clarita, CA – jlindsay@atu.org EMANUELE (MANNY) SFORZA Toronto, ON – msforza@atu.org JOHN CALLAHAN Winnipeg, MB – jcallahan@atu.org CURTIS HOWARD Atlanta, GA – choward@atu.org NATALIE CRUZ Lorain, OH – npcruz@atu.org

NEWSBRIEFS Pedestrian is latest injured in blind spot-related crash in Lancaster, PA A preventable bus crash that injured a Lancaster, PA, pedestrian in a crosswalk highlights the dangerous design flaws in urban buses that create huge blind spots for drivers. “We are glad this pedestrian was not seriously hurt in this incident. But this accident did not have to happen,” said John Habanec, president of Local 1241-Lancaster, PA, representing workers at Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA). “Crosswalks are the industry’s Achilles’ heel, and blind spots for operators created by poor bus design are the reason why. Yet bus drivers are being unfairly blamed and even disciplined for these preventable accidents.”

The blind spots are created by poor design and mirror placement that can hide well over a dozen pedestrians from a driver’s view. Drivers have to “bob and weave” or “rock and roll” in their seats to try to make sure their path is clear, but even that often isn’t enough. Buses in Europe don’t have these design flaws. ATU has been engaged in a union-wide effort to call on transit agencies, elected officials, and bus manufacturers to fix bus operator workstations and reduce injuries and fatalities from crosswalk crashes.

Defying predictions, US union membership isn’t dropping post-Janus The US Supreme Court’s treacherous decision on union dues six months ago isn’t having the negative impact on membership numbers that anti-union groups hoped it would. In fact, quite the opposite appears to be true, as many unions, including the ATU, have seen their ranks grow. “I think the right wing thought this would decimate public-sector unions, and they were clearly wrong,” says Kim Cook of the Cornell University Worker Institute.

Like ATU, many unions have been waging aggressive organizing campaigns and urging members to “stick with their union.” However, the forces behind the Janus ruling will not sit silent. They are setting their sights on state legislatures next year with legislation that will attempt to further erode union power. You can be sure ATU and the labor movement will be prepared for the fight.

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES DENNIS ANTONELLIS

Spokane, WA – dantonellis@atu.org

STEPHAN MACDOUGALL

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUS

ANTHONY GARLAND

International President Jim La Sala, ret.

International President Warren George, ret.

Boston, MA – smacdougall@atu.org Washington, DC – agarland@atu.org

ANTONETTE BRYANT

Oakland, CA – abryant@atu.org

SESIL RUBAIN New Carrollton, MD – srubain@atu.org MIKE HARMS Pittsburgh, PA – mharms@atu.org MARILYN WILLIAMS St. Louis, MO – mwilliams@atu.org

ATU CANADA JOHN DI NINO

Maple, ON – president@atucanada.ca

International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret.

International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret.

Subscription: USA and Canada, $5 a year. Single copy: 50 cents. All others: $10 a year. Published bimonthly by the Amalgamated Transit Union, Editor: David Roscow, Designer: Paul A. Fitzgerald. Editorial Office: 10000 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20903. Tel: 1-301-431-7100 . Please send all requests for address changes to the ATU Registry Dept. ISSN: 0019-3291. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40033361. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: APC Postal Logistics, LLC, PO Box 503, RPO, West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6.

CONTENT

lic Transit ave the Planet?

N OV/ D E C

2018 Vol. 127, No. 6

15 Local 113, ATU Canada rachet up campaign against upload of TTC 16 Joint Industry Councils take next steps 20 Milwaukee bus driver goes above and beyond 21 Maintenance members energized by training

CAN PUBLIC TRANSIT HELP SAVE THE PLANET?

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22 Legislative Agenda: Riding the wave?

23 ATU wins ILCA 2018 Labor Media Awards 24 Public transportation use linked to better public health

Toledo Local decries service cuts, praises plan for citizens’ transit task force

25 Legal Notice 27 Translations (Spanish) 31 In Memoriam

BAD PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION KEEPS AMERICANS POOR. THESE FOLKS WON’T TOLERATE IT.

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2 International Officers & General Executive Board

News Briefs

3 Index page 4 “Not Just an Ache” report confirms operating a bus is painful

32 Stay connected with the ATU App

STAY CONNECTED For the latest ATU News and Action Alerts please check out the ATU’s social media network facebook.com/ATUInternational

5 International President’s Message: Feedback 6 International Executive Vice President’s Message: Open the door to all citizens 7 International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message: A sleeping giant is awake 11 ATU Canada Locals push national transit strategy on Parliament Hill

twitter.com/ATUComm youtube.com/user/stpatuorg flickr.com/photos/atuinternational/

13 ATU Canada Lobby Days 14 Stuff the Bus - Locals in the holiday spirit with Stuff the Bus campaigns

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“Not Just an Ache” report confirms operating a bus is painful Another study confirms drivers’ workstations are killing bus operators. While this comes as no surprise, the report finds bus operators experience significantly higher rates of pain than other US workers. The Mineta Transportation Institute study on musculoskeletal pain and discomfort found that 85% of operators experienced pain in one or more areas of the body over the past 12 months, compared to 55% in the general population. The research study of about 1,000 operators at King County Metro in Seattle, WA, showed particular areas of concern for operators are the neck, shoulders, lower back, knees and generally the right side of the body. These results support findings from other studies on musculoskeletal pain and injury in bus operators.

Department. You would think this cost would move agencies to find a solution, but the problem may only get worse. According to the study, expenditures on workers’ compensation claims do not paint the whole picture. The gaps between being prevented from doing normal work (51%), medical visits for pain (60%), and filed claims (19%) shows that there are huge unrealized costs in workers’ compensation claims that are not being filed.

While the pain and suffering bus operators are forced to live and work through should convince agencies to do better, they consistently refuse responsibility and continue to purchase and roll out buses that are injuring operators and passengers. From poor workstation design to abysmal air filtering, these bus design deficiencies are coming at a huge cost to operators and agencies.

Our industry has failed to respond to this epidemic of injuries, and the costs are staggering. The physics are clear and well understood. Conestoga wagon suspension systems, passive seats, and high-effort steering, plus endless bobbing and weaving to mitigate huge blind spots, are all unnecessary hazards to us, the public and agency budgets across North America.

Operator lower back injuries account for 12.8% of all costs

For links to the report and much more information, the ATU International has materials analyzing these problems and providing solutions at https://atucomm.org/. v

At King County Metro, lower back injuries alone account for 12.8% of all costs, according to research from King County and the University of Washington Ergonomics

WANT TO STAY UPDATED AND GET THE LATEST UPDATES ABOUT ATU? To Join ATU International Text Messaging, text “ATUINTL” to the number 33733 to subscribe 4

November/December 2018 | IN TRANSIT

LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

Feedback We get some very strong feedback on our publications, website, social media, and sometimes our mail, especially when we talk politics. Often our political discussions shift our attention away from the ATU’s central focus the health and welfare of our members.

In the recent In Transit magazines, we have heavily focused on the programs we run to advance our members’ interests.

We’d like some feedback on those programs.

We’ve been working on revisions and improvements to make these programs the best they can be. I’m thinking about training, safety on the job, health issues of transit workers, blind spots on buses, bathroom breaks, assaults on our members and more. Whatever has caught your eye that would help us think about the future of these programs for our membership.

How can we improve Bear in mind, the International Union guides major programs. We are not in the garage with Local grievance and other issues impacting our members every day.

On the other hand, we stand behind and support the officers and members who are. We provide research and training for every Local to better serve our members, including bargaining research, health, safety, and other assistance every day.

But, we want to hear from you – our members – on how we can better serve you. So, if you have a minute or two, send us a short note telling us how we can improve. Send your suggestions, comments, and ideas to communications@atu.org. v

In December, we held a training with a diverse group of maintenance workers with a wide range of job titles and experience levels, creating an innovative, handson learning experience for all (see page 21). This winter, we are running two more separate maintenance trainings at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center. During these trainings we are trying to learn more about the current and emerging issues impacting our non-driving members and their needs.

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JAVIER PEREZ, JR., INTERNATIONAL EXEC. VICE PRESIDENT

Open the door to all citizens We encourage Locals and members to be active in their communities. Members who do so build good will for our Locals. More importantly they experience the satisfaction of being part of the fabric of the places we call home. I spend some time with a community agency focusing on citizens returning from our prison system.

Returning Citizens face complex health, education, housing, employment and basic living needs. Without intervention, the likelihood of returning to incarceration is high. The human cost of recidivism is alarming; ripple effect of more crime, victimization, loss of productivity, exacerbated poverty, etc. The challenge is to mobilize assistance from the community to enhance the successful reintegration back into the community and workforce by former offenders.

In November a bipartisan group of senators with the help of a diverse coalition made up of Police, Prosecutors, the American Civil liberties Union and yes even President Trump. Put forth a tentative legislative package called the First Step Act. The Act builds on a prison overhaul bill already passed overwhelmingly by the House by adding changes that would begin to unwind some of the toughon-crime federal policies of the 1980s and 1990s that incarcerated African-American offenders at much higher rates than white offenders.

normal high school experience no serious problems, good family and such. Then after high school he couldn’t find a job He basically ended up becoming a drug runner for a street gang. He was just a young kid and did it for a number of years. Well he was caught, and arrested a first time and they said no criminal record we are going to let you off the hook. He was arrested second time and they warned him be careful. The third time you know what happened it was the third strike. He went before a judge and keep in mind he had not spent one day in jail prior to this and there were no weapons involved. The judge said, ‘the guidelines were written in a way I have no choice,’.”

The young man was given a life sentence for the sale of crack cocaine.

Fast forward twenty-two years a woman with a great name, a defender in Chicago, My Angel Cody, came to me and convinced me to ask President Obama to commute his sentence which he did. The man is now working as a mechanic for the CTA in Chicago repairing buses, he’s married and has a granddaughter. He would have spent the rest of his life in prison.

As we build our apprenticeship programs to enhance the knowledge, skills and pay of our existing members, let’s not forget to open the door to all our citizens.

Combining new funding for anti-recidivism programs, the expansion of early-release credits for prisoners and the reduction of certain mandatory minimum sentences, the compromise bill would help shape the experiences of tens of thousands of current inmates and future offenders.

On another note, ATU annually awards a $2,000 vocational scholarship to an applicant who will attend a technical or vocational post-secondary school. The competition is open to ATU members, their children and grandchildren.

No one has ever applied. Let’s make this the year that changes. v

I attended an event where Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, discussed the same and told the following amazing story.

Please visit www.atu.org for more information and the latest ATU news.

“Here was a young man in the city of Chicago. He had a

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OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

A sleeping giant is awake It’s been more than six months since the U.S. Supreme Court’s treacherous decision on union dues came down.

Many pundits were predicting—and many anti-union groups and their billionaire backers were hoping—it would be the proverbial final nail in the coffin of U.S. labor unions.

Boy were they wrong.

In fact, quite the opposite appears to be true, as many unions, including our union, have seen their ranks grow.

Rediscovering our roots International President Larry Hanley put it best: “At the ATU, we didn’t take a wait-and-see approach. We knew where the Supreme Court was heading, so we used the past year to rediscover our roots, strengthen our locals, and engage tens of thousands of members who have recommitted to the trade union cause. Their power play has awoken a sleeping giant – organized labor.”

You know what? I’m not surprised at all.

ATU has a long history of fighting for the rights of our members, riders, and working people. And when our backs are against the wall, we fight even harder.

This U.S. Supreme Court decision has actually sparked a new generation of ATU activists, making our union stronger, more unified, and more engaged.

In Canada, our Locals across the country gathered in Ottawa, ON, for a Lobby Day to push an ATU-designed National Transit Strategy calling for dedicated operational funding and more (see story on page 11). They met with more than 30 Members of Parliament and key Ministers.

In Alexandria, VA, DASH workers beat back a union busting campaign and overwhelmingly voted to join ATU. The workers and the ATU engaged in an aggressive campaign against the union-busting by mobilizing elected officials, labor and transit advocates to support their drive to organize.

Yet we must not rest on our laurels, because the challenges that lie ahead for our union and the labor movement overall will be greater.

Those forces behind the Janus ruling—the Koch brothers and their corporate cronies­—will not sit silent. They are setting their sights on U.S. state legislatures in 2019 with legislation that will attempt to further erode union power.

In Toronto, ON, Premier Doug Ford is steamrolling ahead with his plans to break-up and sell-off the Toronto Transit Commission, starting with Toronto’s subway.

So now, more than ever, we must remain unified and strong. So, get involved and engaged. The future of our union depends on it. v Please visit www.atu.org for more information and the latest ATU news.

In Connecticut, our Locals are waging an aggressive campaign to ensure bathroom breaks for our members.

Together, the Locals are coordinating their bargaining strategy on bathroom breaks, engaging their members, and educating their riders and the public about this problem.

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Can Public Transit Help Save the Planet?

Something big is happening in the halls of the U.S. Congress this year. A new generation of Democratic lawmakers are proposing—and winning impressive support for—what they say would be the largest reorganization of our economy and biggest domestic mobilization of national resources in history. They’re calling it the Green New Deal, and they want to use it to tackle the two most acute crises facing the world today: economic inequality and climate change.

Representing 200,000 transit workers in the U.S. and Canada, ATU is uniquely positioned at the intersection of environmental and economic policy. ATU members fight to take home our fair share; to win more democracy on the job; and to persuade federal, state, provincial, and local governments to invest in public transit. Transit workers, better than anyone, understand that better transit is necessary to protect our environment and improve the lives of our neighbors.

The concept of a Green New Deal, one that includes major transit investments, actually isn’t new at all, but a resurgent movement of young Americans linking environmental and economic justice in ways never done before.

Canadians and Americans who are a little older have cause to hesitate. After all, the last 40 years has been defined by governments that are unwilling to take bold action to address our failing economic system or deteriorating climate. Instead, they have focused on mining every dollar and resource they can from working families and the environment. The current generation of political leaders have been on this dangerous path since 1979.

Community: The Solution to Economic and Environmental Crisis In 1979, the economies of the U.S. and Canada were entering

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a major economic slowdown. Interest rates, inflation, and international oil prices were drastically rising. A recession was on the horizon, and working class North Americans could already feel the pain it would bring.

Like our economy, our environment – both in nature and at work – was suffering, too. By 1979, the U.S. had already passed legislation establishing health and safety standards at work, protecting drinking water, and banning CFCs that were creating a hole in the ozone layer. In Canada, labor advocates won paid maternity leave, while environmentalists founded Greenpeace and stopped the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. But environmental and labor advocates in both countries knew that harsh realities lied ahead.

In the U.S., nothing made that clearer than the 1979 nuclear meltdown at the Three Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania, the massive Pemex oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Church Rock Uranium Mill Spill in New Mexico. In Canada, the James Bay Project, which would go on to provide clean hydroelectric power but at the cost of flooding 11,500 square kilometers (~7,100 square miles) of wilderness and indigenous land with mercury-contaminated water, moved ahead despite fierce environmental opposition.

Facing the combination of an impending economic recession, a resurgent conservation movement, and a global energy crisis that sent fuel prices skyrocketing, U.S. President Jimmy Carter delivered a lengthy, televised address to the American people in July 1979. “All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America,” he said. “What is lacking is confidence and a sense of community.”

In that speech, Carter proposed an “extra $10 billion over the next decade to strengthen our public transportation systems.” He also asked Americans to “take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week.” He

argued that by changing government priorities and personal behavior, Americans could free the country of its dependence on foreign oil and improve the economy. “Every act of energy conversation like this is more than just common sense,” he said. “I tell you it is an act of patriotism.”

Carter, of course, went on to lose in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, who ushered in an era of environmental and economic deregulation that haunts us to this day. Reagan used that speech to frame Carter as a weak leader, but the 39th President’s words seem eerily prophetic today.

How can people restore their sense of community, not just as citizens of a country or neighbors on a continent but as citizens of a world that faces near-certain climate catastrophe?

What can people learn from advocates of the Green New Deal, who are joining together to demand that the U.S. government invest in a sustainable economy?

Through internal and rider organizing, ATU members are already answering these questions. For every one ATU member, there are a hundred riders with whom transit workers can rebuild cities in ways that sustain our families and our environment. ATU members also know transportation better than anyone, and our industry will have to undergo unprecedented changes to reduce its impact in the earth’s climate. But what might those changes to transportation look like?

Zero Emissions Public Transit To meet goals set internationally by the Paris Climate Accord, Canada and the U.S. would need to reduce transportationrelated emissions by a whopping 80% and 86%, respectively, by 2050.

To accomplish this, one version of the Green New Deal calls for the introduction of 100% zero emission passenger vehicles by 2030. It also calls for “large investment…to increase access to safe pedestrian and bicycle travel, lowcarbon bus rapid transit, and electrified light rail” and ending the use of fossil fuels in 100% of “aviation, heavy duty…and rail” vehicles by 2050.

According to the Center for American Progress, “transportation, including passenger vehicles, [contributed] 37% of the total energy-related carbon dioxide emitted in 2016.” In fact, for the first time since 1979, U.S. transportation now emits more carbon dioxide than electricity production.

A full 60% of the transportation industry’s carbon dioxide emissions come from cars and trucks alone, making private car travel the least environmentally sustainable way to get around. The wave of Uber and Lyft vehicles saturating urban markets is only making this problem worse. In New York City alone, for example, taxis and app-based drivers added 600 million more miles traveled to the city’s streets in 2016, “only one-third of which were with a passenger in the car,” reports Curbed.

ATU members already know that public transit is far more environmentally sustainable. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), heavy rail produces 76% less in greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than private cars. That’s followed by light rail systems, which produce 62% less and bus systems, which produce 33% less.

Those measurements are based on two factors: how the vehicle is fueled and how many people are riding it.

The U.S. DOT says that a diesel-fueled transit bus that has 40 passengers on board produces a whopping 86% fewer emissions than if the same number of people rode in private cars. Even if a diesel bus carries as few as seven passengers, it’s still polluting less than cars. A heavy rail car, by comparison, needs to have at least 19% of its seats filled to produce fewer emissions than cars do.

The introduction of electric-powered buses in cities across the U.S. and Canada would improve these ratios drastically.

Likewise, states and provinces could aggressively move to change the way they generate electricity used to power subway, trolley, and streetcar systems. Several states and provinces with rail systems—British Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, and California—are making plans to ditch fossil fuel power plants and use wind, solar, tidal, and other zero emission systems to fuel electrified transit instead.

Soaring Public Transit Ridership While we can reduce emissions on transit vehicles, it won’t make a dent in the industry’s overall emissions if we don’t help get a lot more people out of their cars and onto buses and trains. The New York-based Transit Center argues that, “the urgency of reducing carbon emissions demands broader action, including shifting behavior from driving to sustainable modes like public transportation.”

Unfortunately, transit ridership dropped 2.5% across the U.S. in 2017. But transit ridership across Canada, from IN TRANSIT

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Vancouver to Montreal, increased about 1.3% the same year.

What’s going on here?

Streetsblog writer Angie Schmitt took a closer look. “Falling gas prices, loose auto lending standards, and the rise of ridehailing apps like Uber and Lyft are all plausible factors,” for the decline in U.S. ridership, she said. “But that’s no excuse for transit service that can’t retain riders. For proof, look no further than Canada.”

Europeans aren’t just investing in better, more sustainable service. They’re also expanding fare-free public transit. In addition to Tallinn, Estonia—the largest city in the world with free transit—a total of 21 cities in Poland, 20 in France, and more than a dozen others across the continent have shifted to paying for transit through taxes rather than rider fares. Five major German cities, the French capital of Paris, and the entire nation of Luxembourg are heading in that direction, too.

“Canadian cities just have more service per capita than the most comparable U.S. cities,” explains Human Transit writer Christopher Yuen. “Canadian transit isn’t cuter, sexier, or more ‘demand responsive’ than transit in the U.S. There is simply more of it, so more people ride, so transit is more deeply imbedded in the culture and politics.”

Will We or Won’t We?

Analysts looking at Seattle, Houston, and Phoenix, the only U.S. cities to see ridership increase, reached the same conclusion. Riders will stick with a system that is well-funded, expands service, and takes on whole-system improvements, rather than just gimmicky one-off projects. Seattle stands out, with a full 70% of trips to its downtown core made by transit, walking, or cycling.

But it’s no more of a fantasy than an eight-hour workday, a five-day workweek, or the right to speak your mind on the job was in 1892, when transit workers gathered in Indiana to form what would become the ATU. Yet, within three decades, Canadian and U.S. transit workers accomplished those goals.

In its 2014 report on developing sustainable transit for small communities, the Northern Alberta Development Council (NADC) recommends that political leaders rethink transit investment with a “triple bottom line” in mind. “Instead of the conventional focus on economic bottom lines,” they write, local leaders should “give equal weight to economic, social, and environmental outcomes.” The NADC says public officials should “weight the municipal savings and expense against the benefits and costs to individuals, families, neighbourhoods, businesses and the eco system.”

With a triple bottom line in mind, U.S. and Canadian officials can turn to their European counterparts to see what this looks like. Berlin, Germany, has a transit system considered “in crisis,” but the city-state’s transport department isn’t passing the buck. In a 350-page paper released in early 2018, policymakers laid out major service expansions and improvements. Within a matter of years, they promise: •

A bus will arrive every ten minutes on every line

•

New local and express buses will be introduced in transit deserts

•

At least nine additional routes will operate 24-hours a day

•

By 2030, every single bus will run on electricity

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Public transit, free for all, arriving on time, available around the clock, and completely powered by the wind, sun, and seas. This may seem like fantasy in 2019.

It also seemed like a fantasy when President Carter called for Americans to unite and save their communities by ending their dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Yet, here we are, forty years later, watching a new generation of activists and elected officials champion a Green New Deal that goes further than Carter ever imagined.

It won’t be easy for transit workers to build a world in which politicians make massive investments in transit, in which all transit is zero emission, in which millions more of our neighbors take transit every day. But that challenge pales in comparison to the sacrifices and disaster that await if we dismiss these goals as fantasy.

Fortunately, ATU members aren’t in this fight alone.

Nearly 19 million transit riders, and hundreds of millions of people across the continent, are increasingly ready to follow our lead. v

ATU Canada locals push national transit straTEGy on parliament hill

Since taking the helm as President of ATU Canada in late July, it’s clear that John Di Nino is on a mission to unify our members from coast to coast as One Voice, One Canada, One ATU! Our Union and Locals across the country face many challenges, and we are preparing by training our leaders and members, developing a unified strategy, and taking action.

a plan to move forward, and rebranded the look and feel of ATU Canada to build greater awareness of ATU Canada and engage members through social media.

In addition, recognizing the needs of our Locals and the campaigns that lie ahead, two National Organizers were hired to effectively support all Locals across Canada.

They’re already busy creating a war room to chart ATU

Among the biggest issues we face is the fight against privatization, which is threatening transit agencies and other public services across our country. We have seen this fight before, as our Locals in Ontario have been waging a Keep Transit Public campaign in the province.

Charting a course for ATU Canada’s future In October, the ATU Canada Executive Board, in conjunction with the International, began a transition period in order to take ATU Canada in a new direction to better serve our Locals and members across the country.

Over a two-month period, they completed an operational review of ATU Canada, developed leadership training and

No training session would be complete without a group portrait... turned selfie!

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Locals and associated rider groups across the country, and are ready to start moving forward to build alliances across Canada.

Training Another area that deeply needed attention was Stewards Training. We were pleased to receive so many requests for this important training. “Having personally served as a steward for 15 years, I understood the urgency and necessity to deliver this training as soon as possible to give our members the representation that they expect and rightfully deserve,” says Di Nino. In just under two months, ATU Canada, working with the International, started to deliver training, which began in Vancouver, British Columbia, then headed east to Hamilton, Ontario, training members from 14 different ATU Locals, more than a third of ATU Canada Locals.

ATU hits Parliament Hill for Lobby Day In late November, more than 50 members from Locals across Canada came together in Ottawa for Lobby Days.

To ensure they were prepared to maximize the impact of these visits on Parliament Hill, members received a full day of essential training on Political Action for Public Sector Unions, facilitated by Bill Cole, an expert specializing in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Cole is a Senior Research Associate in the Labor & Work Life Program at Harvard Law School. This extensive training provided useful tips, exercises, and role-playing scenarios that demonstrated effective ways to keep lobby meeting discussions on track. The role playing was instrumental in preparing our teams for the real meetings.

As we’ve heard before, knowledge is power, and it’s essential that we continuously educate our members. “Lobby Days was a perfect opportunity to give members political action training, but what we’ve really given them... are take away tools that they can go home with and use to lobby in their own communities,” Di Nino says.

In preparation for these Lobby Days, ATU Canada arranged meetings for Local leaders from across Canada with the most influential Ministers and their Members of Parliament (MPs). The ATU Local leaders were armed with information to discuss key emerging issues impacting ATU and our members, including the Greyhound exit in western

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ATU delegates ready for many meetings with MP’s from across Canada... during ATU Canada Lobby Days and when they head back to their local communities!

Canada, the Ontario Government’s announcements regarding plans to upload and privatize the TTC, and the attempt to make changes to the Metrolinx Act through an Omnibus Bill 57.

More than 30 meetings took place, and ATU leaders were strategically assigned based on their Locals. The strategy was not only to lobby Members of Parliament from the sitting government but also to lobby opposition leaders who could then become advocates and critics for ATU to create dialogue in Parliament.

Groups of 3-4 ATU members were assigned to each scheduled meeting to give all ATU leaders lobby experience.

At each meeting, the ATU team left the Minister or MP a document with ATU’s National Transit Strategy calling for Dedicated Operational Funding. In addition, three preaddressed letters were left with the Ministers or MPs to sign during our meetings. These letters endorsing ATU’s National Transit Strategy with Dedicated Operational Funding were addressed to the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The ATU leaders also invited the Ministers and MPs to attend ATU’s meet-and-greet event that evening.

Overall, the Lobby Days were a great success in making the voice of ATU Canada and our members heard across Parliament Hill, but it is just the beginning, as we now must engage our members, our riders, and allies in the fight for more, better, and safer public transit across our great nation. v

ATU Canada Lobby Days Speaking with MP Patty Hajdu and her team about Greyhound, funding, and convening a National Transit Strategy Task Force.

Meeting with MP Sheri Benson about the importance of dedicated public transit operations funding.

Meeting with MP Daniel Blaikie to discuss the need for a Nationalized Transit Strategy and dedicated funding for transit operations!

MP Irene Mathyssen meeting with ATU Delegates, offering her generous words of encouragement: “Somebody has to stand up for the workers!” We couldn’t agree more!

MP Francesco Sorbara meeting with President Di Nino and ATU Canada delegates and commiting to support funding for transit operations.

MP Guy Caron met with ATU Canada delegates. We are looking forward to working with the NDP to convene a National Transit Strategy Task Force.

MP Cheryl Hardcastle supporting our request for a Nationalized Transit Strategy and dedicated funding for transit operations.

MP Don Davies met with ATU Canada Vancouver delegates and supports a Nationalized Transit Strategy.

MP Kent Hehr spoke with ATU Canada delegates about a Nationalized Transit Strategy and the need for dedicated funding for public transit operations.

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Each holiday season, Locals across the ATU get in the holiday spirit by giving back to their communities to help those less fortunate. One of the more popular charitable activities is the Stuff the Bus campaign.

and we just want to thank the people of Thunder Bay for all that they contributed,” Koza said.

If your Local has done a Stuff the Bus campaign or other holiday drive for those less fortunate, please let International President Hanley’s office know. v

Sixteen years strong for Bloomington (IL) Local’s effort For the sixteenth year, Local 752-Bloomington, IL, teamed up with Connect Transit and community groups for their Stuff the Bus campaign to benefit children admitted to Children’s Home & Aid Crisis Nursery. The nursery provides a safe, temporary environment for children who are at risk of abuse or neglect because of domestic violence, homelessness, mental illness, or other crises. The supplies were donated by shoppers and loaded on a 40-foot-long bus parked outside Walmart and Kroger locations in the area.

Local 752-Bloomington, IL

“I enjoy kids and they deserve things that, sometimes, their parents can’t give them,” said one Connect Transit driver, who has volunteered at Stuff the Bus every year.

Record setting haul for Thunder Bay (ON) Local It was a record-setting haul during this year’s Santa Bus Food Drive in Thunder Bay, ON. Members of Local 966-Thunder Bay, ON, collected 10,000 pounds of food and $2,800 in cash. The donations will go a long way, said Reino Pitkanen, chair of the Thunder Bay Food Bank, who said he was blown away by the generosity of the public.

Local President Ken Koza said bus drivers have a frontline view of the need in Thunder Bay, one of the main reasons they put in so much effort to make the Santa Bus a success. “Transit operators, they’re going throughout the community all day. They see what happens in this city. They know there’s a need and we stepped up to help put this on

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Local 966-Thunder Bay, ON

Local 113, ATU Canada ratchet up campaign against upload of TTC The first six months of Doug Ford’s Ontario have been nothing short of dismal for working families. Now legislation to take ownership of Toronto’s subway system could be coming down in early 2019.

In late November 2018, Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek announced the province’s plan for the upload of TTC subway as well as a plan to extend subway lines into the suburbs.

“The message is clear: a rushed subway upload won’t fix the lack of public transit funding,” said the Local.

“Breaking apart the TTC means losing Toronto’s integrated system and local democratic control. For riders, this troubling scheme will lead to reduced service and higher fares, all while paving the way for privatization.”

MPP for University-Rosedale and Official Opposition Critic on Transit, Jessica Bell, and Toronto City Councillor for Don Valley North, Shelley Carroll, offered words of support and encouragement for the Local’s fight against the TTC upload.

TTCriders, a transit advocacy group, led a day of action against Premier Doug Ford’s scheme to break apart the TTC through his so-called subway “upload.”

In turn, Local 113-Toronto, ON, and ATU Canada have ratcheted up their campaign to defend the subway system and protect workers and riders from Ford’s transit takeover. The upload thrusts the jobs of thousands of Local 113 members into uncertainty.

Local educates riders on perils of TTC upload The day after Yurek’ announcement, Local 113 members united with passengers, community groups, and stakeholders to discuss the TTC upload, the impact on workers and the public, and actions moving forward.

A fight ATU has seen before This is a fight ATU has seen before in the province.

ATU Locals in southern Ontario, with the help of ATU Canada and the International, fought back against transit privatization schemes pushed through by Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal administration as a part of our Keep Transit Public campaign.

You can bet the ATU is united and ready for this next battle to Keep Transit Public. v

They quickly hit the subway system armed with signs reading “Respect for Rider,” “Fund the TTC, Don’t Steal It,” and “No 2-Tier Transit” to educate and engage riders on the perils of uploading the TTC. IN TRANSIT

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Joint Industry Councils take next steps The ATU’s Joint Industry Councils (JIC) continues the successful work of taking an international approach to negotiating with private sector employers.

To further their mission the JIC worked to gather all of the information to continue to negotiate with these employers effectively. International staff continued the laborious task of compiling information from transit agencies, employers, and local unions to put together a “War Chest” in an effort to provide locals and negotiators with the weaponry needed to continue their assault on privatization.

While a good deal of information was already on hand, it had been determined through research, field tests, development of concepts—and quite a bit of trial and error—that to truly be effective, significantly more would need to be gathered and organized.

While that work was underway, an organizing effort with a First Transit property in Alabama was confronted by significant anti-union action. When the First Transit JIC met with the company earlier in the year, they stated that they took a hands-off approach to organizing drives, and if we met any company resistance, we should let them know. Holding them to this position, the First Transit JIC sent a letter to corporate notifying them of the activity and demanding that they cease immediately. Subsequently, the activity stopped, and the workers voted to join ATU. In early summer 2018, International President Larry Hanley assembled a team of IVPs and International staff and directed them to meet monthly to develop a more aggressive approach to bargaining based on all of the information and experience gathered to date. It wasn’t long before the first results came in.

A big win in Milwaukee After a particularly difficult organizing drive in Milwaukee, WI, the next task was to negotiate a first contract between Local 998-Milwaukee, WI, and National Express. Working with the JIC, the Local was able to aggressively deploy the resources, strategies, and information developed to successfully negotiate a contract that realized tremendous wage increases, reductions in employee healthcare contributions, a mandatory employer contribution to a 401k

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Locals 19, 128, 1091, 1764, and JIC Chair Al Burns in Dallas, TX, negotiating healthcare on a national level with RATPDev.

plan with no obligation for the employee to contribute. A bold ground game supporting negotiations, along with back-office costings and collaborations with negotiators in real-time, all contributed to the successful outcome.

Next, RATPDev sought to switch to unilaterally a new, self-insured health plan. Upon finding out, International President Hanley issued a demand for bargaining.

After several tense weeks of back and forth over information requests and company efforts to drive a wedge between Locals, Locals 19-Colorado, Springs, CO; 128-Asheville, NC; 1091-Austin, TX; 1433-Phoenix, AZ; and 1764-Washington, DC, and the JIC were successful in forcing the company to the table to negotiate the proposed changes. After several consecutive marathon sessions, the Locals reached an agreement with the company that resulted in a significant reduction from the company’s opening proposal.

More importantly, the solidarity shown by the Locals’ leadership never wavered. They stood together, demanding a deal for all or a deal for none. And in the end, they solidified their positions by signing off on each other’s agreements, a clear message to the company that things have changed.

The experiences with National Express and RATPDev have made it clear that this JIC approach is working. The more we succeed, the more these companies will learn to change their approach to bidding and bargaining. Only through our solidarity will we influence that change to be to our benefit. v

Bad Public Transportation Keeps Americans Poor. These Folks Won’t Tolerate It. For many, achieving the American Dream depends on access to public transit.

By Colin Deppen

This story is a collaboration between HuffPost and The Incline, published online on December 7, 2018.

the American Dream is directly tied to the efficacy of the American transportation grid.

Six decades after the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott and the Freedom Rides in the South, public transit isn’t just a platform for the civil rights struggle. It is the civil rights struggle.

A 2015 Harvard study confirmed as much, listing commute times as the single biggest indicator of whether a household can pull itself out of poverty.

In cities across the U.S., mass transit remains a lifeline, an indispensable economic enabler that proves upward mobility so often requires actual mobility to happen.

But advocates and activists say access remains unequal.

They describe an imbalance in which those who rely on public transit the most — often the poor and people of color — face the greatest hurdles in finding it.

The measure of progress then, in American cities like Pittsburgh, is how well they move their people and how easy they make it. For many people, it’s still not easy enough.

Fighting for service Debra Green was cold and hobbled and pushing 60 years old.

In Pittsburgh, this disparity has given birth to a so-called transit justice movement and groups like Pittsburghers for Public Transit. In summing up the group’s platform, director Laura Wiens put it simply: “We believe transit is a civil right and also a human right.”

She’d recently undergone a hip replacement. She’d had seven vertebrae fused following a car accident years earlier.

And now, cane in hand and en route to see her doctor, she was scuttling down a roadside cluttered with construction equipment and coated in a layer of ice.

Transit justice groups nationwide share the same ideological anchor, arguing that for many the premise of

“I’ve fallen quite a few times,” Green said of the 20-minute walk from her home to the nearest bus stop. It was IN TRANSIT

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winter in Duquesne, a city of roughly 5,000 mostly black residents along the Monongahela River, 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Green, who’d moved there from another suburb, had heard talk of a bus — the 59 — that used to come straight to the housing development she calls home and which connected to the downtown Pittsburgh-bound bus she was trying to reach on foot.

The Port Authority cut the 59 connection years prior.

Officials say it was because buses could no longer use a private access road, but they also acknowledge a systemwide service cut of 30 percent played a role.

Standing there on frozen ground in a typically unforgiving winter wind, Green wanted the bus stop back.

“I asked my neighbors why would you all accept this?

This isn’t acceptable,” she recalled by phone. “The closed mouth never gets fed.”

So Green started circulating petitions and collected hundreds of signatures from residents who wanted the stop restored. The signatures were combined with those collected by Pittsburghers for Public Transit and submitted to the Port Authority of Allegheny County in late 2017.

On June 17 of this year, the 59 stop returned.

... We couldn’t get to stores or shopping malls. People couldn’t get to work.”

She says that in her apartment complex, which has 357 units, “everyone uses the revived bus service, sometimes several times a day.” Green added, “As a matter of fact, I am sitting at the 59 stop by my complex entrance as we speak.”

In a 2016 study, Pew Research Center found that among urban residents, 34 percent of blacks and 27 percent of Hispanics reported taking public transit daily or weekly, compared with just 14 percent of whites. The Centers for Disease Control found that blacks, Hispanics and Asians were “significantly more likely” than whites to have to walk 30 minutes or more a day to reach public transit.

Pittsburgh advocates and experts say there’s a simple explanation for the unequal access.

“We put affordable housing in places with little to no transit,” Chris Sandvig of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group said. “And if there is transit, good luck walking to it, because often there are no sidewalks.”

As low-income and communities of color are priced out and pushed farther away from transit hubs and city centers, this dynamic only intensifies.

“Principle transit riders are being displaced into transit deserts around [Allegheny County],” Wiens said. “As long as we don’t address the issue of affordable housing, we have transit riders stranded with no access to basic needs.”

Activism under the transit justice banner involves pushing for affordable or subsidized housing developments built with public transit in mind. It also requires pushing back against government cuts to transit services, an ever-present concern amid declining ridership rates nationwide. Those are just a few of the prongs in play.

Debra Green faced a challenge making it to downtown Pittsburgh because of poor bus service in her nearby community of Duquesne, Pennsylvania. She helped organize an effort that led to the restoration of a bus stop that once had served her neighborhood.

Photo: NATE SMALLWOOD FOR HUFFPOST

“I didn’t call it activism,” Green, now a Pittsburghers for Public Transit board member, said of her petitioning.

“I was just doing something because I knew it was needed.

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In San Francisco, transit justice advocates continue to call for infrastructure projects that build out systems without displacing entire neighborhoods in the process.

In New York, advocates are fighting for better funding of the city’s crumbling subway system and changes in how subway policing is applied in communities of color.

In Denver, overlapping transit justice and disability rights movements remain potent forces.

In Oregon and Oakland, Calif., advocates are pressing for a better accounting of how transit dollars are spent.

will continue to be pushed out,” Wiens said. “And this means principle transit riders being displaced into transit deserts around the county.”

The funding question With any plan to improve public transit, there’s always a question of how to pay for it.

Laura Wiens serves as director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, whose board members include Green. Photo: NATE SMALLWOOD FOR HUFFPOST

And in Pittsburgh, echoes of many of these issues have sounded in public showdowns over a since-shelved plan to use armed police as fare enforcement officers and an ongoing proposal to build a $195 million Bus Rapid Transit system connecting downtown Pittsburgh with the thriving academic neighborhood of Oakland — the two biggest jobs centers in town.

Opponents of the BRT plan have expressed concern over the potential for service cuts in places like the Mon Valley, where Green lives, to help offset project costs. (Federal funding for the project remains up in the air.)

Bob Allen, director of policy and advocacy campaigns with Urban Habitat in San Francisco, said in decades past transit advocacy centered on the issue of federal funding, on debating the merits of bus networks versus rail networks and pushing policymakers away from car-centric approaches to city planning. For the most part that remains the case. But a social justice component has become more pronounced recently, he said.

Pittsburghers for Public Transit formed in response to proposed local transit service cuts in 2009. Roughly three years later, the group and a coalition of concerned stakeholders celebrated the passage of Pennsylvania’s Act 89, which stabilized transit funding across the commonwealth. But Act 89 funding expires in 2022, and Wiens said, “We have a long way to go to be able to ensure we’re not leaving residents behind.”

Wiens said current funding levels must be maintained at a minimum. Ideally, they’d be increased.

But either scenario could draw resistance from rural legislators and voters actively opposed to funding public transit systems in the state’s major cities.

Wiens likes to point out that Pittsburgh is one of the state’s economic powerhouses. And that power relies on public transit: 50 percent of people who work in downtown Pittsburgh, one of the densest job centers in the country, get there via public buses and the city’s light rail system.

“There are something like 44,000 parking places downtown and 110,000 jobs,” said Katharine Eagan Kelleman, CEO of the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

“Within the last 10 years it’s been more about the role of transit and gentrification and displacement,” Allen said of mass transit advocacy. “And I think the reason that [such efforts] picked up is because of this renewed urban growth and the comeback of cities, because that’s all about race and class.”

Transit justice groups nationwide are pushing for transit systems that prioritize the people who use them the most.

Without such a focus on “an affordable housing crisis that is also a transit crisis, we know that low-income folks and particularly black families that have been pushed out of the city for decades now by a lack of affordable housing

“We believe transit is a civil right and also a human right,” Wiens said. Photo: NATE SMALLWOOD FOR HUFFPOST

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For these reasons, mass transit access downtown is predictably robust. That changes outside the city and as soon as you hit the first-ring of municipalities that surround it, Sandvig explained.

In similarly fractured or sprawling transit regions, some have looked to ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and subsidized rideshare travel as a means of bridging service gaps in vast pockets of urban sprawl.

In places like Duquesne, Green said plenty of folks already turn to jitneys and ride-hailing apps for this purpose — at their own expense.

Kelleman doesn’t think that option is feasible en masse in Pittsburgh or Allegheny County, though, given the density.

“It’s time to talk about what transit should be doing in this century,” she said, “whether it’s scooter connections or paratransit or big buses or trains or inclines — what do we want it to do and how do we make that happen for everybody?”

Some advocates remain highly skeptical of public transit solutions reliant on private sector companies.

And while there is no shortage of public interest in privately backed transit innovations, whether hyperloops or Elon Musk’s freeway tunnel, the public remains largely uninterested in mass transit as it currently exists.

That’s troubling for those who argue the transit solution most Americans need is already in place and just needs money to improve or, at a bare minimum, to keep from breaking down.

“We’ve been starving this as long as possible, which is why we have what we have,” Sandvig said of mass transit systems failing to meet transportation challenges in so many urban areas.

“We can do anything,” he said. “Just add dollars and stir.” v

Milwaukee bus driver goes above and beyond So, as she drove and picked up passengers throughout the city, Richard sat quietly in the first row. And finally, when it was time for Natalie’s break, the two spent some time talking. Then he let the kind bus driver buy him dinner.

“I don’t know what to say, but to say thank you,” he told her upon returning with bags of food. “I’ll give it back to you.”

“No, you won’t!” she responded.

Milwaukee bus operator Natalie Barnes is setting the standard for kindness and compassion. The Local 998Milwaukee, WI, member, was driving on a cold night when a regular rider, Richard, told her at a layover that the home he was living in had been condemned, and he had been out on the streets for a week.

Natalie offered to buy him dinner, but when the proud man refused, she pivoted to offering, instead, a place where Richard could stay safe and warm for the night. “Well, I’m on this bus ‘til 2:44,” she said. “You want to stay with me then?”

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Later, Barnes connected Richard to the emergency shelter Community Advocates, which is helping him find a permanent home. It was all caught on the bus’ camera, and the agency honored Barnes for her good deed.

“Every time I see the video, I am inspired by her act of kindness and compassion,” said Andi Elliot, CEO of Community Advocates. “She treated him in such a dignified way to get him to a place he needed to be.”

ATU couldn’t agree more. We applaud Barnes for going above and beyond to help this rider in need and setting an example for all with her actions. v

Maintenance members energized by training In mid-December, more than 50 ATU members from across the United States and Canada attended a maintenance training at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center.

The training sessions featured lively discussion, diverse workshops, and engaging presentations to better prepare maintenance workers to build worker power on shop floors and other workplaces. From health and safety to vehicle procurement, the four-day training covered a number of critical topics impacting these members.

The training sessions and topics allowed for attendees and instructors to share their expertise on issues in transit maintenance. During the health and safety session, members had the opportunity to discuss safety issues in their workplaces and learn the strategies and techniques for identifying and eliminating hazards.

In addition, they were given strategies for organizing workers around health and safety issues and building active safety committees.

Tools to build power in the workplace Workshops on steward’s duties and internal organizing gave members the tools they need to effectively build power in their workplace and enforce the rights of the membership. Sessions on apprenticeship programs, requests for proposals and warranties, in-house refurbishing, and vehicle procurement provided insight into how members can insert themselves and the union into the decision-making process to improve working conditions, take control of their workplace, and improve maintenance outcomes.

This maintenance training session was the first of three to take place. All of the skills taught during this training will prove vital in our Locals’ efforts to engage their membership, riders, and like-minded organizations to fight for labor and public transit in their communities. v

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LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

It’s time to get out your Congressional Directory.

Lawmakers in the new Congress in 2019 in Washington, DC, will have 100 newly-elected U.S. House Members, a total of 66 Democrats and 44 Republicans, many supported by ATU. Yes, there was a Democratic wave in November. Democrats won 40 previously-held Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, seizing control of the chamber. Within that freshman class are 23 people of color, dozens of women, and at least 25 people who identify as “Progressives.”

So what does this mean for ATU Members? Time will tell, but it’s safe to say that at least the leadership of the U.S. House will no longer be pushing anti-labor or antitransit policies designed to hurt transit workers. The Senate, still controlled by Republicans, will continue to do what they’ve been doing, like confirming right-wing judges with no fondness for organized labor and giving millionaires huge tax breaks at the expense of working people.

The White House? Consumed by new scandals on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, President Trump’s administration will likely continue to struggle to put forth any concrete legislative agenda. His Department of Transportation, which has been slowing down billions of dollars in federal transit funding since day one, will get pushed by the new Democrats on the Hill to start getting bus and rail projects on the street.

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Infrastructure Package?

There’s been much talk of lawmakers coming together in the spirit of bipartisanship to pass a badly needed infrastructure bill. The nation’s roads and transit systems are crumbling. We have bridges that are about to collapse and rail tunnels which predate the First World War. Will Trump make a deal with new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and pass legislation to get new buses on the road? If so, we’ll be ready to push for inclusion of the Bus Operator and Pedestrian Protection Act to ensure that transit workers play a role in stopping horrific operator assaults and preventable blind spot crashes.

We will know early on in the legislative session whether any of this is possible. If Trump bitterly resists Democrats’ efforts to reign in his administration, things could get ugly fast, and it will be nearly impossible to get anything done. And, with the 2020 Presidential Election now in sight, there will be several current Members of Congress throwing their hat in the ring for Trump’s job. It all adds up to a fascinating 2019. Stay tuned. v

ATU wins ILCA 2018 Labor Media Awards ATU International is proud to announce that the Union won 16 awards in the National/International Union category of the International Labor Communicators Association (ILCA) 2018 Media competition. ILCA says the “winners represent the best work in labor communications and promote the highest standards of labor journalism.”

First Place Awards

Third Place Awards

Writing – Best Electronic Content ATU website (www.atu.org)

Political Action/Organizing Campaign – Best Flyer Lynx Metro – What people get paid

Writing – Best Series ATU Workstation Initiative Electronic Media – Best Audio/Podcast/Radio Broadcast Lunch with Labor - ATU Local 1300-Baltimore, MD Visual Communications – Best Design – Single-Issue Publication (Print) Fool DC Twice

Second Place Awards Visual Communications – Best Informational Graphic Workstation Initiative – May/June 2017 Writing – Best Editorial or Column ‘Our survival will be found in our solidarity… or not’ ATU International President Larry Hanley Visual Communications – Best Illustration Missing Jake logo Visual Communications – Best Front Page/Cover Magazine (Print) In Transit – September/October 2017

Electronic Media – Best Longform Video The Perils of Transit Privatization Visual Communications – Best Design Website, App or Electronic Publication ATU website (www.atu.org)

Honorable Mentions Political Action/Organizing Campaign – Best Collateral Save Our System – DC Metro Electronic Media – Best Education and Training Video Tips for Riding the Bus Visual Communications – Best Design – Magazine (Print) In Transit – January/February 2017

General Excellence – Single-Issue Publication “Ripped From The Headlines: Open My Eyes. Shield Me From Harm. A Commonsense Bus Safety Proposal” IN TRANSIT

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Public transportation use linked to better public health ATU has said for years that investing in public transit is good for communities, reducing pollution and traffic congestion, creating jobs and healthier lifestyles, invigorating local economies, and more. A new study further validates those claims, finding that promoting public transit helps reduce obesity.

“Opting for mass transit over driving creates opportunities for exercise that may otherwise not exist,” said the authors of the study. “Instead of just stepping out of the house and into their car, a user needs to walk from their home to a bus stop and from their stop to their destination.”

Increased public transit ridership leads to lower obesity rates The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study compared data from two years to find that a single

percentage-point increase in mass transit ridership is associated with a 0.473 percentage-point lower obesity rate in counties across the United States.

The report, published in the journal Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, used publicly-available health, transportation, and census data from 227 counties from 45 states in 2001 and 2009. To normalize for different factors across regions, the researchers account for differences in economic and lifestyle factors including leisure-time, exercise, household income, health care coverage, and public transit funding.

“I think our work points to the conclusion that investing in public transit can provide more efficient transportation options that not only benefit the environment but also offer a public health benefit,” said the report’s authors. v

Toledo Local decries service cuts, praises plan for citizens’ transit task force In the wake of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) board cutting service, including eliminating Sunday and holiday service, two county commissioners are calling for a “special citizens’ task force” to study how public transportation operates in the Toledo area.

Local 697-Toledo, OH, is deeply concerned about how the cuts would impact the community they serve.

They were joined by transit advocates who called the public involvement process for the TARTA service cuts “flawed,” pointing out that the agency only held two public hearings on the same day.

Despite the service cuts, Local President Carly Allen says the proposed taskforce is “a breath of fresh air to see a

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blue-ribbon commission created to address the true needs of the community.”

Rev. D.L. Perryman, representing United Pastors for Social Empowerment, said TARTA’s action to cut service “punishes those who are trying to make two already-short ends meet and is an attempt to prop up TARTA on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Allen says despite TARTA’s General Manager denying any plans for layoffs of transit workers, the likely attrition from the service cuts is just “a layoff without a name.” v

LEGAL NOTICE

TO: Employees represented by ATU Locals in U.S. bargaining units who are subject to union security arrangements Employees in the United States at private-sector employers 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. Formal union membership, however, is not 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 have the additional legal right to file objections to their funding of expenditures which are “unrelated to collective bargaining, contract administration, or grievance adjustment” and/or are otherwise “nongermane to the collective bargaining process.”

Union security clauses are negotiated and ratified by your coworkers based upon the principle that everyone who benefits from the collective bargaining process should share in its costs. The wellbeing 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 activities of the trade union movement.

There are considerable benefits of being a member of the ATU. Only members have 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

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 a local union exercises the option of presuming that the International percentage of chargeable activities applies to the local union).

1. Any ATU-represented nonmember employed in the United States by a private sector employer and 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 dues and assessments paid by members of 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, an ATU-represented nonmember employee shall notify the International Secretary-Treasurer in writing of the objection within thirty (30) days of receiving this notice via the November/December issue of In Transit, within thirty (30) days of resigning from membership, or within thirty (30) days after first becoming subject to union security obligations and receiving notice of these procedures. 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, 10000 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20903 or transmitted by facsimile to (301) 431-7116 with a separate cover page directing such to the attention of the International SecretaryTreasurer and specifying the subject thereof to be the “Election of Fee Objector Status.”

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 Plus Benefits Program, which offers low-interest credit cards, legal and travel services, prescription drug cards, and life insurance.

The Notice of Statement of Law and Procedures applies to the International Union expenditures and to the per capita tax portion of local union dues. Because the portion of local union expenditures which are spent on “chargeable” activities is at least as great as that of the International Union, Local Unions may exercise the option of presuming that the International Union’s percentage of chargeable activities applies to the Local Union.

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 nonchargeable – are essential to improving the working conditions of all the employees we represent..

Lawrence J. Hanley

International President

3. The following categories of expenditures 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. 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;

4. The International Union shall publish these policies and procedures in the November/December issue of In Transit to provide to ATU-represented employees notice of their right to object and of the procedures for objecting.

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. If the local union has adopted these procedures, the local union will, absent notice to the contrary, exercise the option of presuming that the International Union’s percentage of chargeable activities applies to the local union and forego arranging an audit; or arrange for an audit of local union 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. For each objector, an amount equal to the reduced fees paid by the objector shall be placed in an interest-bearing escrow account.

j. All funeral or dismemberment benefits; and

6. The report(s) of the independent auditor(s) shall be completed prior to the publication of these policies and procedures. The report(s) shall include verification of the major categories of union expenses attributable to chargeable and nonchargeable activities. Local unions which have not exercised the option of presuming that the International Union’s percentage of chargeable activities applies to the local union shall provide a copy of their independent auditor’s report to each nonmember employee represented by the local union.

k. A proportional share of all overhead and administrative expenses.

7. Each objector may challenge the legal and arithmetical bases of the calculations contained

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 the independent auditor report(s) by filing an appeal 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 the earlier of thirty (30) days after the International Secretary-Treasurer has sent a letter to the objector acknowledging receipt of the objection, or thirty (30) days after the International Union has, for the first time, sent a copy of this Legal Notice to the objector.

8. 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. a. All appeals shall be consolidated for submission to the arbitrator. The presentation of evidence and argument to the arbitrator shall be either in writing or at a hearing, as determined by the arbitrator.

The arbitrator shall receive and consider the evidence of witnesses by affidavit, giving it such weight as seems proper after consideration of any objection made to its admission. If a hearing is held, it shall be scheduled as soon as the arbitrator can schedule the hearing, and shall be at a location selected by the arbitrator 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.

the dual needs of an informed and an expeditious arbitration. The arbitrator shall set forth in the decision the bases for the decision, giving full consideration to the legal requirements limiting the amount objectors may be charged. g. If a hearing is held, the parties to the arbitration shall have the right to file a post-hearing statement within forty-five (45) 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 posthearing 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

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.

Amalgamated Transit Union Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses (Modified Cash Basis) - Year Ended June 30, 2018

c. Challengers may, at their expense, be represented by counsel or other representative of choice.

Challengers need not appear at any hearing and shall instead be permitted to file written statements with the arbitrator no later than the beginning of the arbitration hearing. Post-hearing statements may be filed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8(g). If a hearing is not held, the arbitrator will set the dates by which all written submissions will be received and will decide the case based on the evidence and arguments submitted. d. If a hearing is held, fourteen (14) days prior to the start of the hearing, a list of all intended exhibits 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. If a hearing is held, 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

26

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 adopts 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 if the local union has not exercised the option of presuming that the International Union’s percentage of chargeable activities applies to the local union), objection, challenge or appeal procedures will be necessary, provided that any challenges to the International calculation pursuant to paragraph 7 of this ATU Statement of Law and Procedures Concerning Union Security Objections must still be filed timely and any delay in the provision of a local union’s report shall not toll the thirty-day period for challenging the International calculation. 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.

November/December 2018 | IN TRANSIT

Amalgamated Transit Union - Analysis of Objectors' Expenses (Modified Cash Basis) - Year Ended June 30, 2017 To the Chair and Members of the General Executive Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union.

We have audited the accompanying Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses (modified cash basis) (the Analysis) of the Amalgamated Transit Union (the Union) for the year ended June 30, 2018 and the notes to the Analysis.

Management’s Responsibility for the Analysis Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the Analysis in accordance with the modified cash basis of accounting, as described in Note 1 and the factors and assumptions discussed in the notes; this includes determining that the modified cash basis of accounting is an acceptable basis for the preparation of the Analysis in the circumstances. Management is also responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of an Analysis that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditors’ Responsibility 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 from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the Analysis. The procedures selected depend on the auditors’ judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the Analysis, whether due to fraud or error.

In making those risk assessments, the auditors consider internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the Analysis in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of that entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the Analysis.

amount of the Union’s expenses that are chargeable or nonchargeable to fee objectors. The accompanying Analysis is not intended to be a complete presentation of the Union’s consolidated financial statements.

Intended Use of This Letter

Bethesda, MD November 16, 2018

• Convention expenses and other normal Union internal governance and management expenses;

Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

• Social activities and Union business meeting expenses;

Method of Accounting - Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses (modified cash basis) (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 straight-line method.

Benefit Payments - The Amalgamated Transit Union’s (the Union) 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.

Opinion

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 the Union expenses deemed not chargeable is used for determining advance dues (or their equivalent) reduction for fee objectors for the subsequent calendar year.

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 in the United States. Our opinion is not modified with respect to that matter.

Other Matter We have audited, in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America, the consolidated financial statements of the Amalgamated Transit Union as of and for the year ended June 30, 2018 and our report thereon dated October 25, 2018 expressed an unmodified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

The total net (U.S.) includable expenses presented in the Analysis agree to the expenses in the audited consolidated financial statements of the Union for the year ended June 30, 2018, 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

1. Chargeable expenses include:

• All expenses 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;

Note 2. Purpose of Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses and Significant Factors and Assumptions Used In Determining Chargeable and Non-Chargeable Expenses

Basis of Accounting

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.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

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, 2018, and the allocation between chargeable and non-chargeable expenses, on the modified cash basis of accounting described in Note 1 and significant factors and assumptions described in Note 2.

D. Expenses are analyzed to identify chargeable and

non-chargeable amounts using the following criteria:

The procedures followed in the preparation of this Analysis include categorization of each classification of expenses by chargeable and non-chargeable activities. This is accomplished by analyzing each classification of expenses and identifying amounts which are either chargeable or non-chargeable.

Note 2. Purpose of Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses and Significant Factors and Assumptions Used In Determining Chargeable and Non-Chargeable Expenses (Continued) 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.

• 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; Note 2. Purpose of Analysis of Objectors’ Expenses and Significant Factors and Assumptions Used In Determining Chargeable and Non-Chargeable Expenses (Continued)

• 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.

E.

expenses

include

all

other

For those expenses which have both chargeable and 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 $39,415,829 reported in the audited consolidated financial statements of the Amalgamated Transit Union modified for the following: $5,712,082 in expenses relating to the ATU Training Center, Inc., a related consolidated entity, which have been excluded from this Analysis. $2,713,115 in Canadian expenses has been excluded from this Analysis. $120,272 relating to various expenses which have been offset by corresponding revenue items have been excluded from this Analysis.

Note 4. Subsequent Events Review Subsequent events have been evaluated through November 16, 2018, which is the date the Analysis was available to be issued. No material events or transactions which would require an additional adjustment to or disclosure in the accompanying Analysis was noted in this evaluation.

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Feedback Recibimos muchos comentarios en nuestras publicaciones, sitio web, redes sociales y, a veces, en nuestro correo, especialmente cuando hablamos de política. A menudo, nuestras discusiones políticas desvían nuestra atención del enfoque central de ATU: la salud y el bienestar de nuestros miembros.

En las revistas recientes de In Transit nos hemos centrado mucho en los programas que llevamos a cabo para promover los intereses de nuestros miembros. Nos gustaría recibir algo de “feedback” sobre esos programas.

Hemos estado trabajando en revisiones y mejoras para hacer que estos programas sean lo mejor posible. Me refiero a la capacitación, la seguridad en el trabajo, los problemas de salud de los trabajadores del transporte, los puntos ciegos en los autobuses, las pausas para ir al baño, los asaltos a nuestros miembros y más.

Cualquier cosa que haya llamado su atención nos ayudaría a pensar en el futuro de estos programas para nuestros miembros.

El año pasado tuvimos una capacitación con un grupo diverso de trabajadores de mantenimiento con una amplia gama de títulos de trabajo y niveles de experiencia, creando una experiencia de aprendizaje práctico e innovador para todos (consulte la página 21). Este invierno realizaremos tres capacitaciones de mantenimiento más en el Centro de Conferencias Tommy Douglas. Durante estas capacitaciones, estamos tratando de aprender más sobre los problemas actuales y emergentes que afectan a nuestros miembros no conductores y sus necesidades.

lo que dicen que sería la reorganización más grande de nuestra economía y la mayor movilización interna de recursos nacionales en la historia. Lo llaman el Green New Deal (Nuevo Acuerdo Verde), y quieren usarlo para abordar las dos crisis más graves que enfrenta el mundo actual: la desigualdad económica y el cambio climático.

En representación de 200,000 trabajadores del transporte público en los Estados Unidos y Canadá, ATU se encuentra en una posición única en la intersección entre la política ambiental y económica. Los miembros de ATU luchan para llevarse a casa nuestra parte justa, para ganar más democracia en el trabajo y para persuadir a los gobiernos federales, estatales, provinciales y locales para que inviertan en el transporte público. Los trabajadores del transporte entienden mejor que nadie que es necesario un mejor transporte público para proteger nuestro medio ambiente y mejorar la vida de nuestros vecinos.

El concepto de un Green New Deal, que incluye importantes inversiones en transporte público, en realidad no es nada nuevo, sino un movimiento resurgente de jóvenes estadounidenses que está vinculando la justicia ambiental y económica de una manera nunca vista.

Los canadienses y los estadounidenses un poco más mayores tienen motivos para dudar. Después de todo, los últimos 40 años han sido definidos por gobiernos que no están dispuestos a tomar medidas audaces para abordar nuestro sistema económico en crisis o el deterioro del clima. En su lugar, se han centrado en extraer todos los dólares y recursos que pueden de las familias trabajadoras y el medio ambiente. La actual generación de líderes políticos ha seguido este peligroso camino desde 1979

Cómo podemos mejorar Tenga en cuenta que el Sindicato Internacional dirige los programas principales. No estamos en el garaje con los agravios de los Locales y otros problemas que afectan a nuestros miembros a diario. Por otro lado, respaldamos y apoyamos a los funcionarios y miembros que sí lo están. Proporcionamos investigación y capacitación a todos los Locales para brindar un mejor servicio a nuestros miembros, lo que incluye investigación sobre negociación, salud, seguridad y otra asistencia diaria.

Pero queremos saber de ustedes, nuestros miembros, sobre cómo podemos servirles mejor. Por lo que, si tiene un minuto o dos, envíenos una breve nota informándonos de cómo podemos mejorar. Envíe sus sugerencias, comentarios e ideas a communications@atu.org. v

¿Puede el Transporte Público Ayudar a Salvar el Planeta?

Algo grande está sucediendo en los pasillos del Congreso de los Estados Unidos este año. Una nueva generación de legisladores demócratas está proponiendo, y ganando un apoyo impresionante,

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Comunidad: la Solución a la Crisis Económica y Ambiental En 1979, las economías de los Estados Unidos y Canadá estaban entrando en una desaceleración económica importante. Las tasas de interés, la inflación y los precios internacionales del petróleo aumentaron drásticamente. Se veía una recesión en el horizonte, y los norteamericanos de la clase trabajadora ya podían sentir el dolor que eso les causaría.

Al igual que nuestra economía, nuestro entorno, tanto en la naturaleza como en el trabajo, también sufría. Para 1979, los EE.UU. ya habían aprobado leyes que establecían estándares de salud y seguridad en el trabajo, protegían el agua potable y prohibían los CFC que estaban creando un agujero en la capa de ozono. En Canadá, los defensores laborales obtuvieron una licencia por maternidad pagada, mientras que los ecologistas fundaron Greenpeace y detuvieron el Oleoducto de Mackenzie Valley. Pero los defensores ambientales y laborales en ambos países sabían que les esperaban duras realidades.

En los EE.UU., nada lo dejó más claro que el accidente nuclear de 1979 en la central eléctrica de Three Mile Island en Pensilvania, el derrame de petróleo masivo de Pemex en el Golfo de México y el derrame de la planta de uranio de Church Rock en Nuevo México. En Canadá, el Proyecto James Bay, que proporcionaría

energía hidroeléctrica limpia, pero a costa de inundar 11,500 kilómetros cuadrados (~ 7,100 millas cuadradas) de tierras vírgenes y tierras indígenas con agua contaminada con mercurio, avanzó a pesar de la feroz oposición ambiental.

Al enfrentarse a la combinación de una inminente recesión económica, un resurgimiento del movimiento de conservación y una crisis energética mundial que disparó los precios del combustible, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Jimmy Carter, pronunció un largo discurso televisado para el pueblo estadounidense en julio de 1979. “Toda la legislación del mundo no puede arreglar lo que está mal en Estados Unidos”, dijo. “Lo que falta es confianza y un sentido de comunidad”.

En ese discurso, Carter propuso “$10 mil millones adicionales en la próxima década para fortalecer nuestros sistemas de transporte público”. También les pidió a los estadounidenses que “no hagan viajes innecesarios, usen viajes compartidos o transporte público siempre que puedan, mantengan estacionado su automóvil un día extra por semana”. Argumentó que, al cambiar las prioridades del gobierno y el comportamiento personal, los estadounidenses podrían liberar al país de su dependencia del petróleo extranjero y mejorar la economía. “Cada acto de conservación de energía como estos es más que solo sentido común”, dijo. “Les digo que es un acto de patriotismo”.

Carter, por supuesto, perdió en 1980 contra Ronald Reagan, quien marcó el comienzo de una era de desregulación ambiental y económica que nos persigue hasta nuestros días. Reagan utilizó ese discurso para enmarcar a Carter como un líder débil, pero las palabras del 39.º presidente parecen hoy siniestramente proféticas. ¿Cómo pueden las personas restaurar su sentido de comunidad, no solo como ciudadanos de un país o vecinos en un continente, sino como ciudadanos de un mundo que se enfrenta a una catástrofe climática casi segura? ¿Qué pueden aprender las personas de los defensores del Green New Deal, que se están uniendo para exigir que el gobierno de los Estados Unidos invierta en una economía sostenible?

A través de la organización interna y de los pasajeros, los miembros de ATU ya están respondiendo estas preguntas. Por cada uno de los miembros de ATU, hay cientos de usuarios con los que los trabajadores del transporte público pueden reconstruir las ciudades de manera que mantengan a nuestras familias y nuestro medio ambiente. Los miembros de ATU también conocen el transporte mejor que nadie, y nuestra industria tendrá que someterse a cambios sin precedentes para reducir su impacto en el clima de la tierra. Pero, ¿qué aspecto podrían tener esos cambios en el transporte?

Transporte Público de Cero Emisiones Para cumplir los objetivos establecidos internacionalmente por el Acuerdo Climático de París, Canadá y los Estados Unidos tendrían que reducir las emisiones relacionadas con el transporte en un 80% y un 86%, respectivamente, para el año 2050.

Para lograr esto, una versión del Green New Deal exige la introducción de vehículos de pasajeros con 100% emisiones cero para el 2030. También exige una “gran inversión ... para aumentar el acceso a los viajes seguros para peatones y ciclistas, el transporte rápido en autobuses con bajas emisiones de carbono, y el tren ligero eléctrico” y terminar con el uso de combustibles fósiles en el 100% de los vehículos de “aviación, servicio pesado ... y ferrocarril” para 2050.

Según el Center for American Progress (Centro por el Progreso Americano), “el transporte, incluidos los vehículos de pasajeros, [contribuyó] al 37% del total de dióxido de carbono relacionado con la energía emitido en 2016”. De hecho, por primera vez desde 1979, el transporte de EE.UU. ahora emite más dióxido de carbono que la producción de electricidad.

Un 60% de las emisiones de dióxido de carbono de la industria del transporte provienen solo de automóviles y camiones, lo que hace que los automóviles privados sean la forma menos ambientalmente sostenible de moverse. La ola de vehículos de Uber y Lyft que saturan los mercados urbanos solo empeora este problema. Solo en la ciudad de Nueva York, por ejemplo, los taxis y los conductores usando aplicaciones añadieron 600 millones de millas extra viajadas en las calles de la ciudad en 2016, y “solo un tercio de ellas viajaba con un pasajero en el automóvil”, según Curbed.

Los miembros de ATU ya saben que el transporte público es mucho más sostenible para el medio ambiente. Según el Departamento de Transporte (DOT) de los EE.UU., el ferrocarril pesado produce un 76% menos en emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero por pasajero/milla que los automóviles privados. A esto le siguen los sistemas de tren ligero, que producen un 62% menos y los sistemas de bus, que producen un 33% menos.

Estas mediciones se basan en dos factores: cómo se alimenta el vehículo y cuántas personas lo montan.

El DOT de los EE.UU. dice que un autobús de transporte con combustible diésel que tiene 40 pasajeros a bordo produce un 86% menos de emisiones que los automóviles privados que llevan el mismo número. Incluso si un autobús diésel transporta tan solo siete pasajeros, sigue contaminando menos que los automóviles. Un vagón de ferrocarril pesado, en comparación, debe tener al menos el 19% de sus asientos llenos para producir menos emisiones que los automóviles.

La introducción de autobuses eléctricos en ciudades a lo largo de los EE.UU. y Canadá mejoraría estos índices drásticamente.

Del mismo modo, los estados y las provincias podrían moverse agresivamente para cambiar la forma en que generan la electricidad utilizada para impulsar los sistemas de metro y tranvías. Varios estados y provincias con sistemas ferroviarios (Columbia Británica, Massachusetts, Nueva York y California) están haciendo planes para deshacerse de las centrales eléctricas de combustibles fósiles y utilizar en su lugar sistemas de energía eólica, solar, de mareas y otros sistemas de cero emisiones para alimentar el transporte eléctrico.

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Usuarios del Transporte Público en Aumento Si bien podemos reducir las emisiones en los vehículos del transporte, no hará mella en las emisiones generales de la industria si no ayudamos a que muchas más personas dejen sus automóviles y comiencen a usar autobuses y trenes. El Transit Center, con sede en Nueva York, argumenta que “la urgencia de reducir las emisiones de carbono exige una acción más amplia, incluido el cambio de comportamiento de manejar automóviles a modos sostenibles como el transporte público”.

Desafortunadamente, la cantidad de usuarios del transporte público disminuyó un 2,5% en los EE.UU. en 2017. Pero la cantidad de pasajeros en el transporte público en todo Canadá, desde Vancouver a Montreal, aumentó aproximadamente un 1,3% el mismo año. ¿A qué se debe esto?

La escritora de Streetsblog, Angie Schmitt, lo examinó más de cerca.

“La caída de los precios de la gasolina, los estándares poco estrictos de préstamos para automóviles y el aumento de las aplicaciones de transporte como Uber y Lyft son factores plausibles”, para el descenso de pasajeros en los EE.UU., dijo. “Pero eso no es una excusa para el servicio de transporte público que no puede retener a sus usuarios. Como prueba, observe a Canadá”.

“Las ciudades canadienses simplemente tienen más servicio per cápita que las ciudades más comparables de los Estados Unidos”, explica el escritor Christopher Humanen, de Human Transit.

“El sistema de transporte canadiense no es más bonito, atractivo o más ‘sensible a la demanda’ que el transporte en los EE.UU. Simplemente hay más disponibilidad, por lo que más personas viajan, y el transporte público está más profundamente arraigado en la cultura y la política”.

Los analistas que observaron Seattle, Houston y Phoenix, las únicas ciudades de los Estados Unidos que vieron aumentar el número de pasajeros llegaron a la misma conclusión. Los usuarios usarán un sistema que está bien financiado, amplía el servicio y asume mejoras en todo el sistema, en lugar de solo proyectos únicos y sofisticados. Seattle destaca con un 70% completo de los viajes al centro de la ciudad realizados en transporte público, caminando o en bicicleta.

En su informe de 2014 sobre el desarrollo del transporte sostenible para pequeñas comunidades, el Consejo de Desarrollo del Norte de Alberta (NADC, por sus siglas en inglés) recomienda que los líderes políticos reconsideren la inversión en transporte teniendo en cuenta el “triple objetivo”. “En lugar del enfoque convencional en los objetivos económicos”, escriben, los líderes locales deberían “dar el mismo peso a los objetivos económicos, sociales y ambientales”. El NADC dice que los funcionarios públicos deben “ponderar los ahorros y los gastos municipales con los beneficios y costos para los individuos, las familias, los barrios, las empresas y el ecosistema”.

Teniendo en cuenta el triple objetivo, los funcionarios de EE.UU. y Canadá pueden recurrir a sus homólogos europeos para ver ejemplos de cómo sería esto. Berlín, en Alemania, tiene un sistema de transporte considerado “en crisis”, pero el departamento de

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November/December 2018 | IN TRANSIT

transporte de la ciudad y el estado no están dando la espalda a sus responsabilidades. En un documento de 350 páginas publicado a principios de este año, los formuladores de políticas expusieron importantes expansiones y mejoras en el servicio. En cuestión de años, prometen: •

Un autobús llegará cada diez minutos en cada línea.

•

Nuevos autobuses locales y expresos serán introducidos en las áreas sin transporte público.

•

Al menos nueve rutas adicionales operarán las 24 horas del día.

•

Para 2030, todos los autobuses funcionarán con electricidad.

Los europeos no solo están invirtiendo en un servicio mejor y más sostenible. También están ampliando el transporte público sin tarifa. Además de Tallin, Estonia (la ciudad más grande del mundo con transporte público gratuito) un total de 21 ciudades en Polonia, 20 en Francia y más de una docena más en todo el continente han optado por pagar el transporte público a través de impuestos en lugar de tarifas a los pasajeros. Cinco grandes ciudades alemanas, la capital francesa de París y toda la nación de Luxemburgo también van en esa dirección.

¿Lo Conseguiremos o No? Transporte público, gratuito para todos, que llega a tiempo, disponible las 24 horas del día, y completamente propulsado por el viento, el sol y los mares. Esto puede parecer una fantasía en 2019.

Pero no es más una fantasía que una jornada laboral de ocho horas, una semana laboral de cinco días, o el derecho a decir lo que uno piensa en el trabajo en 1892, cuando los trabajadores del transporte público se reunieron en Indiana para formar lo que se convertiría en ATU. Sin embargo, en tres décadas, los trabajadores del transporte público canadienses y estadounidenses han logrado exactamente eso.

También parecía una fantasía cuando el presidente Carter llamó a los estadounidenses a unirse y salvar sus comunidades al terminar con su dependencia de los combustibles fósiles extranjeros. Sin embargo, aquí estamos, cuarenta años después, viendo a una nueva generación de activistas y funcionarios electos que defienden un Green New Deal que va más allá de lo que Carter jamás imaginó.

No será fácil para los trabajadores del transporte construir un mundo en el que los políticos realicen inversiones masivas en el transporte público, en el que todo el transporte sea cero emisiones, en el que millones de nuestros vecinos utilicen el transporte público cada día. Pero ese desafío palidece en comparación con los sacrificios y desastres que nos aguardan si descartamos estos objetivos una como fantasía.

Afortunadamente, los miembros de ATU no están solos en esta lucha. Casi 19 millones de usuarios del transporte público, y cientos de millones de personas en todo el continente, están cada vez más dispuestos a seguir nuestro liderazgo. v

In Memoriam

Death Benefits Awarded September 1, 2018 - October 31, 2018 1- MEMBERS AT LARGE WILTON E HARRIS MARION J HEAD LEO J HIRSCH JR WILLIAM A SIMAS

279- OTTAWA, ON DAVID E CLEMENTS

85- PITTSBURGH, PA PAUL GRAHAM BECKETT LARRY N BROOKS WILLIAM J HARRINGTON WILLIAM F KOZIKOWSKI PAUL LACKOVIC KEITH J MARKHAM EBONEE’ Y MCLAUGHLIN ARTHUR C PROVIANO RICHARD M PRUDEN WILLIAM K RIGGS KURT H STEPPLING ELBERTA J SWISSHELM ROBERT S WILSON GEORGE A ZAMBORSKY

282- ROCHESTER, NY GRADY JOHNSON JOSEPH R LIBONATI

107- HAMILTON, ON WALTER R BODE SUSAN C MC AVELLA 113- TORONTO, ON TONY AMATO FRANCIS BORG FRANCESCO DICEGLIE COREY DOUCETTE DENVER HERBERT L DYER SHIHAB FAROOK ALFONSO FURGIUELE COLIN HEASLIP ANTONIO MANTENUTO BRENDA D PLAYTER DOUGLAS A SLYFORD GARY VANDINTHER JOSEPH ERIC WHITE 192- OAKLAND, CA KIRVEN L BLAYLOCK HENRY COLLINS ROBERT R DAHLGREN ELIAS GOMEZ GERALD T GURSCHKE JOAQUIN C LIMTIACO LEOLA A STARKS 241- CHICAGO, IL SHERMAN ADAMS ANTHONY S BAXTER FREDDIE L EWING SR LESLIE GOOLEY JOSE LANDOR ELON MCELROY FRANK E MILTON OSCAR SCOTT JR THOMAS L WALKER JAMES A WHITE 265- SAN JOSE, CA GARY L CAMPBELL RICHARD L EDWARDS JOHN ANTHONY GIUDICI ROLF GORNITZKA MARK J PEARSON

281- NEW HAVEN, CT SYLVESTER CROWLEY

308- CHICAGO, IL DELAINE BRIGHT JOHNNIE L CARSON CORNELIUS A ISAAC ROBERT JACKSON JR L C JONES SHIRLEY A KNIGHT TYRONE K MC NEIL EUGENE J PODUCH BERNARD S RADCLIFF JOHNNY M ROWLAND ERNEST L TUCKER WILLIE MAE VAUGHAN SHIRLEY M WATSON

628- COVINGTON, KY EVERETT LEE BUCKLER RAYMOND NELSON KERR 689- WASHINGTON, DC KENNETH D AVERY SR VICTOR E BLAKEY JOHNNY CABEZAS WILLIE CHANDLER GLENN S CURRIER JR JASON K HAN ROBERT H HARPER BOBBY K HUNTER YOUNG S KIM JOHN A OLIPHANT SR FRANCISCO M PUEBLA JOHN W SAXTON JR YONG H SONG 694- SAN ANTONIO, TX JUAN R SOTO 713- MEMPHIS, TN ODELL MORRIS

425- HARTFORD, CT ERNEST SIMPSON

725- BIRMINGHAM, AL LEO KENNEDY JR

448- SPRINGFIELD, MA LAWRENCE J CASINO

726- STATEN ISLAND, NY JOSEPH MC DONALD SALVATORE SIMON

569- EDMONTON, AB LYNN AYRE FREDERICK PRUNKL AMARJIT SRA LARRY TAITINGER 583- CALGARY, AB RAYMOND BERGERON GERALD F BOSCH GEORGE A TRIPP 587- SEATTLE, WA MARK F JONES FRANCISCO C NATIVIDAD 588- REGINA, SK GEORGE RICHARD HOW HARVEY J SCHNEIDER 589- BOSTON, MA RONALD C BOTHWELL EDWARD G CALLAHAN MARGARET S PETERSEN GUY L RUPERT 615- SASKATOON, SK JOANNE BAKER MORRIS S HERASYMUIK 618- PROVIDENCE, RI JOSE S JIMENEZ THOMAS P MC CORMICK ROBERT J WILLIAMS 627- CINCINNATI, OH ARCHIE C JONES ROBERT E MERS

732- ATLANTA, GA LINDA S FORD ALICE J MARTIN ROY P PARKER NATHANIEL STEWART 741- LONDON, ON JAMES C PATON CONSTANTINOS GUS STURAITIS KENNETH LAIR D WOODS 757- PORTLAND, OR VICTOR BARRETT GEORGE O LEPSEY 819- NEWARK, NJ PHILLIP MAJOR SUSAN NESTORY 820- UNION CITY, NJ FRED R PEDRICK 824- NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ WELDON H SPAULDING 842- WILMINGTON, DE WILLIE WORTHAM 843- BELLINGHAM, WA ARTHUR L BARNETT

LAWRENCE G MOORE RICHARD L POTTER NORMAN C REBEL FRANK J SENTENERI 996- SOUTH BEND, IN ALFONZA WARD 998- MILWAUKEE, WI DANIEL BOULTON MARILYN D PATY HERMANN G WONKA CARLTON G ZDARSTEK

EILEEN O O’BRIEN IGNATIUS PECORARO 1374- CALGARY, AB FRANK DE IURE BRYAN P PAGE RUSSELL PETRYK 1385- DAYTON, OH CURTIS ROYCE GENIE YELDELL

1001- DENVER, CO RONALD J MERTZ

1505- WINNIPEG, MB WALTER O HENZEL ANTON SZWALUK HARRY WRIGHT

1037- NEW BEDFORD, MA DARLENE J GONSALVES

1517- IDAHO FALLS, ID DONALD J PETERS

1145- BINGHAMTON, NY NICHOLAS J FRANKS

1564- DETROIT, MI BOBBY JENKINS

1177- NORFOLK, VA MANUEL A OVALLE

1573- BRAMPTON, ON WILLIAM B BROAD

1181- NEW YORK, NY GUS J BOTTI LINDA BOYLE CATHY D CARTY ESTHER DOMINICI FELICIA FERRARA KEVIN MC CAW RICHARD F POMPA FELIX RIVERA MARIE L SAINT-JEAN MARYANN SECRETI CHARLES THIEMER DEBRA L THIEMER JOHN F VECCHIONE VIVIAN WALKER JOHN P WHITMAN

1574- SAN MATEO, CA TONY R JONES

1220- RICHMOND, VA DAVID H EDMONDS

1624- PETERBOROUGH, ON HORACIO RAIMUDO

1225- SAN FRANCISCO, CA RICHARD D SMITH

1700- CHICAGO, IL TAYLOR B BRIM HOWARD T DAVIS JAMES D HAYNES JR CLAIR GENE HOSTETTLER RANDALL J LANE

1235- NASHVILLE, TN HOWARD K WILKS 1277- LOS ANGELES, CA HOWARD PERKINS HARRY A PITFORD 1287- KANSAS CITY, MO JOHN B DE KNIGHT THOMAS VAN MITCHELL FREDDIE N PORTER

846- ST. CATHARINES, ON ALLAN M SEBURN

1321- ALBANY & TROY, NY REGINALD E LACY JOHNNY C THOMPSON

880- CAMDEN, NJ CHARLES HOLLAND

1342- BUFFALO, NY NORVAL KRANZ JR

IN TRANSIT

1575- SAN RAFAEL, CA PAUL R ANDERSON CLIFTON G TRUE 1587- TORONTO, ON JOHN HARPER ROSS KENNEDY 1593- TAMPA, FL JOHN R LOEFFLER 1607- DERBY, CT GEORGE A SILL

1724- VANCOUVER, BC BRIAN BORETTA ALPHONSUS CHIU ALICE DAVEY 1743- PITTSBURGH, PA EUGENE J MC ANANY GARY R PAYNE

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