California Locals Mentoring Transit Workers Leads to Career Success

ATU Locals in California are part of the innovative California Transit Works (CTW), a statewide consortium of transit agencies, labor unions, and community colleges to promote training partnerships to address the critical issues facing public transit workers. International President John Costa joined a virtual meeting of the consortium to discuss ATU’s commitment to encouraging labor/management programs at transit agencies.

In the summer of 2019, Costa visited Local 265-San Jose, CA to learn about their Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) apprenticeship program and left inspired and impressed.

Labor/management partnerships bring workforce pride

“One of the things I’ve long fought for is respect for those who are doing the job,” said Costa. The labor/ management partnership brings pride to the workforce, to the workers.”

The CTW panel discussion also included Local 192-Oakland, CA President Yvonne Williams, Local 265-San Jose, CA President John Courtney, Local 256-Sacramento, CA President Ralph Niz, Local 1575San Rafael, CA President Shane Weinstein and heads of transit authorities from Sacramento, San Joaquin, Alameda, San Francisco and San Jose. Also on the zoom was ATU’s Workforce Development Coordinator Jamaine Gibson who drove a VTA bus for nine years before managing the program from the union side.

“The greatest thing you can do as a mentor is passing on your knowledge to hopefully make it better for other transit employees. We are finally being recognized at a high level for the work that we do,” said Gibson.

Local 1575 just received approval for their Coach Operator Apprenticeship program based on their mentor program at Golden Gate Transit.

“The mentorship program creates a lot of responsibility among the workers. It creates growth, and makes people understand this is a career that will take them somewhere,” said Local 1575’s Weinstein.

The goal of labor/management partnership programs is to improve the work environments, job training and job quality of life for transit professionals. Program participants at VTA get the extra bonus of earning college credits during their job training.

Giving workers and their union a voice in designing their own work environment has been found to increase employee retention rates from 50% to 95%. More transit authorities should believe that treating workers well and working with their union is a win-win for everyone.