United States Version PDF - Amalgamated Transit Union

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J U L /AU G
www.atu.org
OPEN SEASON
ON OPERATORS
COMBATING THE DRIVER ASSAULT EPIDEMIC
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Legislative Report: Throwing
Families Under the Bus
Canadians Lead The Way:
Set New Ridership Record in 2010
ATU Report Calls for Congress to Extend
Overtime Protection to OTR Drivers
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: FARE EVADER ASSAULTS ATU MEMBER
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
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A F L- C I O/C LC
INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS
LAWRENCE J. HANLEY
International President
ROBERT H. BAKER
International Executive Vice President
OSCAR OWENS
International Secretary-Treasurer
INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS
RODNEY RICHMOND
New Orleans, LA – rrichmond@atu.org
LARRY R. KINNEAR
Ashburn, ON – lkinnear@atu.org
JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR.
Kansas City, MO – jperez@atu.org
RICHARD M. MURPHY
Newburyport, MA – rmurphy@atu.org
BOB M. HYKAWAY
Calgary, AB – bhykaway@atu.org
CHARLES COOK
Petaluma, CA – ccook@atu.org
WILLIAM G. McLEAN
Reno, NV – wmclean@atu.org
JANIS M. BORCHARDT
Madison, WI – jborchardt@atu.org
PAUL BOWEN
Canton, MI – pbowen@atu.org
KENNETH R. KIRK
Lancaster, TX – kkirk@atu.org
GARY RAUEN
Clayton, NC – grauen@atu.org
MARCELLUS BARNES
Flossmore, IL – mbarnes@atu.org
RAY RIVERA
Lilburn, GA – rrivera@atu.org
YVETTE SALAZAR
Thornton, CO – ysalazar@atu.org
GARY JOHNSON, SR.
Cleveland, OH – gjohnson@atu.org
ROBIN WEST
Rexdale, ON – rwest@atu.org
JOHN COSTA
Kenilworth, NJ – jcosta@atu.org
CHUCK WATSON
Syracuse, NY – cwatson@atu.org
NEWSBRIEFS
A U.S. court and a Canadian arbitration panel issued rulings in July on disputes that go all the way back
to 2008, and 2009:
Victorious local ‘not popping the champagne.’ Washington, DC members won a major
victory, July 22, when the U.S. District Court ruled Metro must honor an arbitrator’s 2009 ruling
awarding a 9% wage increase to its ATU employees (3% per year in 2009, 2010, and 2011).
The ruling stems from Metro’s request for a judicial review of the arbitrator’s 2009 award which,
they said, did not take into account the budget difficulties governments were experiencing at
the time in violation of the city’s interest arbitration standards.
The court took a long time to issue a decision considering Metro’s request seemed a lot like
suing the power company because you can’t afford the electric bill.
Metro hasn’t decided whether or not it will appeal the ruling. “I’m not popping the champagne,”
responded DC Local 689 President Jackie Jeter.
Was that strike necessary? On July 25, an arbitration panel issued its final ruling on a
53-day ATU strike that took place in Ottawa, ON, during the bitterly cold winter of 2008.
The panel’s report revealed that during negotiations Local 279 offered to give OC Transpo the
control it wanted over scheduling in exchange for wage guarantees that the city refused to pay.
The union’s representative on the board, Joe Herbert, wrote that the contract is now so much
like the offer the union made during bargaining in 2008, that the strike could likely have been
avoided. “Indeed it may well be that had my board colleagues’ considerable labour relations
expertise been engaged by the parties in 2008, the work stoppage might have been averted
entirely,” he concluded.
Stability vs. COLAs? Three years ago Tampa, FL did away with multi-year contracts with its
city employees. Now, the city’s unions are back at the negotiating table asking for three-year
contracts again.
Mike Young, a member of Local 1464’s negotiating team says many union members would do
without cost-of-living increases in exchange for the stability of a three-year contract.
Even though Tampa faces $34.5 million budget deficit, city officials say they will balance next
year’s budget without laying-off workers, raising property taxes or diminishing services. Will
their next project be walking on water?
INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
ANTHONY WITHINGTON
Sebastopol, CA – awithington@atu.org
DENNIS ANTONELLIS
Spokane, WA – dantonellis@atu.org
KAREN MILLER-LEWIS
Memphis, TN – kmiller@atu.org
CLAUDIA HUDSON
Oakland, CA – chudson@atu.org
STEPHAN MACDOUGALL
Boston, MA – smacdougall@atu.org
CANADIAN COUNCIL
STAN DERA
Rexdale, ON - director@atucanada.ca
INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUS
International President Jim La Sala, ret.
International President Warren George, ret.
International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret.
International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret.
International Secretary-Treasurer Ray Wallace, ret.
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J U L /A U G
2011
www.atu.org
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International Officers & General Executive Board
NEWS Briefs
3
Index Page
4
International President’s Message:
Unpatriots
5
International Executive Vice President’s Message:
Class Warfare?
6
International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message:
Let Freedom Ring
7
Legislative Report:
Throwing Working Families Under the Bus
8
ATU Marches with British Public Service Workers
at Pension Protest
9
Canadians Lead the Way:
Set New Ridership Record in 2010
10
L’Achalandage du Transport Collectif a Franchi une
Nouvelle Étape Importante en 2010
11
Canadian Agenda: Canadian Council Elects New
Interim Officers, Plans to Push Anti-Assault Bill
13
Open Season on Operators: Combating the Driver
Assault Epidemic
15
Bregg Attacker Jailed Indefinitely, Declared
‘Dangerous Offender’
16
Get on the Bus: Transit Union Looks to Ally with Riders
17
Nova Scotia Requires Drivers to Yield Buses Right of Way
18
ATU Report Calls for Congress to Extend Overtime
Protection to OTR Drivers
19
Strategic Campaigns Update
20
Believe It or Not! Everyone in Massachusetts Cities
Agrees with ATU: ‘We Need More Service’
21
Wisconsin’s ‘Walker 6’ Face Recall Elections
22
ATU Family Members Awarded Union Plus Scholarships
23
Deadly Deal: House Democrats Oppose
Deadly Trade Deal
24
Colombian Union Leaders Murdered as
US Pursues Trade Pact
25
Translations (French & Spanish)
30
In Memoriam
31
100 Years Ago: Local 569’s 100th Anniversary
32
ATU Launches New, User Friendly Website!
Vol. 120, No. 4
Throwing Working Families Under the Bus
7
Canadians Lead The Way: Set New Ridership Record
9
Open Season on Operators
13
Everyone in Massachusetts Cities Agrees with ATU
20
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
3
LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
Unpatriots
O
n July 4, millions of Americans celebrated U.S.
independence with fireworks, bands, and parades.
On July 1, millions of Canadians celebrated Canada Day
in much the same way. In both countries there were many
speeches extolling the values we share. Unfortunately, the
elite in America do not share our values. They only value
greed. There is no patriotism left on Wall Street and I’m
searching for it in Washington, DC.
There is a phony fight between the Republicans and
Democrats in DC about the “debt ceiling.” It is cover to build
public fear that will allow them to make a “grand bargain.”
The only guarantee in the bargain is that average
Americans will be left out, shortchanged and screwed.
Lawmakers will agree that “common ground” is vital. But
common ground that cuts medicare, wages, pensions and
social security is common in only one way; the rich will get
richer and the poor poorer.
Politicians call for “shared sacrifice.” But who will do
the sharing?
Billionaire Warren Buffet, one of the worlds richest
people has said, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my
class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”
He was right and the war is accelerating and becoming
more visible every day.
In Michigan we are responding by organizing ATU
members to fight to restore the collective bargaining rights
stolen by the legislature. In Ohio we helped gather 1.2
million signatures to repeal the anti-labor law there. In
Wisconsin we are organizing to recall politicians.
The string of recent over-the-road fatalities prove it is
wrong to deny bus drivers time-and-a-half after 40 hours
– a basic right extended to 85% of U.S. workers since the
1930s. Passing legislation requiring interstate operators to
pay overtime is another major goal in our ongoing effort to
get fair pay and a good night’s sleep for our members before
they drive a bus.
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July/August 2011
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Mediators of an Angry Society
Transit workers are the front line mediators of an angry
society. Bus driver assaults have risen since service has been
cut and fares increased. We are joining with the Transport
Workers Union (TWU) in building a cross border effort
to bring attention to this plague of assaults, and to fight to
protect our members.
We continue to train your local officers to build
community coalitions and become stronger leaders every day.
The values that built the North American middle class
need to be restored to the public debate. Please reach out to
your local officers and tell them you are ready to fight back.
New Website, Email Service Launched
This month we rolled out a new communications
department with a strategy to make outreach to our
members and the public more effective. We launched a
new more user-friendly website at www.atu.org, and we’re
harnessing the power of social media.
We’ll be sending out regular emails to update you on
the latest ATU news and information. Simply email your
name and local union number to communications@atu.org.
Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time, and your email
will not be shared with anyone.
As an added incentive, for a limited time, we will hold
random drawings from the email list. You could win
valuable ATU merchandise and other prizes. Check out
atu.org for details.
BOB BAKER, INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Class Warfare?
C
onservative pundits are fond of criticizing those of
us who stand up for working families by calling
it “class warfare.” Somehow this is supposed to inspire
fear in the hearts of people who earn good incomes, and
shame in those who don’t.
Well, I have a confession to make. In both our
countries we are indeed engaged in class warfare, but it’s
not the kind of war that the rich and powerful want you
to think it is. This is no socialist uprising. It’s hardly even
a movement.
No, this is a war declared by the richest one percent
against the other 99. It is a war in which Wall Street
and the big banks hoard their money after we bailed
them out to avoid an economic meltdown. It is a war
in which people are made to feel selfish if they think
they should be able to make a decent living if they work
hard and play by the rules. It is a war in which the
few things people could count on – social security, the
Canadian Pension Plan, medicare, and medicaid – are
called “unsustainable.”
And this, they say, is a war we’re waging against them?
No, this is a war in which we’re just trying to hang on to
what we’ve got.
Why haven’t jobs bounced back since the Great
Recession? Why is it that when people do go back to
work they must take jobs earning less? Why is it that
health care, pensions, vacations, sick days, safety
precautions, fair treatment on the job, etc. have all
dramatically declined in the last decade?
In short, why are working people being robbed of
everything they fought and died for over the last 150 years?
No Choice But to Fight Back
We have no choice but to fight back with all legal means
at our disposal. And, ultimately we must use our most
potent weapon – the ballot box.
That’s all it takes. It is the simplest yet, often, the most
difficult task to get people engaged in the political process
in their own self interest.
None of us can afford to be conscientious objectors
in this war. Please join the ATU and get active in the
campaign to defend your livelihood and your rights.
Together we can succeed.
Together we will succeed.
Taxes Kill Jobs?
This is a war in which conservative legislators demand
sacrifice after sacrifice from regular folks, but refuse even
to close tax loopholes for the rich. Doing anything else,
they say, will kill jobs.
Well, I’ve got a question for them. We’ve had these
lowered tax rates for the rich in the U.S. since the
beginning of the George W. Bush administration, and
what have we gotten for it?
In Solidarity,
Bob Baker
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
5
OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER
Let Freedom Ring
I
t’s August in Washington. And these warm days in
the nation’s capital turn my thoughts back to that
sweltering day – August 27, 1963 – when Rev. Martin
Luther King, Jr., led thousands to the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial to deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech. That
speech is now so ingrained in our collective consciousness
that I’d venture to say almost everyone in the U.S. and
Canada knows about that moment in history.
Few, however, remember the role that organized labor
played in bringing that day to fruition; particularly the
role played by A. Philip Randolph, the founder of the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, who championed
the civil rights movement long before most Americans
knew it existed.
March Movement Began in 1941
In fact, Randolph founded the “March on Washington
Movement” on January 25, 1941, in order to pressure
President Roosevelt into eliminating racial discrimination
in government employment and the defense industry.
Randolph called off the 1941 demonstration after
the president created the Fair Employment Practices
Committee to do just that.
But Randolph kept the movement alive to keep
the pressure up. On July 28, 1948, President Truman
abolished segregation in the armed forces as a result of
Randolph’s tireless efforts.
Union Experience Invaluable
The idea for what became the “March on Washington
for Jobs and Freedom” started to gain traction again
as the civil rights movement attracted more attention.
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July/August 2011
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Randolph’s experience as a union organizer proved
invaluable to the campaign to bring a massive, yet
peaceful throng of black and white Americans to
Washington, DC, to seek justice for African-Americans.
Along with civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Randolph
created a platform for Dr. King to deliver one of the most
famous speeches in American history.
The march has become a foundation stone of the civil
rights movement. Passage of the landmark Civil Rights
Act of 1964 is often attributed to the success of the
March on Washington.
Victories Won by Coalitions
It is good to remember that the labor movement
has been an integral part of the civil rights movement,
particularly now that unions are under siege. If Tea
Party legislators can take away the rights of working
people, one has to wonder, whose rights are next?
History shows that important legislative victories
were achieved by coalitions of labor, civil rights, and
other groups. Our success in holding on to the rights
and benefits we have inherited may depend on our
determination to stand together with those who see
that they have as much at stake in our battle as we do
in theirs.
LEGISLATIVE
REPORT
Throwing Workin
g
Families Under t
he Bus
J
ust when the so-called “experts” told us that the transit
cuts would slow down, more have been made or are
being contemplated all over the U.S. including 150 layoffs
in Tacoma, WA (Local 758); 200 buses being idled in
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (Local 1005); and a 50% cut
in service in Columbia, SC (Local 610), among others.
Salt in the Wound
And just how did the Republican-controlled U.S. House
Transportation Committee respond to the historic transit
crisis when it recently unveiled its new six-year federal surface
transportation bill? By proposing to cut transportation
programs by 30% and encouraging privatization.
The misguided bill calls for slashing public
transportation at a time when Americans need it most – to
avoid sky-high gas prices on their way to work. But House
Transportation Committee Chair John Mica, R-FL, says
we have to do more with less.
And while the details of the proposal have yet to be
released, Republicans have indicated that they have no
intention of changing federal law to allow even a portion
of transit funding to preserve service, saying that federal
money should be used to build, not operate, transit systems.
The negative reaction from across the transit sector –
both Labor and management – has been overwhelming.
“Transit is already on the ropes,” said International
President Larry Hanley. “The Mica proposal would be the
knockout punch that puts millions more people on the
unemployment line.”
Hanley went on to say that “slashing federal
transportation spending by a third will cause transit systems
to shift what little local operations funding they have to
rehabilitate aging vehicles and equipment, triggering the
elimination of essential bus routes across the country.”
This was confirmed in Cleveland (Local 268), where
the Regional Transit Authority announced that if the
Mica bill became law, it could potentially lose about $15
million a year, resulting in layoffs next summer of 75 to 100
employees. The loss of workers would mean a 7.5% cut in
bus routes and rail service. That would be on top of a 23%
service cut since 2001. Fares have risen three times since
the start of 2006.
House Republicans to Working People: Drop Dead
The Republican transit bill would also cause cash-strapped
transit systems to further put off new equipment purchases
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
7
and deferred maintenance, causing significant safety issues.
“People will be boarding 20-year old buses held together
with spit and glue, and transfer to subway, light rail, and
commuter rail systems running on ancient tracks, rusty nuts
and bolts, and 20th century signal equipment. Americans want
and deserve reliable, safe, affordable public transportation.”
On July 8, the House Republicans told working people
to drop dead. The GOP approach shows not just callous
disregard but no regard for the people who lost and will
lose family members because of underfunded, unsafe, and
antiquated transit systems. For them and for those who
have lost, cannot find, or get to a job, Mica, who knows
better, offers no help and no hope. This must change.
Lack of Leadership
The ATU supports President Obama’s outline for the
reauthorization of the transportation bill, which calls for
nearly doubling the size of the federal transit program in
FY 2012. The proposal recognizes the public transportation
crisis and the role that transit can play in getting people
back to work.
But, of course, it is up to Congress to finance the
proposal. That is why now more than ever we need to
move aggressively to build coalitions with our riders to
pressure Congress (and the Administration) to finance the
bill. No other investment in equipment, infrastructure and
operations offers more promise and a greater guarantee to
get America back to work. Our riders, our families and our
communities deserve no less.
Simply put: Our country’s economic future is “riding
on the bus.”
But Republicans and Democrats in Washington – who
rarely agree on anything these days – are nearly united
in their opposition to raising taxes for transportation.
Lawmakers of both parties are simply afraid to raise the
gas tax which funds highway and transit programs, even
though when it comes to public transit, people are more
than willing to tax themselves. More than 70% of local
transportation ballot measures during the last decade have
passed. But members of Congress are far more concerned
about preserving their own jobs than creating new ones.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Chair Barbara Boxer, D-CA, has acknowledged that unless
Congress passes a new transportation bill, 630,000 private
sector jobs in highways and transit will be lost in 2012.
Yet even the Democratic-controlled Senate is working on a
proposal that will only support transportation programs at
current funding levels (no new taxes).
With the August Congressional recess upon us, and the
2012 campaign season rapidly approaching, there is no
expectation that the legislative logjam will break anytime
soon. Meanwhile, the transit crisis continues.
ATU Marches with British
Public Service Workers
at Pension Protest
In top picture from left, National Greyhound Local
President Bruce Hamilton joins UK’s Unite public
worker union General Secretary Diana Holland,
Toronto, ON Local 113 Executive Board Member Ian
MacKay, Unison public service union General Secretary
David Prentiss, and Toronto Local 113 President Bob
Kinnear (second from right) in protesting proposals
to cut back on public worker pensions in a massive
demonstration on June 30, in Southampton, UK.
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July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
Canadians Lead The Way:
Set New Ridership Record in 2010
TORONTO, ON (July 25, 2011): Public transit ridership
across Canada hit an all-time high in 2010 with 1.9
billion trips taken, a 4.1 % increase from the previous
year, according to the Canadian Urban Transit
Association (CUTA).
CUTA Chair John King. “Sustaining this rate of ridership
growth, however, requires ongoing support for expanding
transit capacity and service levels through investment in
infrastructure and operations.”
“This new ridership record clearly demonstrates the
popularity of public transit among Canadians, as well as
highlights the importance of establishing the success that
can be achieved when you provide regular, reliable funding
for safe, efficient public transportation,” stated ATU
International President Larry Hanley.
Infrastructure Needs
“The increase in transit ridership in 2010 represents
an addition of well over 75 million more passenger trips
from 2009, roughly the equivalent of the total ridership of
the Edmonton Transit System,” says CUTA President &
CEO Michael Roschlau. “The increases were spread across
the country in communities large and small, with many
of Canada’s smaller communities showing remarkable
growth, with averages exceeding 5%.”
“This growth in transit ridership shows that Canadians
are looking for alternatives to high gas prices and traffic
concerns, and public transit can represent a real option
to reduce reliance on single occupancy vehicles,” says
CUTA’s most recent national infrastructure survey
reported a $53.5 billion need for public transit capital
investment for the period 2010-2014, which includes
all communities, only 67% of which is fundable under
existing programs. Indeed, related CUTA research has
concluded that the economic return on investment in
Canadian transit infrastructure exceeds 2:1 – a benefit that
exceeds $10 billion annually.
“This record ridership in communities of all sizes
is proof of the need for sustainable long term funding,
Roschlau noted”.
For more information, visit www.cutaactu.ca
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
9
L’Achalandage du Transport Collectif
a Franchi une Nouvelle Étape
Importante en 2010
TORONTO, ON (le 25 juillet 2011): L’achalandage des réseaux de transport collectif au Canada a connu une très forte
croissance en 2010. En effet, le nombre d’usagers a augmenté de 4,1 % à l’échelle nationale par rapport à l’année précédente.
Comme l’a indiqué aujourd’hui l’Association canadienne du transport urbain (ACTU), le nombre de déplacements, qui
s’élève à 1,9 milliard, a atteint un sommet sans précédent au cours de 2010.
« Ce nouveau registre du nombre de passagers démontre clairement la popularité du
transport en commun parmi les canadiens et il souligne l’importance d’établir un
financement régulier et fiable pour un service de transport publique sûr et efficace »,
déclara le président international, Larry Hanley.
«La hausse du nombre d’usagers du transport collectif en 2010 représente 75 millions de déplacements supplémentaires
par rapport à 2009, ce qui équivaut environ au nombre d’usagers de l’ensemble d’Edmonton Transit System », affirme
Michael Roschlau, président­directeur général de l’ACTU. « Les hausses se sont étendues à l’ensemble du pays, dans les
petites comme dans les grandes collectivités. De nombreuses petites collectivités canadiennes ont d’ailleurs connu une
croissance remarquable, atteignant des moyennes de plus de 5 %.»
«Cette hausse du nombre d’usagers du transport collectif montre que la population canadienne essaie de trouver des
solutions de rechange aux automobiles en raison de l’augmentation des prix du carburant et de la congestion routière. Le
transport collectif peut d’ailleurs constituer une véritable option pour réduire l’utilisation des véhicules à passager unique »,
déclare John King, président de l’ACTU. « Cependant, pour que l’achalandage continue de croître, il faut constamment
soutenir l’expansion de la capacité des réseaux de transport et des niveaux de services en investissant dans l’infrastructure et
l’exploitation.»
La toute dernière enquête réalisée par l’ACTU concernant l’infrastructure nationale a révélé qu’il faudrait investir
53,5 milliards de dollars dans le transport collectif pour la période de 2010 à 2014, et ce, dans les collectivités de partout
au pays. Cette enquête a aussi révélé que seulement 67 % de cet investissement peut être financé par les programmes
actuels. D’ailleurs, l’ACTU a effectué une recherche à ce sujet qui lui a permis de conclure que la proportion du rendement
économique du capital investi dans l’infrastructure de transport collectif du Canada est supérieure à 2:1, ce qui représente
des profits de plus de 10 milliards de dollars par année.
«Comme la demande pour les services de transport collectif continue de croître, il sera essentiel d’établir un cadre
stratégique canadien en matière de transport collectif qui reflète les intérêts de tous les ordres de gouvernement, afin de
répondre aux besoins de la population canadienne », conclut M. Roschlau. « Le record d’achalandage qui a été observé dans
les collectivités de toutes tailles prouve qu’un financement durable et à long terme est nécessaire.»
L’ACTU est une association nationale représentant des réseaux de transport collectif, des fournisseurs de l’industrie, des
organismes gouvernementaux, des particuliers et des organismes connexes partout au Canada.
Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements sur l’Association, veuillez consulter le www.cutaactu.ca.
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July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
Canadian Agenda
Canadian Council Elects New Interim
Officers, Plans to Push Anti-Assault Bill
T
he ATU Canadian Council held
its annual conference July 6 – 9,
hosted by Local 588-Regina, SK. The
Regina members were celebrating the
local’s 100th anniversary, and were great
hosts for the gathering.
The conference started unofficially on July 6, with
delegates concentrating on the Council’s bylaws, the
restructuring and future of the Council, and how the
Council should adapt to the political changes facing transit
workers. A roundtable discussion was held on these issues
toward the goal of formulating a plan for the future.
The conference officially began with opening
ceremonies on July 7. Local 588 President Mike Ehmann
welcomed delegates and guests and introduced Regina
City Councillor Fred Clipsham who greeted participants
on behalf of the city’s mayor. After another welcome from Regina Transit Manager
Kim Onrait, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
President Larry Hubich spoke, predicting that the federal
government’s “essential service” assault on transit workers
will accelerate. Canadian transit workers lose the right
to strike when a legislature designates their agency an
“essential service.” He urged conference-goers to vote for
candidates who share their pro-labour ideologies.
Hanley: ‘We Need to Involve Our Members’
International President Larry Hanley spoke about the
political situation in the U.S. where employee rights are
being eroded by ultraconservative politicians who blame
workers for the fiscal mess we’re in. Hanley asserted that ATU needs to change its culture.
“We need to do more than just negotiate contracts and
file grievances” he said. “We need to involve our
members. We need to mobilize groups in various cities.
We need to fight the multinational companies that are
trying to break unions and build relationships with
unions in other countries to stop the multinationals from
destroying our rights.”
Social justice is important, Hanley declared, and we
need to reach out and work together to preserve the
middle-class. Brother Hanley informed the conference
that the International will strive to better communicate
and use social media to the ATU’s advantage.
Locals can do things to get the message out to their
members and the community, he said. The Union will
assist in any way possible.
International Executive Vice President Bob Baker also
spoke to the assembly. He pointed out that Canada is
strong with good wages and benefits, and that we earn
our contracts. The ATU sets the standard in this country,
he said. Brother Baker also stated the International is
committed to Canada and will assist us in building our
future together.
Election Results
The Council held interim elections for the following positions:
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
11
Assault Bill to be Reintroduced
CANADIAN DIRECTOR:
Stan Dera - Elected
MP Brent Rathgeber, Edmonton/St. Albert, AB, addressed
the conference. The member of Parliament tabled (introduced)
his first private members’ bill – C–637 - An Act to Amend the
Criminal Code (Public Transit Operators) on March 10.
VICE CHAIR:
Felix Gendron, 591-Hull, QC: Elected
The proposed legislation, also known as Bregg’s Bill, is
named in honour of Tom Bregg, an Edmonton, AB Local
569 transit operator who was viciously attacked while
performing his duties in December 2009. SECRETARY TO THE BOARD:
Jeannie Garbett, 508-Halifax-NS, Elected
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER-EAST# 1
Budh Dhillon, 107-Hamilton, ON: Elected
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER-EAST #2
Ian Laird, local 1415-Toronto, ON: Acclaimed
Unfortunately, the bill died on the order paper when
Parliament was dissolved for an election this spring. However,
Rathgeber will reintroduce the bill and put all his time and
effort into making sure Bregg’s Bill becomes Bregg’s Law.
ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER-EAST # 1
Andrew Cleary, 1189-Guelph: Acclaimed
Bernie Morton, ATU lobbyist and vice president
of Sussex Strategy Group, reported what has been
accomplished on Bregg’s Bill so far, and what needs to be
done when Parliament resumes in the fall.
ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER-EAST # 2
Gino Paolino, 279-Ottawa, ON: Acclaimed
Bregg who attended as a guest of the Council, has been
working on the legislative campaign to make sure what
happened to him does not happen to anyone else.
ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER-WEST # 2
Tim Johnston, 1724-Vancouver, BC: Elected
Canadian Director Stan Dera applauded Bregg’s
courage and thanked him for the help he has provided and
for lending his name to the legislation. 201 1 ATU EASTER N
CANAM CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 13 – 18, 2011
The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach
100 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan, FL 33462
Toll-Free Hotel Reservations: 1-888-856-4273
Quote: “ATU Can-Am Conference” for Group Rate ($169/Night)
Cut-Off Date for Hotel Reservations: August 14, 2011
Registration Deadline: August 30, 2011
All Delegates/Guests: Please Plan to arrive on
Tuesday, September 13, and Depart on Sunday September 18
12
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
OPEN
SEASON ON
OPERATORS
COMBATING THE DRIVER ASSAULT EPIDEMIC
When he was ready to work again, he returned to
Edmonton (AB) Transit, which arguably inflicted more
lasting damage than his assailant did a year-and-a-half ago.
This attack was just one incident in a growing epidemic
of violence against transit operators. In New York City
there were more than 236 assaults on bus drivers in 2009.
Washington, DC’s Metro reported a 10 percent rise in
attacks on bus drivers in the past year.
Bus driver Tom Bregg is one tough biker dude.
He was attacked more viciously than any ATU
member in memory. An irate passenger punched and
stomped his face into a bloody mess, inflicting multiple
facial and brain injuries. Rendered unconscious, he flatlined twice, lost the sight in one eye, and was put into a
coma to help his brain heal. His injuries were so severe
that Bregg had to learn how to talk again as he adjusted
to how the broken bones mended in his face.
He was released from the hospital after several months
and is still rehabilitating.
According to ATU Canadian Director Stan Dera,
40% of Canadian drivers are assaulted on duty during the
course of their careers. Toronto, ON Local 113 President
Bob Kinnear says 700-800 of his members are assaulted
every year.
Still Standing and Biking
Yet Tom Bregg is still standing. In fact, he just finished
riding one of his three motorcycles to Alaska and back.
Not that he had any specific reason to go there. When
bikers get ready to ride, he explains, they pick a direction
– not a destination.
Bregg did make an exception, however, when he rode
to the July meeting of the Canadian Council Conference
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
13
in Regina, SK. He was invited because of his support
for legislation bearing his name (“Bregg’s Bill”) which
would revise the federal criminal code by requiring
higher federal penalties for persons convicted of
assaulting transit workers (see Canadian Agenda, page
12). The proposed bill is similar to legislation the ATU
convinced the U.S. Congress to pass in 2002.
‘A Step Down’
practiced at their thievery (see video on atu.org). He was
pulled off the bus and pummeled by the three felons who
made their escape and are still at large.
Because he had a one-week vacation break scheduled
in the middle of his suspension, the managers showed
how “kind” they could be by reducing his suspension
to 25 days, which cost him $5,000. The agency even
denied him worker’s compensation – a decision he is
now appealing.
“When the city discovered I wasn’t dead,” Bregg relates,
they put him on worker’s compensation. But, since
30% of his earnings came from overtime, and worker’s
comp came to 90% of his base pay, Bregg’s post-attack
income only amounted to two-thirds of what he made
before the attack.
When he was ready to go back to work the transit agency
gave him a job, he says, “waving flags at trains” at outdoor
stations. But, because Bregg’s battered face was now unusually
sensitive to the cold, he couldn’t possibly do that job.
On May 11, Bregg’s worker’s compensation
was terminated and he was offered a made-up job
“shadowing” a dispatcher, again, at two-thirds of his
former income. That job might have held promise had
his employers not made it abundantly clear that he would
never become an actual dispatcher because the job would
be a marginal promotion and the property has a policy of
never giving a promotion to an employee who’s received
worker’s compensation.
“I was stunned,” Bregg said. The policy meant that the
only jobs available to him were “a step down.”
Those who assault ATU members, some of them
recidivists, rarely get serious prison time; many get suspended
sentences or community service – picking up trash along the
bus route where they carried out their savagery.
Suspended for Preventing
a Robbery
One driver, Donald Woodson,
998-Milwaukee, WI, who was
beaten while protecting the
transit agency’s property – bus
transfers – was rewarded by the
agency’s managers with a 30-day suspension for allegedly
initiating a confrontation with passengers who seemed
14
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
Woodson, however, lost more than money.
“Psychologically,” he says, “I don’t do the job like I used
to. I don’t do the job with confidence. I do it with fear.”
Canadian and American jurisdictions all have different
rules about what drivers should do with fare evaders.
In some cities, they are supposed to ask for the fare and,
if refused, to call supervisors for instructions. In other places, the driver is penalized if he does not
challenge the fare – setting up a confrontation in which
the driver is a sitting duck. Drivers from Local 726-Staten
Island, NY, say that on some heavily-trafficked routes,
half the passengers aren’t paying and drivers are told not
to challenge them.
Solutions?
The violence against transit workers has not stopped
in the United States, even though there’s been a federal
law like the one proposed in Canada on the books for
almost a decade. In addition many states have passed
similar laws that are rarely enforced. That suggests that
something must be done in addition to legislation.
Laws have to be enforced. And effective enforcement
costs money. It is unlikely that any city in North America
will pay to hire transit police to patrol every bus that rolls
through a bad neighborhood.
ATU is building alliances to work with other unions
and industry groups to fight for protective devices for
drivers.
Some cities have installed shields between the
driver and alighting passengers. But, problems often
crop up with shields that are retrofitted onto existing
motor coaches. Drivers, also, are not always comfortable
with shields.
Bregg Attacker Jailed
Indefinitely, Declared
‘Dangerous Offender’
Radios and surveillance cameras are becoming
commonplace on urban fleets, as are GPS locators. Some
argue that there should be a driver’s side escape door.
However, that would be of little use if transit agencies
don’t change their policies prohibiting drivers from
leaving their bus while on duty.
Others are teaching their drivers something called
verbal judo to psychologically disarm an angry passenger.
That however, might not be helpful with a mentally
disturbed person.
Many drivers say that nothing can completely protect
them in a job in which strangers are invited into their
workplace on purpose.
Best Protection? Respect.
One driver in Washington, DC, may have explained
the problem when he said that the best protection drivers
used to have was the position of respect they once held
in the community, but that attitude has eroded in many
places in Canada and the United States.
In an economy which forces people out of the middle
class and pushes the poor deeper into poverty, the
uniformed bus driver may be viewed as an agent of the
“haves” demanding even more than they’ve already taken
from the “have-nots” in exchange for a ride.
Does this suggest that nothing can be done short of
changing the economy or culture of our nations? In our
next issue In Transit will explore the joint work being
done by ATU and the Transport Workers Union (TWU)
to find solutions to this growing problem. Edmonton Transit driver Tom Bregg speaks to
reporters in Ottawa about a private member’s
bill that bears his name. (CBC)
As In Transit went to press it was
reported that the man who viciously
attacked Tom Bregg, 569-Edmonton,
AB, (see adjacent article) was declared
a “dangerous offender” on July 25. The
designation by an Alberta provincial court
sends the criminal to jail for an indefinite
period of time.
The assailant who now becomes a ward
of Corrections Canada will remain in
prison until it is determined that he is no
longer a risk to the public. He can appeal
the decision.
The court’s ruling is the most severe
punishment given for assaulting a bus driver
since the recent wave of violence began.
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
15
Get on the Bus: Transit Union
Looks to Ally with Riders
M
ore than 100 transit activists met in Washington,
DC in mid-March for the Amalgamated Transit
Union’s “boot camp,” learning how to build coalitions
between transit workers and transit riders.
Responding to the near-universal threat of budget cuts
and privatization of transit systems, International President
Larry Hanley wrote, “We want to create a very ambitious
plan that stretches people’s imaginations. We have the best
story in town. We have to stop just saying it to each other,
and say it to those outside our circle.”
Hanley, elected last fall, has called transit “the greenest
job you’re going to find” and has long advocated alliances
with the riding public to improve service, save jobs, and
ensure a future for public transit.
More than 3,000 transit workers have been laid off in
the current recession.
This was the ATU’s second gathering of the sort since
October. The international is giving incentives to locals
who begin working with the community by matching the
political action funds that locals devote to this work.
Responding to the near-universal threat of budget cuts and privatization,
transit workers and riders are learning how to work together, like these
Toronto activists. Photo: Local 113-Toronto, ON.
Those who watched the video on the ATU website
and answered a few questions were eligible for a prize,
a monthly transit pass. By the end of the mayoral race,
privatization was off the table and none of the candidates
were speaking for it.
Atlanta Begins to Organize
Successful Model
An anti-privatization struggle in Toronto, ON, last
fall was held up as a successful model. A budget crisis was
happening in the midst of a mayoral race. Three of the four
candidates were proposing some version of privatization of
the transit system.
Local 113 launched a Public Transit Coalition
campaign that involved 12,000 individual members
and diverse organizations such as the Chinese Canadian
National Council, Federation of Metro Tenants, Canadian
Federation of Students, and Canadian Association of
Physicians for the Environment.
The coalition put on an internet and media campaign
that included an 18-minute film with an anti-privatization
message, shown on the buses. Because advertising is allowed
on the buses, management could not object to the union’s
access to riders.
16
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
Atlanta was represented at the DC meeting by its local
president, the members of the Clayton County Transit
Riders Union, the Atlanta Public Sector Alliance, and
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment.
Atlanta’s transit system (MARTA) is trapped in a
downward spiral of service cuts and fare increases. Because
of state legislators’ racism toward Atlanta, MARTA is
the largest transit system in the country that receives no
operating help from the state.
Last year MARTA made the deepest cuts in its history,
eliminating 40 bus routes, increasing wait times for trains,
and closing bathrooms in 29 stations. The workforce was
cut by 14 percent, with 300 laid off.
In particular, disabled riders have had big problems
with the system, including accessibility to buses and trains,
broken-down equipment such as elevators not working,
poor communication, and no accountability. Because
of poor planning on management’s part, operators are
given unrealistic schedules, resulting in late pick-ups and
operator stress.
Bringing the lessons of the DC meeting home, Atlanta
transit activists strategized at the April meeting of Concerned
Transit Riders for Equal Access. The meeting was made up
of disability rights activists, ATU members, the Atlanta
Public Sector Alliance, and a teacher representing Metro
Atlantans for Public Schools.
Riders and workers began engaging each other. Both
sides targeted the problems caused by MARTA management
that result in poor service and low morale. “They are trying
to make us do more work with less people,” said ATU
executive board member Mark Fitzgerald.
“Insurance costs are doubled. People’s job security is
threatened,” said Shop Steward David Roseboro, adding
that MARTA Mobility – which provides service to the
disabled – has the highest turnover of any department.
alliance advocates a “human rights” approach to building
a movement, holding government institutions accountable
for protecting and fulfilling basic human rights – such as
mobility – and promoting reallocation of resources and
progressive taxation to address the crisis.
As the Toronto Public Transit Coalition puts it,
“All governments have a responsibility to fund public
transit adequately to ensure a high level of service and
affordable fares.”
A committee of riders and workers will widen their
reach by flyering in MARTA workplaces, on buses, and
at retirement apartments where many disability rights
activists live. These public sector workers are intent on
building power by uniting with the people they serve. — Paul McLennan, retired bus mechanic and member of Local
732-Atlanta, GA, republished by permission from LaborNotes
which can be found at: http://www.labornotes.org/
Human Rights Approach
The Atlanta Public Sector Alliance outlined how global
economic problems are driving cuts at the local level. The
Nova Scotia Requires Drivers
to Yield Buses Right of Way
N
ova Scotia is taking steps to improve transit efficiency and safety with
legislation that was advocated by the Canadian Council. The new law which
went into effect May 1 requires drivers to yield the right of way to transit buses
signaling their intention to re-enter the traffic stream.
“Currently, buses must rely on the courtesy of drivers to re-enter traffic. This
legislation will provide clarity for all drivers while helping to reduce schedule
delays,” explained Bill Estabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal. “This legislation will make life better for all road users by improving
public transit efficiency and safety.”
Fines for failing to yield to a transit bus range from $167 - $340, including
court costs.
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
17
ATU Report Calls for Congress to Extend
Overtime Protection to OTR Drivers
I
n response to the deadly crashes that continue to plague
the over-the-road (OTR) bus industry, International
President Larry Hanley has issued a clarion call for reform of
the employment practices of interstate operators.
House. While the bill makes some long-overdue and
important changes to regulations in the industry, it does not
include a specific proposal to address driver fatigue. Hanley is calling on Congress to include an amendment
to the bill that would ensure that the overtime provisions
The report, Sudden Death Overtime, targets driver
in the Fair Labor Standards Act
fatigue as the single largest cause of
(FLSA) are applied to bus drivers
these fatal bus crashes. Hanley has
for these companies. Currently
also renewed his call for Congress
Lawmaker Asks DOT to Review
intercity bus drivers are exempt
to address driver fatigue as part
Interstate Overtime Exemption
from these provisions and many are
of bus safety legislation currently
Rep. John L. Lewis, D-GA, wrote to
forced to work second jobs during
under consideration in Washington.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood,
their so-called “rest period” just to
“Hundreds of intercity bus
July 20, asking that the DOT review the
make ends meet. Under the ATU’s
companies – usually tiny operations
Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) exemption
proposed reforms, drivers would get
that have only a few buses – get
which prevents transit workers from
paid fairly for the work they put in
away with paying their bus drivers
receiving fair overtime pay.
above 40 hours per week, making
criminally low wages,” asserts
View the letter at www.atu.org.
them less inclined to work other
Hanley, “As a result, bus drivers
jobs while pushing their bodies to
are being forced to work 100 hours
the limit. a week or more, often balancing two or three jobs, just to
“At the end of the day, technical fixes like seatbelts and
make a living. The unsuspecting customers get on these
driver
training – while incredibly important – won’t prevent
buses and disaster can strike.” crashes so long as drivers aren’t stopped from getting behind
the wheel on zero sleep,” said Hanley.
The National Transportation Safety Board estimates
that 36% of motorcoach crash fatalities over the
“For decades FLSA has covered 85 percent of American
past decade have been due to driver fatigue. It is the number
workers,”
said Hanley. “Extending these protections to
one cause of fatal accidents.
intercity bus drivers is not only the right thing to do; it’s
the safe thing to do for our riders. Until the issue of driver
Congress has introduced The Motorcoach Enhanced
fatigue is addressed, no legislation to improve intercity bus
Safety Act of 2011, led in the Senate by Senator Sherrod
safety will be complete, or effective.” Brown, D-OH, and by Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, in the
18
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
STRATEGIC CAMPAIGNS UPDATE
From the ATU Strategic Campaigns Department
AUSTIN, TX
Local 1091 members are reaching out to strengthen
alliances with passengers, community organizations, and
fellow labor unions. Local 1005 is organizing to have hundreds of members
and community allies attend public hearings throughout
August. They had previously collected 15,000 postcards to
support transit funding, and will continue to activate this
broad base of riders as the fight escalates.
COVINGTON, KY
MADISON, WI
Local 628 reached out to develop partnerships with
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, JWJ, Sierra Club and
university students in order to fight right-to-work efforts,
and to build a pro-public transit campaign. An “ATU Day” was a huge success. Not only did 10
Local 519 members show up and work, but ATU members
from Wausau, Eau Claire and Minneapolis came and
contributed to our recall effort. DETROIT, MI
“It never ceases to amaze me how ATU members
are always willing to fight the good fight wherever and
whenever it needs to be fought. I have witnessed the
willingness of Midwest ATU members to aid each other
in their time of need over and over again!” said Local 519
President Dale Anderson. “This is truly what democracy
looks like, and what being an ATU member is all about.” ATU Locals 26 and 1564 are fighting Michigan Public
Act 4, the “Emergency Manager Act”, with good oldfashioned member-to member organizing.
The law gives the governor “sole discretion” to appoint an
emergency manager for any city, village or school district in
the state. “EMs,” once in place, can sell off public property
and shred all municipal contracts, including union
contracts. They can dismiss all elected officials, charge the
local budget with hefty salaries for themselves and anyone
they choose to hire, and even dissolve the local government
entirely.
Michigan ATU locals held an emergency meeting in
Lansing to discuss the legislation and 44 other anti-worker
bills introduced in the GOP-controlled legislature. The
locals have also instigated at least 500 calls from ATU
members to their state representatives. An early August
rally is planned in Detroit to draw more attention to the
anti-democratic law.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN
Local 1005 is gearing up for a massive fight to save
jobs, preserve service, and avoid a 25% fare increase
following a two-week government shutdown, in which
the Republican legislature refused to accept Democratic
Governor Dayton’s proposal to increase taxes on the top
1% of the population. A budget which inflicts deep cuts
on spending is going into affect.
WASHINGTON, DC
Local 689 bus operators in Washington DC’s Metro
system have had enough. After three assaults on bus
operators in a single week and little response from
Metro officials they decided to take matters into their own
hands. Led by shop stewards and member activists who
were part of an internal mobilization team, they got the
word out to all bus operators encouraging them to do a
thorough safety check before heading out of the garage in
the morning.
The result?
Thousands of calls into central
communications as bus drivers performed what is a
routine check of their safety equipment and radios. The
influx of calls created an overload and nearly shut down
central command. Operators got Metro’s attention: safety
is no joke.
Officials quickly called for a meeting with union
leadership to re-visit prior demands for a better designed bus
safety shield along with increased transit police surveillance
of the bus system. The impact on public transportation is devastating, with
a likely $109 million dollars slashed from the state budget
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
19
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Everyone in Massachusetts Cities Agrees with ATU:
‘We Need More Service’
enthusiasm of the passengers who are signing petitions for
the added service.
The Labor Extension Program at the University of
Massachusetts hired a part-time organizer to ride buses
and spend time at the transit centers in the two cities to
engage passengers and explain the value of more service.
She is gathering signatures for postcards in favor of
the increased service.
Massachusetts bus riders an ATU members unite
for night and Sunday service.
I
n the state where revolution was fomented by idealistic,
fearless citizens, members of the ATU and their
passengers are fighting back against the injustice of not
receiving their fair share of bus service in return for the
taxes they pay every work week.
Massachusetts Local Presidents Gary Pires, 1037New Bedford; and Eric Carvalho, 174-Fall River, have
energized their members and reached out to residents
of their cities in a demand to bring back Sunday and
night transit service. Working with community groups,
senior citizens, people with disabilities, religious groups,
and other union leaders, the presidents believe their
efforts will pay off soon.
Both Mayors Favor Increased Service
“Both mayors are with us,” said Carvalho. At a
community meeting in Fall River on July 17, Mayor Will
Flanagan showed his support by stating added service is a
“moral issue.”
During an interview with the ATU (see video at atu.
org) New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang said he was behind
the effort. The two mayors control the board of the local
transit agency so if they want it done, it will happen.
Carvalho said he and his members are energized by the
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July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
A 25-year veteran of driving in Fall River, the
organizer remembers 12 years ago when there was Sunday
service. “You couldn’t get a seat they were so crowded,”
she said. Another long-time ATU member quoted a
former member of the transit agency who said “When
you don’t have night and Sunday service, you are closing
the city down.”
Passengers Say No Need for Debate
Passengers say there should be no more debate on how
much the additional service will cost, than there would be
for fire, police, sanitation, or ambulance service.
Adding transit service, both union leaders agree, would
generate additional sales tax revenue for the cities from
business owners who will have more customers, which,
in turn, will create new jobs, increased employment tax
revenue, and reduced traffic congestion as people leave
their cars at home. ATU Field Mobilizer Casey Stanton met with Local
Presidents Richard O’Flaherty, 547-Brockton and
Chuck Ryan, 1548-Plymouth to begin forming
a community/union coalition for improved service in
their communities.
Pires, who organized the meeting, said “Big things
are happening in Massachusetts and the ATU is leading
the way.” Wisconsin’s ‘Walker 6’
Face Recall Elections
T
his summer Wisconsinites have the chance to reclaim
their state and restore democracy to Wisconsin. Six
GOP Senators blindly followed an unpopular agenda
set by Republican Governor Scott Walker and the Koch
brothers to strip Wisconsin workers of their unions and
their workplace rights.
All six Wisconsin State AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates
made it through the primary for an August 9 election date
– and now with Sen. Dave Hansen’s victory, the people of
Wisconsin are seven for seven! “The Walker 6” ignored their constituents. They
pushed through a corporate-backed agenda to hurt
the middle class. Now, due to historic grassroots
activism the Walker 6 face recall elections. It is up
to the people of Wisconsin to vote the Walker
6 out of office and protect the members of
the “Fabulous 14” who stood up for everyday
Wisconsinites when the line was drawn in the sand.
The next two dates that are important are:
Tuesday, August 9: The general election in the Republican
districts: the day to take back Wisconsin. Wisconsin ATU members
are urged to vote GOP senators who stood with Scott Walker to
attack Wisconsin workers and communities out of office.
Tuesday, August 16: The general election in the two Democratic
districts. Vote to protect those who stood up for working families.
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Endorsed candidates:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fred Clark - Senate District 14
Dave Hansen - Senate District 30
Jim Holperin - Senate District 12
Jessica King - Senate District 18
Shelly Moore - Senate District 10
Nancy Nusbaum - Senate District 2
Sandy Pasch - Senate District 8
Jennifer Shilling - Senate District 32
Bob Wirch - Senate District 22
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
21
ATU Family Members Awarded
Union Plus Scholarships
“During a time when the labor movement is under attack, helping union members and their children achieve their educational
goals is critical. This year’s scholarship recipients appreciate that their unions provide family-sustaining benefits, a voice in the
workplace and a path to achieve the American Dream,”
— Leslie Tolf, President, Union Privilege
Union Plus has awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 130 students representing 43 unions, including three children of
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) members, in the 2011 Union Plus Scholarship Program:
Hanna Choi of Portland, OR, whose father Yoo-sik Choi is a member
of Local 757 and whose mother also is a union member, has been awarded
a $2,000 scholarship.
Jean Choi of Portland, OR, who is also the daughter of Yoo-sik Choi of
Local 757 and whose mother also is a union member, has been awarded a
$2,000 scholarship.
Amber Simpson of Chicago, IL, whose father Tevell Simpson is a
member of Local 241, has been awarded a $500 scholarship.
MEET THE 2011 ATU HONOREES
HANNA CHOI
JEAN CHOI
AMBER SIMPSON
Now at Harvard pursuing a
degree in musicology. Hanna is an
exceptional student with wide-ranging
interests. She is a graphic designer, a
violinist, a drummer and a member
of the Harvard Pan-African Dance
and Music Ensemble. Last year, she
traveled to Alabama to help rebuild a
church that had been burned in a racial
hate crime. Her goal is to work with
young people, imparting to others
the lessons of service, compassion and
social justice that she learned when
she was young. “Without the support
of my parents and their unions, I
would not be where I am now,” she
says. Hanna’s mother, Soon Choi, is
a member of AFT.
A high achiever like her sister
Hanna, but she also is very much
her own person. An accomplished
cellist, she also enjoys piano and golf.
A member of the National Honor
Society, Jean cites the program’s four
pillars of scholarship, leadership,
service and character as being
principles she emulates in her own
life. As an example of leadership,
Jean founded a quartet which
has performed in churches and at
fundraisers at no charge. With a
father in ATU and a mother in AFT,
Jean says, “There is no doubt that
our parents’ unions played a big part
in my growth thus far.”
A college student who plans to
pursue graduate degrees in medicine
and public health. “I am committed
to addressing the health disparities
existing in under-represented groups
and under-developed communities
in the U.S.,” she says. Her career goal
is to investigate, research and treat
ailments affecting vulnerable and
diverse populations. Amber knows
that one important public health
issue is access to health insurance,
and she is grateful for the strong
union health benefits she grew up
with. Unions’ strong advocacy for
workers and quality care, she says,
“continues to motivate me to join a
union someday.”
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July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
House Democrats Oppose Deadly Trade Deal
I
f you think it’s rough being a worker in post-New
Deal America, you can take some solace in that you
are not being murdered by government-backed terrorists
in Colombia*.
Naturally, House Republicans are standing in the school
house door again. They have banded together to block any
attempts by organized labor and Democrats to give workers
a fair deal on the job, provided the workers aren’t killed first.
The Obama Administration, ignoring a promise made
by President Clinton when he signed the NAFTA deal,
is backing away from protecting the rights of workers
in that country as it tries to get the House to pass a new
free trade treaty. In July, activists staged a protest outside
the White House and carried mock coffins to highlight the
murders of trade unionists in Colombia.
The Democrats claim that the Obama deal has an
“action plan” to include protection for workers, but there
is no enforcement mechanism, making it a toothless
tiger. They also say that Obama has caved into the
Republicans by not insisting that his action plan have more
bite to it.
Luckily for Colombian - and all worker - some
Democrats aren’t going along for the ride.
House Democrats John Larson, CT, Sandy Levin,
MI, Jim McDermott, WA, and George Miller, CA, are
standing up for workers, who face harsh conditions and
physical intimidation imposed by their Colombian employers
and have vowed to block the treaty unless it is changed to
conform with promises made during the NAFTA debates.
At the heart of the dispute is Obama’s contention that
his “labor action plan” keeps U.S. laws intact and there is
no need for any new language in the proposed treaty.
McDermott replies “I don’t know how anyone could
vote for the Colombia free trade agreement implementing
legislation unless it includes a meaningful reference to the
action plan related to labor.” *For more information go to: www.atu.org
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
23
Colombian Union Leaders
Murdered as US Pursues Trade Pact
T
he next time you stop by a vending machine,
hankering for a Coca-Cola product, you might want
to keep walking, get a few sips from the water fountain
and send the money to ATU-COPE PLUS to protect
your job, pension and health benefits.
It’s not a tough boycott, really, and it might help the
leaders of Colombian trade unions who are subjected to
terrorist sadism sponsored by, among others, Coke-The
Real Thing. One of the most infamous murders occurred
a few weeks before Christmas in 1996, when a far-right
para-miliitary gang assassinated Isídro Segundo Gil, the
union’s chief negotiator with Coke. Of course, Coke
denied involvement and they would never lie.
In April of this year, AFL-CIO president Richard
Trumka said: “In the past 25 years, more than 2,850
trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia. Last
year alone, 51 trade unionists were murdered. Six trade
unionists have been murdered so far this year, including
two in the second week of July.”
In newspaper ads, the AFL-CIO has been reminding
American and Congressional leaders, as well as President
Obama, that the trade agreement with Colombia would
reward the terror tactics employers inflict on their workers
through hired goon squads.
Unfair Trading Environment
Don’t take out word for it. Recently, more than
400 NGO’s from Colombia and the U.S. sent a letter
to congressional leaders demanding that they block the
agreement. “The agreement fails to recognize the serious
labor, human rights, Afro-Colombian, indigenous and
environmental concerns,” according to the group.
Two days after Coca Cola bottling worker and union officer Isidro
Segundo Gil was murdered at his workplace, paramilitaries entered
the plant and told employees they had three choices: resign from the
union, leave Carepa, or be killed. According to eyewitnesses, the workers
were then led into the manager’s office to sign union resignation forms
prepared by the company. Photo from In These Times.
24
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
The signatories said the treaty would “create an unfair
trading environment for the people of the United States
and Colombia.” The group also stressed that “Labor
rights in Colombia were subject to serious scrutiny
long before the debate over the FTA began. Colombia
continues to be the most dangerous country in the
world for trade unionists.” ANTIPATRIOTES
Le 4 juillet, des millions d’Américains
ont célébré l’Indépendance du pays avec des
feux d’artifices, des groupes de musique, des
parades, des discours louant les valeurs que nous
partageons. Mais l’élite américaine ne partage pas
nos valeurs. Elle valorise uniquement l’avidité. Il
ne reste plus de patriotisme à Wall Street et je le
cherche à Washington D.C.
Une fausse guerre est menée entre Républicains
et Démocrates à Washington au sujet du « plafond
de la dette ». C’est une couverture pour instaurer
une peur publique qui leur permettra de faire un
« grand marchandage ».
La seule garantie dans ce marchandage est
que les américains moyens seront laissés de côté,
lésés et dupés. Ils seront d’accord sur le fait que
« des bases communes » sont vitales. Mais toute
base commune qui occasionne des réductions de
l’assurance-maladie, des salaires, des pensions de
retraite et de la sécurité sociale est commune dans
seulement une direction; les riches s’enrichiront
et les pauvres s’appauvriront. En diminuant les
impôts des très riches et en augmentant les tarifs
pour les autobus et les trains, ils vont parler de
« sacrifice partagé ». Qui partagera?
Au Michigan, nous aidons chaque membre de
l’UTA à combattre pour le droit de négocier −
droit qui a été retiré par la législation cette année.
En Ohio, nous avons aidé à recueillir 1,2 millions
de signatures pour abroger la loi antisyndicale
de l’état. Au Wisconsin, nous organisons nos
membres pour demander le retour des politiciens.
LANCEMENT DU NOUVEAU SITE INTERNET
DE L’UTA
Ce mois-ci, nous avons lancé un nouveau
département de la communication avec une
stratégie pour rendre notre action sociale envers
nos membres et le public plus efficace. Nous
avons lancé un nouveau site Internet plus
convivial à l’adresse www.atu.org où de nouvelles
informations, outils et options multimédia sont
constamment introduits. Nous exploitons les
possibilités de Facebook, Twitter et d’autres sites
de réseaux sociaux.
DES NORMES DE TRAVAIL ÉQUITABLE POUR
LES CONDUCTEURS D’AUTOBUS
Des normes de travail équitable pour les
conducteurs d’autobus seront un but important
dans l’effort actuel d’obtenir des salaires équitables
et une bonne nuit de sommeil avant de conduire
un autobus. La récente série d’accidents mortels
sur la route prouve bien que c’est une erreur
que de refuser le droit des chauffeurs d’autobus
au taux majoré de moitié après 40 heures − une
droit fondamental américain appliqué à 80 % des
travailleurs américains depuis les années 1930.
MÉDIATEURS D’UNE SOCIÉTÉ EN COLÈRE
Les employés des transports en commun sont
les médiateurs de première ligne d’une société
en colère et nous constatons une augmentation
des agressions contre les conducteurs d’autobus
dans une situation de diminutions des services
et d’augmentation des tarifs. Nous nous unissons
au syndicat des travailleurs du transport (TWU)
pour l’élaboration d’un effort transfrontalier pour
attirer l’attention sur l’épidémie d’agressions
et lutter pour l’introduction de dispositifs de
protection pour nos membres.
Nous continuons à travailler dans toutes les
communautés où nous avons des membres. Et
nous continuons à former vos dirigeants et vis
délégués syndicaux pour les préparer à être des
dirigeants plus forts chaque jour.
Nous avons besoin de membres partout pour
s’unir et nous aider à mener la lutte pour redonner
au débat public les valeurs qui on créé la classe
moyenne de l’Amérique du Nord.
Veuillez contacter vos dirigeants syndicaux
locaux et dites-leur que vous êtes prêt à vous
défendre. Utilisez quotidiennement le site Internet
du syndicat international qui est un instrument
permettant d’unir nos membres.
TENEZ- VOUS AU COURANT AVEC LES
COURRIELS DE L’UTA
Mettre à jour les communications de l’UTA
avec nos membres est une de mes plus hautes
priorités. Par conséquent, en supplément à
In Transit, nous enverrons régulièrement des
courriels à nos membres.
Pour un abonnement gratuit, envoyez-nous
simplement par courriel votre nom, adresse et
numéro de téléphone à communications@atu.org.
Nous vous ajouterons à la liste d’envoi de l’UTA
pour que vous puissiez recevoir des messages de
ma part, ainsi que les informations et les nouvelles
les plus récentes de l’UTA. Bien entendu, vous
pouvez résilier votre abonnement à tout moment
et nous ne partagerons votre adresse courriel avec
personne.
Comme encouragement supplémentaire,
pour un temps limité, nous allons procéder à
une sélection aléatoire dans la liste d’envoi. Vous
pourrez gagner de la marchandise de l’UTA ou
d’autres prix de valeur. Consultez le site atu.org
pour plus de détails.
Et, comme toujours, lisez également les pages
de cette revue pour partager l’expérience commune
des employés des transports en commun partout,
dans notre effort de nous unir et de combattre
pour nos familles et nos communautés.
NO PATRIOTAS
El 4 de julio millones de norteamericanos
celebraron la independencia del país con fuegos
artificiales, bandas, desfiles y discursos exaltando
los valores que compartimos. Pero la elite de
Norteamérica no comparte nuestros valores.
Ellos sólo valoran la codicia. Ya no queda nada de
patriotismo en Wall Street y estoy buscando a ver
si queda algo en Washington DC.
Hay una falsa lucha entre Republicanos y
Demócratas en Washington acerca del “tope del
endeudamiento”. Es una máscara para fomentar el
miedo público que después les permitirá hacer un
“gran negocio”.
La única garantía en el negocio es que los
norteamericanos comunes serán excluidos,
defraudados y engañados. Ellos van a coincidir
en que era vital llegar a un “terreno común”.
Pero cualquier terreno común que recorte
medicare, salarios, pensiones y seguridad social
generalmente se da en una sola dirección: los
ricos se harán más ricos y los pobres se harán
más pobres. Cuando rebajen los impuestos
para los super ricos y suban las tarifas de
autobuses y trenes, hablarán de “sacrificios
compartidos”. ¿Quién hará el sacrificio?
En Michigan estamos instruyendo a cada
miembro de ATU para que luche por su derecho
de negociar: un derecho arrebatado este año por
la legislación. En Ohio ayudamos a reunir 1.2
millones de firmas para rechazar la ley contra
el trabajo. En Winsconsin estamos organizando
a nuestros miembros para que destituyan a los
políticos.
LANZAMIENTO DEL NUEVO SITIO DE ATU
Este mes inaguramos un nuevo departamento
de comunicaciones con una estrategia para que
la llegada a nuestros miembros y al público sea
más efectiva. Lanzamos un sitio web más fácil de
usar, www.atu.org en donde constantemente se
agrega nueva información, nuevas herramientas
y funciones de multimedios. Estamos manejando
el poder de Facebook, Twitter y de otros sitios de
redes sociales.
ESTÁNDARES DE TRABAJO JUSTOS PARA
CONDUCTORES DE AUTOBUSES
Los estándares de trabajo justos para
conductores de autobuses será un objetivo
importante en el esfuerzo continuo de obtener
un sueldo justo y una noche de descanso antes de
conducir un autobús. La seguidilla de accidentes
ocurridos recientemente en las carreteras ha
demostrado el punto de que está mal negar a
los conductores de autobuses un sobretiempo de
descanso luego de 40 horas, un derecho básico de
los norteamericanos en vigencia desde 1930 para
el 85% de los trabajadores norteamericanos.
MEDIADORES DE UNA SOCIEDAD INDIGNADA
Los trabajadores del tránsito son los mediadores
de primera línea de una sociedad indignada y
estamos registrando un aumento de los asaltos a
conductores de autobuses al mismo tiempo que
se reduce el servicio y las tarifas aumentan. Nos
sumamos al mayor sindicato de trabajadores del
transporte del país –Transport Workers Union
(TWU)- para afianzar un esfuerzo transfornterizo
que llame la atención acerca de la plaga de asaltos
y luche por la obtención de dispositivos de
protección para nuestros miembros.
Seguimos trabajando en las comunidades
en donde tengamos miembros. Y seguimos
entrenando a sus representantes sindicales y
administradores locales para prepararlos a fin de
que cada día sean líderes más fuertes.
Necesitamos que los miembros de todos lados
se reúnan y nos ayuden a luchar para restablecer
en el debate público los valores que construyeron
la clase media de los norteamericanos.
Por favor póngase en contacto con sus
representantes locales y dígales que está listo para
dar la lucha. Utilice todos los días el sitio web del
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
25
Sindicato Internacional como una herramienta
para unir a nuestros miembros.
MANTÉNGASE ACTUALIZADO CON EL CORREO
ELECTRÓNICO DE ATU
Una de nuestras principales prioridades es
mantener una comunicación actualizada de ATU
para con nuestros miembros. Además de nuestra
revista In Transit, enviaremos correos electrónicos
regularmente a nuestros miembros.
Suscríbase gratis con solo enviar su nombre,
dirección y número telefónico por correo
electrónico a communications@atu.org. Lo
incluiremos en la lista de correo electrónico de
ATU para que reciba mensajes de mi parte, como
así también las últimas novedades e información
de ATU. Naturalmente, usted podrá cancelar su
suscripción cuando lo desee y no divulgaremos su
dirección de correo electrónico.
Como incentivo adicional, vamos a premiar
al azar a los miembros de la lista de correo
electrónico, haciendo sorteos donde usted puede
ganar valiosos productos de ATU y otros premios.
Para más detalles, visite atu.org
Y como siempre, también vea las páginas de
esta revista para compartir la experiencia común
a los trabajadores del tránsito de todos lados
mientras unimos fuerzas y luchamos por nuestras
familias y comunidades.
LA LUTTE DES CLASSES?
Les experts conservateurs aiment critiquer
ceux d’entre nous qui défendent les familles de
travailleurs, en surnommant cela « la lutte des
classes ». Pour une raison ou pour une autre, cela
est supposé inspirer la peur dans les cœurs des
gens qui gagnent de bons revenus, et faire honte à
ce qui ne gagnent pas de tels revenus.
Eh bien, je dois faire un aveu. En effet,
dans nos deux pays, nous sommes engagés dans
une lutte des classes, mais il ne s’agit pas du
type de guerre que les riches et les puissants
veulent nous faire à croire. Ceci n’est pas une
révolte socialiste. Il est difficile même de la
qualifier de mouvement.
Non, ceci est une guerre déclarée par le un
pour cent représentant les plus fortunés aux 99
autres. C’est une guerre dans laquelle Wall Street
et les grandes banques accumulent leur argent
après que nous les aillons tiré d’affaire afin d’éviter
un effondrement économique. C’est une guerre
dans laquelle on fait sentir aux gens qu’ils sont
égoïstes s’ils pensent pouvoir vivre décemment
en travaillant dur et en suivant les règles. C’est
une guerre dans laquelle le peu de choses sur
lesquelles les gens peuvent compter − la sécurité
sociale, le régime de pension canadien, le régime
d’assurance-maladie et Medicai (l’assurancemédicament) − sont dit « non viables ».
Et cela, prétendent-ils, est une guerre que nous
menons contre eux? Non, ceci est une guerre
dans laquelle nous essayons simplement de nous
accrocher à ce que nous avons.
vacances, les congés de maladie, les précautions
de sécurité, l’égalité au travail, etc., ont-ils
tous dramatiquement diminués au cours de la
dernière décennie?
Bref, pourquoi les travailleurs ont-ils été privés
de tout ce pour quoi ils ont combattu et sont
morts pendant les dernières 150 années?
PAS D’AUTRE CHOIX QUE DE RIPOSTER
Nous n’avons pas d’autre choix que de riposter
par tous les moyens légaux à notre disposition.
Et en dernier recours, nous devons utiliser notre
arme la plus puissante − l’urne électorale.
C’est tout ce qu’il faut. C’est la chose la plus
simple mais, souvent, la tâche la plus difficile
que d’amener les gens à participer au processus
politique et ce, dans leur propre intérêt.
Aucun d’entre nous ne peut se permettre d’être
un objecteur de conscience dans cette guerre. Je
vous en prie, rejoignez l’UTA et devenez actifs
dans la campagne de défense de votre subsistance
et de vos droits.
ENSEMBLE, NOUS POUVONS RÉUSSIR, ET
ENSEMBLE, NOUS ALLONS RÉUSSIR?
LES TAXES TUENT LES EMPLOIS?
C’est une guerre dans laquelle les législateurs
conservateurs demandent sacrifice après sacrifice
aux gens ordinaires, mais refusent même de fermer
les échappatoires fiscaux des riches. Faire quoi que
ce soit d’autre, disent-ils, tuera des emplois.
En solidarité,
Robert H. Baker
Eh bien, j’ai une question pour eux. Nous
avions des taux d’imposition bas pour les riches
aux É.-U. depuis le début de l’administration de
George W. Bush et qu’a-t-on obtenu pour cela?
¿LUCHA DE CLASES?
Pourquoi les emplois ne se sont-ils pas rétablis
depuis la grande récession? Pourquoi les gens
qui retournent sur le marché du travail doiventils accepter des emplois à moindre salaire?
Pourquoi l’assurance-maladie, les pensions, les
A los expertos conservadores les gusta criticar a
aquellos de nosotros que defendemos a las familias
trabajadoras llamándolo una “lucha de clases”.
Esto se supone que de alguna manera infunde
miedo en los corazones de las personas que tienen
buenos ingresos y vergüenza en aquellos que no.
Embassy Suites
250 Gateway Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94080
(800) Embassy / (650) 589-3400
Registration Deadline: August 1, 2011
Room Reservation Deadline: August 7, 2011
Room block is under: ATU Latino Caucus ($125/Night)
For members & associate members: $100.00
Late registration $125.00
*All prices are in US currency only
For more information: Latino Caucus Recording Secretary:
Corina DeLaTorre at (916) 955-0078
Latino Caucus Treasurer: David Benavides at (210) 924-9718
or visit www.atulc.org
26
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
Bueno, tengo que confesar algo. En nuestros
dos países estamos sumergidos en una lucha de
clases, pero no en el tipo de lucha que los ricos
y poderosos quieren hacerle creer a usted. Esto
no es una sublevación de los socialistas. Apenas
siquiera es un movimiento.
No, esta es una lucha declarada por el uno por
ciento de los ricos en contra del 99 por ciento
restante. Es una lucha en donde Wall Street y los
grandes bancos amontonan su dinero después de
que nosotros los rescatamos para evitar una crisis
económica. Es una lucha en donde a la gente se
la hace sentir culpable si piensa que debe tener
una vida digna si se trabaja duro y se actúa según
las reglas. Es una lucha en donde las pocas cosas
con que las personas pueden contar -Seguridad
Social, el Plan de Pensiones de Canadá, Medicare
y Medicaid- son llamadas “insostenibles”.
¿Y, según ellos, esto es una lucha que estamos
librando en contra de ellos? No, esto es una lucha
en la que estamos tratando de aferrarnos a lo que
nos queda.
¿LOS IMPUESTOS LIQUIDAN LOS EMPLEOS?
Esta es una lucha en dónde los legisladores
conservadores exigen a los trabajadores comunes
sacrificio tras sacrificio, pero se niegan incluso
a cerrar los resquicios de la ley tributaria para
los ricos. Según ellos, si se hace algo más, se
liquidarán los empleos.
Bueno, tengo una pregunta para ellos. Hemos
tenido estas tasas de impuestos rebajadas para
los ricos en EE.UU. desde el comienzo de la
administración de George W. Bush, ¿y qué hemos
obtenido a cambio?
¿Por qué no se han recuperado esos empleos
desde la Gran Recesión? ¿Entonces por qué las
personas que vuelven a trabajar deben aceptar
empleos donde ganan menos? ¿Por qué en la
última década se ha reducido considerablemente el
cuidado de la salud, las pensiones, las vacaciones,
las licencias por enfermedad, las precauciones de
seguridad, el trato justo en el trabajo, etc.?
En resumen, ¿por qué a las personas
trabajadoras se les quita todo por lo que han dado
su vida desde hace 150 años?
NO HAY MÁS OPCIÓN QUE LUCHAR
No nos queda ninguna otra opción más
que luchar con todos los medios legales que
disponemos. Y finalmente debemos utilizar
nuestra arma más poderosa: la urna electoral.
Eso es todo. Es la manera más simple, pero a
su vez la más difícil de involucrar a las personas en
el proceso político en pro de sus propios intereses.
Ninguno de nosotros puede darse el lujo de ser
objetores de conciencia en esta lucha. Por favor
únase a ATU y participe en esta campaña para
defender su sustento y sus derechos.
¡JUNTOS PODEMOS LOGRARLO Y JUNTOS LO
LOGRAREMOS!
Con solidaridad,
Robert H. Baker
QUE LA LIBERTÉ
RETENTISSE
DEJEN RESONAR LA
LIBERTAD
C’est le mois d’août à Washington. Et ces
journées chaudes dans la capitale nationale me font
penser à la journée étouffante du 27 août 1963,
lorsque le révérend Martin Luther King, Jr. mena des
milliers de personnes aux marches du monument
à la mémoire de Lincoln pour prononcer son
fameux discours : « I Have a Dream ». Ce discours
est maintenant tellement enraciné dans notre
conscience collective que je m’aventurerai à dire que
presque tous aux É.-U. et au Canada connaissent ce
moment historique.
Es agosto en Washington. Y estos cálidos
días en la capital de la nación me hacen pensar
en aquel sofocante día -el 27 de agosto de 1963cuando el Reverendo Martin Luther King Jr.
condujo a miles hacia los escalones del Lincoln
Memorial para pronunciar su discurso “Yo tengo
un sueño”. Ese discurso está tan arraigado en
nuestra conciencia colectiva que me atrevo a decir
que todos en EE.UU. y en Canadá conocen aquel
momento de la historia.
Toutefois, peu sont ceux qui se rappellent le rôle
joué par le mouvement syndical pour mener à bien
ce jour; particulièrement le rôle joué par A. Philip
Randolph, le fondateur de la fraternité des porteurs
de wagons-dortoirs, qui défendait le mouvement de
droits civils bien avant que la plupart des américains
ne sachent qu’il existait.
En réalité, Randolph fonda le mouvement
« marcher sur Washington » le 25 janvier 1941, afin
d’exercer des pressions sur le président Roosevelt
pour l’amener à éliminer la discrimination raciale
au sein des emplois gouvernementaux et dans
l’industrie de la défense. Randolph annula la
démonstration de 1941 après que le président eût
créé le comité pour les justes méthodes d’emploi,
qui visait exactement le résultat souhaité.
Mais Randolph garda le mouvement vivant
afin de maintenir la pression. Le 28 juillet 1948,
le président Truman abolit la ségrégation dans les
forces armées en résultat des efforts inlassables de
Randolph.
L’idée de ce qui devint « Marcher sur
Washington pour des emplois et pour la liberté »
commença de nouveau à prendre de la vitesse
lorsque le mouvement de défense des droits civils
attira plus d’attention. L’expérience de Randolph
en tant qu’organisateur syndical s’avéra d’un apport
inestimable pour la campagne de rassemblement
à Washington D.C. d’une foule massive, bien
que pacifique, d’américains blancs et noirs, afin
de demander justice pour les afro-américains.
Conjointement avec le leader du mouvement de
défense des droits civils, Bayard Rustin, Randolph
créa une plateforme pour le discours de Dr. King,
un des discours les plus fameux dans l’histoire
américaine.
La marche est devenue une pierre angulaire du
mouvement de défense des droits civils. L’adoption
de la loi sur les droits civils (la « Civil Rights Act »)
de 1964 est souvent attribuée au succès de la
Marche sur Washington.
Il est bien de se rappeler que le mouvement des
travailleurs a fait partie intégrante du mouvement
de défense des droits civils, particulièrement
maintenant que les syndicats sont assiégés. Si les
législateurs « jouant à la dînette »peuvent révoquer
les droits des travailleurs, on peut se poser la
question de savoir à qui les droits seront les suivants
à être révoqués?
L’histoire démontre que les victoires législatives
importantes sont accomplies par des coalitions
de groupes de défense des droits des travailleurs,
des droits civils et d’autres groupes. Notre succès
pour préserver les droits et avantages dont nous
avons hérités pourrait bien dépendre de notre
détermination à se tenir ensemble avec ceux qui
voient qu’ils ont autant en jeu dans notre lutte que
nous dans la leur.
Sin embargo, unos pocos recuerdan el papel
que jugó la sindicación para que ese día pudiese
cumplirse; particularmente el papel desempeñado
por A. Philip Randolph, el fundador de la
Hermandad de Maleteros de Coches Cama
(Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters), quién
defendió el movimiento de los derechos
civiles mucho antes de que la mayoría de los
norteamericanos supieran que existían.
De hecho, el 25 de enero de 1941, Randolph
fundó el “Movimiento Marcha sobre Washington
(“March on Washington Movement”), con el fin
de presionar al Presidente Roosevelt para que
eliminara la discriminación racial en los puestos
gubernamentales y en la industria de defensa.
Randolph suspendió la demostración de 1941
luego de que el presidente creara el Comité de
Prácticas Justas en el Empleo (FEPC) para hacer
precisamente eso.
Pero Randolph mantuvo el movimiento con
vida para mantener la presión. El 28 de julio de
1948, el Presidente Truman abolió la segregación
en las fuerzas armadas como resultado de los
incesantes esfuerzos de Randolph.
La idea por la que se convirtió en la “Marcha
sobre Washington por los Empleos y la Libertad”
empezó a cobrar impulso nuevamente a medida
que el movimiento por los derechos civiles
comenzó a llamar más la atención. La experiencia
de Randolph como organizador sindical demostró
ser invaluable en la tarea de conducir una multitud
masiva, aunque pacífica, de norteamericanos
blancos y de color hacia Washington DC, para
buscar justicia para los afroamericanos. Randolph
creó una plataforma, junto al líder de los derechos
humanos Bayard Rustin, para que el Dr. King
pronunciase uno de los discursos más famosos de
la historia norteamericana.
La marcha se ha convertido en uno de los
cimientos del movimiento por los derechos civiles.
La promulgación de la trascendental Ley de los
Derechos Civiles de 1964 a menudo se atribuye al
éxito de la Marcha sobre Washington.
Es bueno recordar que el movimiento sindical
ha sido una parte integral del movimiento por
los derechos civiles, especialmente ahora que
los sindicatos son asediados. Si los legisladores
del Tea Party pueden quitar los derechos de los
trabajadores, uno tiene que preguntarse, ¿con los
derechos de quiénes van a seguir después?
La historia muestra que las victorias legislativas
importantes se lograron mediante coaliciones de
agrupaciones sindicales, de derechos civiles y otros
grupos. Nuestro éxito en defender los derechos
y beneficios que hemos heredado depende de
nuestra determinación de enfrentarnos juntos
a aquellos que ven que tienen tanto en juego en
nuestra batalla como nosotros en la de ellos.
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
27
Rapport du Congrès
du Conseil Canadien
Le Conseil élit ses nouveaux dirigeants
intérimaires; il projette promouvoir le
projet de loi anti-agression
Le Conseil Canadien de l’UTA a
tenu son congrès annuel du 6 au 9
juillet, accueilli par la section locale
588 de Regina, SK. Les membres
de Regina célébraient le centième
anniversaire de la section, et ils ont
été d’excellents hôtes pour la réunion.
Le congrès a commencé officieusement le 6 juillet, avec
des délégués travaillant sur les règlements administratifs
du Conseil, sur la restructuration et l’avenir du Conseil,
et sur la manière dont le Conseil devrait s’adapter aux
changements politiques auxquels les travailleurs des
transports en commun doivent faire face. Une table ronde
a été tenue sur ces questions dans le but de formuler un
plan pour l’avenir.
Le congrès a commencé officiellement par des
cérémonies d’ouverture le 7 juillet. Le président de la
section 588, Mike Ehmann, a souhaité la bienvenue aux
délégués et aux invités et a présenté le conseiller municipal
de Regina, Fred Clipsham, qui a salué les participants au
nom du maire de la ville.
Après quelques mots de bienvenue de la part de Kim
Onrait, directeur de la société des transports en commun
de Regina, le président de la fédération des travailleurs
de Saskatchewan, Larry Hubich, a parlé, prévoyant que
l’agression du « service essentiel » du gouvernement
fédéral sur les travailleurs des transports en commun
28
July/August 2011
| IN TRANSIT
va s’accélérer. Les travailleurs des transports canadiens
perdent le droit de grève le jour où une législature décide
que leur société représente un « service essentiel ». Il a
exhorté les amateurs de congrès à voter pour les candidats
qui partagent leurs idéologies pro-travailliste.
Hanley : « Nous devons faire participer
nos membres »
Le président international Larry Hanley a parlé
de la situation politique aux États-Unis où les droits
des employés sont érodés par les hommes politiques
ultraconservateurs qui tiennent les travailleurs pour
responsables du désordre fiscal dans lequel nous nous
trouvons. Hanley a affirmé que l’UTA doit changer sa culture.
« Nous devons faire plus que juste négocier des contrats
et formuler des griefs » dit-il. « Nous devons faire
participer nos membres. Nous devons mobiliser des
groupes dans différentes villes. Nous devons combattre
les multinationales qui essayent de briser les syndicats
et nous devons établir des rapports avec les syndicats
d’autres pays pour arrêter les multinationales de détruire
nos droits. »
La justice sociale est importante, a déclaré Hanley, et
nous devons entrer en contact les uns avec les autres et
travailler ensemble pour protéger la classe moyenne.
Notre collègue Hanley a informé le congrès que
l’International va s’efforcer d’avoir une meilleure
communication et d’utiliser les médias sociaux à l’avantage
de l’UTA.
Les sections locales peuvent faire beaucoup de choses
pour faire passer le message à leurs membres et à la
communauté, a-t-il expliqué. L’Union aidera de toutes les
façons possibles.
Le vice-président exécutif international, Bob Baker, a
également parlé à l’assemblée. Il a précisé que le Canada est
un pays solide avec de bons salaires et avantages sociaux,
et que nous méritons nos contrats. L’UTA fixe la norme
dans ce pays, a-t-il dit. Notre collègue Baker a également
déclaré que l’International est dévoué au Canada et va
nous aider à construire notre futur ensemble.
Résultats des élections
DIRECTEUR CANADIEN:
Stan Dera - élu
VICE-PRÉSIDENT:
Felix Gendron, section 591, Hull, QC : élu
SECRÉTAIRE DU CONSEIL:
Jeannie Garbett, section 508, Halifax, NS : élue
MEMBRE EXÉCUTIF DU CONSEIL – EST N° 1
Budh Dhillon, section 107, Hamilton, ON : élu
Le projet de loi anti-agression sera remis
en discussion
Le député Brent Rathgeber, Edmonton/St. Albert,
AB, s’est adressé aux congressistes. Le député a déposé
(présenté) son premier projet de loi de membres privés
- C-637 - Une loi pour modifier le Code criminel
(opérateurs de transport public) le 10 mars.
La législation proposée, également connue sous le
nom de projet de loi de Bregg, est nommée en l’honneur
de Tom Bregg, un opérateur de transport public de la
section 569 d’Edmonton, AB, qui a été brutalement
attaqué en décembre 2009 quand il était de service.
Malheureusement, le projet de loi est mort au
Feuilleton quand le parlement a été dissous pour une
élection ce printemps. Cependant, Rathgeber va remettre
en discussion le projet de loi et consacrer tout son temps
et ses efforts pour s’assurer que le projet de loi de Bregg
devienne la loi de Bregg.
Bernie Morton, lobbyiste de l’UTA et vice-président
du groupe de stratégie , a expliqué ce qui avait été obtenu
sur le projet de loi de Bregg jusqu’à présent, et ce qui doit
être fait quand le parlement reprendra en automne.
Bregg, qui a assisté au congrès en tant qu’invité du
Conseil, a travaillé à la campagne législative pour s’assurer
que ce qui lui est arrivé n’arrive à personne d’autre.
Le directeur canadien Stan Dera a applaudi le courage
de Bregg et l’a remercié pour son aide et pour avoir prêté
son nom à la législation.
MEMBRE EXÉCUTIF DU CONSEIL - EST N° 2
Ian Laird, section 1415, Toronto, ON : acclamé
MEMBRE SUPPLÉANT DU CONSEIL - EST N° 1
Andrew Cleary, section 1189, Guelph : acclamé
MEMBRE SUPPLÉANT DU CONSEIL - EST N° 2
Gino Paolino, section 279, Ottawa, ON : acclamé
MEMBRE SUPPLÉANT DU CONSEIL - OUEST N° 2
Tim Johnston, section 1724, Vancouver, BC : élu
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
29
In Memoriam
Death Benefits Awarded May 1, 2011 - June 30, 2011
1- MEMBERS AT LARGE
KENNETH E BOSACKER
HOWARD BURRESS
19- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
ROBERT L MATHIS
26- DETROIT, MI
DELINA VASQUEZ
85- PITTSBURGH, PA
ROBERT K CARR
THEODORE HARAME
WALTER G HICE JR
ROBERT J KATCHMAR
SALVATORE F MAGNELLI
BRIAN M MC HALE
LAWRENCE L SAVAGE
RONALD E THEVENIN
89- NEW CASTLE, PA
JAMES E HAMILTON
103- WHEELING, WV
JOHN L SHEETS
107- HAMILTON, ON
ELIZABETH L LEGGETT
STEVEN M WALSH
113- TORONTO, ON
TRAYKO ANTIC
DANNY CALIA
EUGENE S CHEVERIE
BRIAN CHURM
SHEILA COOK
RUSSELL COTTENDEN
PATRICK J CURRAN
PHILIP CHARLES DAVIS
GIOVANNI FALCITELLI
BARRY GLADISH
RONALD HEATHFIELD
MALCOLM HENNON
WILFRED J HOAG
THOMAS A KAVANAUGH
THOMAS BRUCE KEMP
NORMAN V LUCK
JOHN EDWARD MC GREGOR
JAMES R PARKINSON
BRUNO PISANI
GIUSEPPE ROMASCO
JOHN RUSSELL
FRED W STOCK
THOMAS J STOODLEY
JAMES SWAILES
JOHN JAMES VALK
KENNETH R WIEDERHOLD
ROBERT J WILSON
JOHN EDWARD YOUNG
MARY R HALL
THOMAS A HALL
JAMES N HARRIS
THOMAS F JOHNSON
ULYSSES JONES
ROCCO J LABON
ALFONZA LUCIOUS
GRATEN D MC FADYEN
HECTOR MERCADO
RANDOLPH G ROBINSON
ANTHONY A ZAZZARA
256- SACRAMENTO, CA
JOHN T MILLER
PERCY SANDERS JR
FRED UMLOR
JANIS WEINRUB
RODNEY ALLEN WEIST
265- SAN JOSE, CA
LEO C CADOTTE
IDA RODRIGUEZ
RONALD A SAMFELD
268- CLEVELAND, OH
WILLA M ROBERTS
279- OTTAWA, ON
MIKE C DERRICK
JAMES G LADAS
MAURICE LECLERC
MICHEL E LECLERC
281- NEW HAVEN, CT
CRUZ SANTIAGO
308- CHICAGO, IL
NELSON ANDERSON
CURTIS BAUGH
JOHN L DANIELS
LAWRENCE DIXON
MARIO MECCIA
RESIDEE SANDERS
AUSTUS L SCOTT
313- ROCK ISLAND, IL
CLAYTON J THORNTON
398- BOISE, ID
JERRI LYNNE WEBB
416- PEORIA, IL
EDDY A SMITH
425- HARTFORD, CT
WILLIAM C DAVIS
583- CALGARY, AB
SOCRATES SALAZAR
KAREN A SUDDARD
192- OAKLAND, CA
PHYLLIS C FEHR
HUEY L HAMPTON
JAMES O HUPPERT
VERNIA DENICE JAMES
EDWARD H JOHNSON
RONALD E KRAMLICH
587- SEATTLE, WA
BOBBIE CUNNINGHAM
RONALD R GIBSON
DOUGLAS V KING
KULDEEP K MAHIL
JOEL L MATAUTIA
241- CHICAGO, IL
JOSEPH T CATALANO
589- BOSTON, MA
GEORGE P ADAMS
30
July/August 2011
RICHARD J BURCHILL JR
JOSEPH M BURKE
PATRICK J CALLAGHAN
RICHARD J CESAREO
JOHN A HANEFFANT
THOMAS E JOYCE
MARINO MAGNO
PHILIP V MINGOLELLI
JAMES E MURRAY
PAUL B O’CONNOR
LINDA A RICCI
CHARLES J SHEA
THOMAS L SULLIVAN
BRUCE E SWEETSER
JOHN W TIESO
618- PROVIDENCE, RI
ERNEST A BOULEY
689- WASHINGTON, DC
HENRY E COGDELL
GEORGE M ERNST
ALFRED L JOHNSON
SAMUEL L JONES
EARL C MARTIN
RALPH J MC DANIEL JR
RUSSELL M SLAUGHTER
JOSEPH DAYE TAYLOR
JESSE WALKER
KEVIN C WHITLEY
694- SAN ANTONIO, TX
JULIAN G ALEJOS
FERNANDO P ZUNIGA
704- LITTLE ROCK, AR
DEBORAH J WILKERSON
713- MEMPHIS, TN
FREDDIE Z CLEVELAND
J D MORGAN
JACK F PETTIT
BILLY RHINES
725- BIRMINGHAM, AL
J C WRIGHT
NOBLE D HERBST
819- NEWARK, NJ
OSCAR JONES JR
SIMON LEGGETT
822- PATERSON, NJ
LINDA L CHARITY
ROBERT SUDOL
824- NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
GIRARD A FISHER
JEAN PFEIFFER
825- ORADELL, NJ
WILLIAM F LUCAS
PETER SANTORO
842- WILMINGTON, DE
MARY A WORDSWORTH
880- CAMDEN, NJ
ROBERT KILLE
JOHN OEHLERT
993- OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
JERALYN M BENNETT
GEORGE W NOKES
996- SOUTH BEND, IN
LEROY CHAMBLISS
998- MILWAUKEE, WI
KENNETH E KLEMSTEIN
EDMUND E LITKOWIEC
ELROY C MENGERT
1001- DENVER, CO
PHIL O DURAN
ROBERT LEE LONES
1005- MINNEAPOLIS
& ST. PAUL, MN
FLOYD C ANDERSON
KENNETH R BROOKS
JOHN L PARENT
732- ATLANTA, GA
RONENE ANDREWS
DORIS J BURKS
J H DAVIS
TYRONNE ROCHON
1070- INDIANAPOLIS, IN
JOHN ECKELS
741- LONDON, ON
JOSEPH F BARATTA
RONNIE CHARLES GILLET
RICHARD ROSS MARTIN
DOUGLAS C WISEMAN
1177- NORFOLK, VA
THURSTON WALDO EATMON
ELSTON HINES
ARTHUR T PERSON
GREGORY RANKIN
EMILIO ROSADO
757- PORTLAND, OR
EDWARD CARL BECKER
TOMMIE L BOYD
VICTOR M KUSS
LOIS EDITH WILSON
779- SIOUX CITY, IA
ARTHUR S HILL
788- ST. LOUIS, MO
SYLVESTER DENNIS
| IN TRANSIT
1145- BINGHAMTON, NY
FRANCES D WHEELER
1179- NEW YORK, NY
DOMINICK CARECCIA
VICTOR H RUVOLO
1181- NEW YORK, NY
JOSEPH E AGOSTA
CHARLES L BYRD
VINCENZO COLLETTI
ROCCO S GIANATIEMPO
DANIEL J O’KEEFE
MORRIS SENDER
HERIBERTO VEGA
JENNIE ZITZ
1197- JACKSONVILLE, FL
MARION MYERS
1220- RICHMOND, VA
HENRY E HALEY
IRA LEE MATHEWS
1229- ST JOHN, NB
GRANT R TODD
1249- SPRINGFIELD, IL
MICHAEL L COLLINS SR
1277- LOS ANGELES, CA
RICHARD L FREEMAN
ROBERTO A GUTIERREZ
CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
WILLIAM E PRYOR
HENRY LEE RHODES
1321- ALBANY & TROY, NY
KATHLEEN S SCHULTZ
1342- BUFFALO, NY
GEORGE BARTHA
GWENDOLYN LEWIS
1395- PENSACOLA, FL
SHELDON BARFIELD
1415- TORONTO, ON
DOMENICO DELGRECO
1447- LOUISVILLE, KY
DELBERT A WILSON
1464- TAMPA, FL
JOHN KENNY
1505- WINNIPEG, MB
ARTHUR WIEBE
1572- MISSISSAUGA, ON
ALAN R HOPPER
1574- SAN MATEO, CA
STEVE DIMMER JR
1575- SAN RAFAEL, CA
THOMAS G WHITE
1700- CHICAGO, IL
E WILLIAM CONSALVI
MARVIN GRAY EYLER
CLIFFORD FREDERICK
JOE F WOOTEN
100 YEARS AGO IN THE MOTORMAN & CONDUCTOR
The June 1912 Motorman and Conductor published this picture
of a plaque commemorating the organizing of Local 569-Edmonton, AB
on August 22, 1911. The distinguished gentleman at center is A.H. Elliott,
the first president of the local. International President Larry Hanley
presented a copy of this plaque to Local 569 in August to commemorate
the local’s 100th anniversary. Today the Edmonton local is lead by
Local President Stuart Litwinowich.
IN TRANSIT
| July/August 2011
31
Amalgamated Transit Union
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Washington, D.C. 20016
www.atu.org
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