GREED · In this issue are stories of personal heroism: the story . of Toledo member Geraldine Mitchell who saved a life while driving her bus. I am particularly proud of the stories

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OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION | AFL-CIO/CLC

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GREEDATU FIGHTING GREED,

SLAVE LABOR AND PRIVATIZATION

IN TRANSIT | May/June 2013 3

LAWRENCE J. HANLEYInternational President

ROBERT H. BAKER International Executive Vice President

OSCAR OWENSInternational Secretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTSLARRY R. KINNEAR

Ashburn, ON – [email protected]

JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR.Kansas City, MO – [email protected]

RICHARD M. MURPHYNewburyport, MA – [email protected]

BOB M. HYKAWAYCalgary, AB – [email protected]

WILLIAM G. McLEANReno, NV – [email protected]

JANIS M. BORCHARDTMadison, WI – [email protected]

PAUL BOWENCanton, MI – [email protected]

KENNETH R. KIRK Lancaster, TX – [email protected]

GARY RAUENClayton, NC – [email protected]

MARCELLUS BARNESFlossmore, IL – [email protected]

RAY RIVERA Lilburn, GA – [email protected]

YVETTE SALAZAR Thornton, CO – [email protected]

GARY JOHNSON, SR. Cleveland, OH – [email protected]

ROBIN WEST Halifax, NS – [email protected]

JOHN COSTA Kenilworth, NJ – [email protected]

CHUCK WATSON Syracuse, NY – [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVESANTHONY WITHINGTON

Sebastopol, CA – [email protected]

DENNIS ANTONELLIS Spokane, WA – [email protected]

CLAUDIA HUDSON Oakland, CA – [email protected]

STEPHAN MACDOUGALL Boston, MA – [email protected]

ANTHONY GARLAND Washington, DC – [email protected]

CANADIAN DIRECTORMICHAEL MAHAR

Rexdale, ON - [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS

Subscription: USA and Canada, $5 a year. Single copy: 50 cents. All others: $10 a year. Published bimonthly by the Amalgamated Transit Union, Editor: Shawn Perry, Designer: Paul A. Fitzgerald. Editorial Office: 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016-4139. Tel: 1-202-537-1645. Please send all requests for address changes to the ATU Registry Dept. ISSN: 0019-3291. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40033361. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: APC Postal Logistics, LLC, PO Box 503, RPO, West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6.

NEWSBRIEFSCalgary Transit eyes camera upgrade to enhance safety - ATU Local 583 – Calgary is supporting Calgary Transit’s plans to equip

buses with better cameras to enhance rider and driver safety. The current cameras cover fewer areas, record very little footage and have to be triggered by hard braking or the driver. The upgrade would offer multiple lenses to cover more angles and longer record times. Local President Doug Johannes says the new technology is needed. “There are still lots of assaults. I would say the average bus driver is assaulted every, single day, whether that’s verbally or physically.”

Halifax members support family of girl raped, bullied into suicide - ATU drivers wore pink shirts in Halifax, NS, in support of the family of Rehtaeh Parsons who committed suicide after being raped and bullied. Parsons, a relative of a fellow Local 508 member, was allegedly gang-raped by four local teens. She was subjected to constant sexual harassment and bullying over the next two years. It proved to be too much when she her own life at the age of 17. The Halifax members wore their pink shirts on the International Day of Pink – an effort to combat all forms of bullying.

Metrolinx considers higher taxes & tolls to expand mass transit - To deal with the growing traffic congestion

problems in Toronto, Metrolinx is considering a gas tax, higher tolls on designated highways and a parking levy as options to pay for the next generation of public transit. The ambitious plan proposes a 1,200-kilometre expansion to create a more extensive public transit network, putting more than 80 percent of Greater Toronto residents within 2KM of a transit line. But it comes with a $50-billion price tag, only one-third of which is currently funded.

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUSInternational President Jim La Sala, ret.

International President Warren George, ret.

International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret. International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret.


LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

1127 bodies were recovered before they stopped searching for survivors. That was

the body count in the April 24 disaster – the worst, so far in the history of factory slaughter – half a world away in Bangladesh. It was the result of the same runaway capitalism (aka GREED) that caused 146 seamstresses to perish in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City a century ago.

It’s all connected

Don’t think of these victims as not being involved in your life – they are. They’re doing work that used to be done in the U.S. and Canada.

Their jobs – in unsafe factories 8,000 miles away – are the former jobs of workers in our countries – moved to Bangladesh to generate higher profits for company owners.

What’s left behind is competition for low wage jobs here, and cities like Detroit, starved of good jobs and the tax revenue that comes from them. It’s all connected.

Slave labor

In the developed world we have labor standards and building codes. But the clothing sold in our malls is produced in countries where slaves or near-slaves work in conditions that are illegal here. Buildings collapse on these workers every day in numbers that are truly shocking.

So – we lost good jobs and pay to buy products from the companies that took our jobs away, while workers on the other end of the world suffer to make the same few people rich.

French and British corporations are bringing the global economy to transit and school bus properties in our

countries just as they did to Greyhound in the U.S., and are now busy doing in Canada.

Privatization = Poverty

They sell poverty wages to our cities in the form of “privatizing” transit. They are spending money right now in Congress and in many states lobbying our elected officials to sell out American workers.

At the same time, their clothing manufacturer counterparts are exploiting workers in Asia. It’s connected.

Nothing new about rich people exploiting workers – it’s just become more sophisticated.

The idea that our consumer products can be made cheaper while we maintain our salaries and pensions has conclusively been proven wrong.

The failure of deregulation

All around us we see the evidence of the failure of deregulated capitalism.

In this issue you’ll read about the impact of Walmart on our lives. Many of our members turn over the wages earned as union members to Walmart every week. Walmart then uses their profit to destroy not only our unions, but jobs in our countries and around the world.

In his courageous speech in South Africa in June 1966 (almost 50 years ago), Senator Robert Kennedy addressed this issue:

People starve to death in the streets of India; a former prime minister is summarily executed in the Congo; intellectuals go to jail in Russia; and thousands are slaughtered in Indonesia;

ATU FIGHTING GREED, SLAVE LABOR AND PRIVATIZATION

4 May/June 2013 | IN TRANSIT IN TRANSIT | May/June 2013 5

wealth is lavished on armaments everywhere in the world.

These are different evils; but they are the common works of man. They reflect the imperfections of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, the defectiveness of our sensibility toward the sufferings of our fellows; they mark the limit of our ability to use knowledge for the wellbeing of our fellow human beings throughout the world.

And therefore they call upon common qualities of conscience and indignation, a shared determination to wipe away the unnecessary sufferings of our fellow human beings at home and around the world.

Each child killed was doing a job killed here

Each child who is killed in a factory has a counterpart whose job was also killed in the U.S. or Canada.

We have a common enemy in the greedy, wealthy people who do this to us. The same companies are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into U.S. and Canadian politics to strip us of our rights to pensions, our right to negotiate contracts, and our right to have a union at all.

If there was a labor union at that factory in Bangladesh there might be 1127 more people alive today. We need to get a lot more angry to turn this around.

In this issue we also report on tax alternatives like the “Robin Hood” tax – a tax on stock transactions – and the “internet sales tax” which could help save our cities by collecting the same taxes at amazon.com as our local retailers must charge.

Proud to be ATU

In this issue are stories of personal heroism: the story of Toledo member Geraldine Mitchell who saved a life while driving her bus.

I am particularly proud of the stories about our locals in “What Works” – our report on local union struggles.

You’ll also read about our Providence, RI, local fighting

and beating Veolia, and about Bangor, ME, where we have just broken through with new organizing.

Pulitzer Prize winner guest column

The guest column is by the renowned, Pulitzer-prize-winning author, Chris Hedges, who has turned his attention to our struggles including driver fatigue, and our ongoing efforts to secure an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers to pay overtime to drivers in the over-the-road industry.

Also, in Toledo, reports of bus drivers with no bathroom breaks – sound familiar?

Structural action

At our recent General Executive Board Meeting in Atlanta, all of our officers worked on a plan for broader action. We are working on potential structural changes in our Union and have appointed a Structural Exploration Committee for the coming Convention to make us more effective in the field.

We are a Union that is growing in numbers, in strength and in determination. As we have been challenged more, we have accomplished more. But there’s much more to do.

Faith

We look forward to our coming International Convention with the faith that we can be so much more than we have ever been.

We will change the way we conduct our business at our Conventions and provide the training necessary for our delegates to go home prepared for the coming years of struggle.

Mindful of the world around us, considering our place in the moral conflict, we will leave the Convention ready to fight for all our members – and because we know that all boats rise together – to fight for workers around the world.


2013MAY/JUNE

Vol. 122, No. 3

2 International Officers & General Executive Board

NEWS Briefs

3 International President’s Message:

ATU Fighting Greed, Slave Labor and Privatization

5 Index Page

6 International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message:

Prove Me Wrong!

8 Canadian Agenda: Canadian Council Calls on

Federal Government to Toughen Criminal Code

for Driver Assaults

9 State Legislatures Struggle with Transit Funding

10 Boston Bombings Wake Up Call:

Mass Transit Security Critical

11 Bold Solutions to Solve America’s Fiscal Problems

18 Portland, OR Unions Go Back to Roots -

ATU Organizes New Members

19 Potty Peril

20 ATU Locals Gear Up As Veolia Stalks Providence,

Milwaukee Considers Contracting

Another ATU Hero Saves A Life

Bangor Bus Drivers Join Portland, ME Local

21 Boston Paratransit Riders Protest Fare Hike

25 McDonald’s, Low-Wage Workers Demand Living

Wage, Job Protections

26 57th International Convention Resolution Submission

Local Officer Memorial Form

27 Translations (Spanish)

30 In Memoriam

31 PA School Bus Local Awaits Decision On Grievance

32 Your Help Needed Again - ATU Disaster Relief Fund

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12 WHAT WORKS

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IN MEMORIAM: EARLE PUTNAM FATHER OF ‘SECTION 13(C)’

16 SWEATSHOPS ON WHEELS

22

WALMART PUSHES WAGES, BENEFITS, DOWN WORLDWIDE


OSCAR OWENS, INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

PROVE ME WRONG!

Sometimes I wonder if members take In Transit with “a grain of salt.” I say that because every other month the magazine brings you a lot of bad news, and if you are not experiencing any bad news at your property you might think that we’re exaggerating.

After all, the Union has endured for 121 years, and like Mark Twain said, has “known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

You should know, however, that most of the “troubles” you read about in In Transit “never happen” because your Union is successfully fighting to prevent them from happening.

Unfortunately this type of success can make people complacent; make them believe that there’s really not all that much to worry about.

But, at the risk being accused of “crying wolf,” I have to say that I’ve never seen a time like this, and it worries me a lot. A little history might help explain what I mean:

New Deal vs. the Raw Deal

In the 1930s, the Great Depression led to New Deal-type reforms that greatly improved the lives of working families in Canada and the United States. Consequently, most of us grew up during the best economic times ever in the histories of our two nations. Naturally, then, we think that the middle class life that arose during the 20th century is “normal,” even though it is quite unique in history.

Now, in the 21st century, the Great Recession has led to a reversal of that process. A “Raw Deal,” if you will, is robbing the middle class of the economic security that it fought so hard to achieve over the last century. Under the control of powerful corporate interests and their political puppets, the Raw Deal seeks to increase the already unprecedented wealth of the rich by pushing workers in

industrialized countries back into the abysmal conditions they endured throughout most of history.

Already a growing segment of our populations are doing backbreaking work for desperately low wages, with no unions, no sick days, no healthcare, no vacations, no retirement, unjust work rules or no work rules, unsafe working conditions, etc.

Aren’t these the working conditions that existed from the late 1800s to the early 1900s? Didn’t we think we had progressed beyond this sort of wage slavery the 1960s, if not the 1950s?

Today we classify these people as the “working poor,” almost as an effort quarantine their work experience away from ours. Yet, if we refuse to recognize the situation for what it is, the plight of today’s working poor will eventually be what’s considered “normal” for all workers.

I fear that those of us who still have jobs earning living wages will not realize the magnitude of the problem until it affects us personally, and that by that time it will be too late.

The challenge

But, I’ve been at this for too long to become a pessimist now. So, I’m challenging every ATU member to prove me wrong.

I urge you to join our fight against the Raw Deal even if it hasn’t reached you yet. Go to your local union meeting, get involved with your local labor council, support pro-labor candidates, do whatever you can to defend and extend the rights of working people.

It’s important, not just for yourself, but for your children and grandchildren, and, truly, for the good of our two nations.



Earle Westgate Putnam, 84, retired ATU general counsel, passed away after a brief illness on Thursday,

May 2, in Lynchburg, VA. Known as the “Father of Section 13(c),” Putnam served the Union from 1962 to 1995 – almost a third of its history at the time.

Putnam was the architect of “Section 13(c)” – language still contained in today’s federal transportation act that has saved and advanced the job rights of hundreds of thousands of American transit workers for 50 years.

Born in Springfield, VT, on June 27, 1928, Putnam graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, and Dartmouth. He left New England in 1950 to study at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (France), where he also served as a messenger for the U.S. Delegation to the UN General Assembly session in Paris.

In Paris he met Margaret Reed, who was travelling abroad. They married in 1953, during his service in the U.S. Army in Germany, where he was stationed.

The couple settled in Northern Virginia after Putnam left the Army in 1954. There he helped Margaret raise their young children while working two jobs and earning Law (1958) and Masters of Law (1960) degrees from the George Washington School of Law.

Putnam worked for the National Labor Relations Board before being employed and promoted to general council by ATU in 1962. He built ATU’s legal department, and shepherded the Union through every major legal struggle for the next three decades.

With his quiet New England manner, steely strength, and intellect Putnam pursued the passage and enforcement of Section 13(c) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, which provided federal funding for transit systems that were then rapidly passing from private to public operation, and guaranteed that transit workers would not lose their right to be represented by a union when ownership of their systems changed hands.

A self-effacing mentor and superb writer, he liked nothing better than getting a first draft from his associates and, with his red pen, marking it up in almost illegible handwriting to both teach and perfect it.

Putnam helped guide ATU through years of dramatic change and growth, assisting in far reaching litigation that twice brought the Union before the U.S. Supreme Court, and advocating our causes in the face of significant challenges in local courts, as well as state and provincial legislatures.

He retired in 1996, to spend more time enjoying his hobbies of photography, learning how to use his computer, trying out new restaurants, tennis, and trips to the beach with his family and beloved dogs.

In 1995, just before his retirement, the delegates to the 51st Convention resolved to: “…express our deep appreciation and utmost respect for Earle W. Putnam and extend to him and his wife, Margie, our sincere hopes for a long, peaceful and productive retirement.”

The international staff will always remember him as a kind and gracious man who always had an encouraging word for everyone.

Earle is survived by Margaret Reed Putnam, his wife of 60 years; his daughter, Eleanor A. Putnam Dunn and her husband, Terrance J. Dunn; and his brother, Nelson Butler Putnam. He was preceded in death by his two sons, Christopher Everard Putnam and Timothy Lewis Putnam, and by his brother, Fredrick Milner Putnam.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lynchburg Humane Society, 3305 Naval Reserve Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501, or the charity of your choice. The family will have a memorial service at a later date. Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. Condolences may be posted at www.tharpfuneralhome.com.

IN MEMORIAM

Earle PutnamFather of ‘Section 13(c)’



Canadian Agenda

Thirty-one ATU local officers joined the Canadian Council in Ottawa, May 7, to convince Members

of Parliament and Senators that their members – 30,000 strong – need more protection from the growing number of on-duty assaults.

“It’s becoming increasingly more dangerous for our members to do their jobs,” says Canadian Director Mike Mahar. “The frequency and severity of attacks on on-duty transit workers continues to rise. In Canada, 40% of bus operators are assaulted on duty during the course of their careers.”

ATU wants the federal government to strengthen the deterrent against such violence through an amendment to the Criminal Code that would mandate that an assault on on-duty transit operators qualify as an aggravating factor for sentencing purposes.

The Canadian Urban Transit Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Police Associations, and numerous MPs and Senators, are lending their support to the campaign.

Laws aren’t protecting us

“Right now, the laws aren’t adequately protecting us,” says Mahar. “There have been cases where one of our members has been attacked by an assailant in the morning. The assailant has been arrested by police, released, and then has returned in the afternoon to assault the member again.”

Mahar believes, “such individuals should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The change to the Criminal Code we’re requesting will ensure that they are.”

Mahar observes that transit operators frequently work alone, and during all hours of the day and night. They work in a compartment with no escape route, and many times are in complete or near isolation. All of this leaves operators far more vulnerable than the average worker.

Degrading and criminal

Despite years of increased efforts by the transit industry to reduce the number of assaults through training, real time support and the installation of cameras, the attacks continue to rise. The assaults range from being spat on, to being punched, to knife attacks and sexual assault.

Many of these injuries are life threatening and career ending. All of them are degrading and criminal.

“The assaults on our members cannot be tolerated,” says Mahar. “At a time when public transit needs to grow to support commerce in areas like Toronto and Hamilton, many are leaving the industry because of these threats – and many are choosing not to enter it.”.

Canadian Council calls on federal government to toughen criminal code for driver assaults


As the number of America’s working poor increases, employees of McDonald’s and other fast food

and low-wage industries have begun to awaken to the need to organize for dignity and a better life. Hundreds have engaged in daylong walkouts to demand a living wage and protection from retaliation and abuse.

Chicago

A walkout was staged in Chicago in support of the “Fight for $15” campaign to secure a wage of $15 per hour for those who work hard in the city’s fast food and retail outlets, yet still can’t afford basic necessities. Similar strikes have been held New York and Pennsylvania.

New York

Hundreds of fast food workers walked off the job in New York City, also demanding a $15 per hour wage and the ability to form a union. Organized by “Fast Food Forward,” the walkout coincided with the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed while supporting the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.

The group says many members are living on food stamps or in homeless shelters even as employers’ profits continue to rise. “We’re on strike today because we can’t survive on $7.25. Higher wages will help us raise our families with dignity but also help lift our entire economy.”

Profits at low-wage food employers have grown rapidly since the recession, as the chart above shows. Nevertheless, some fast food employers have exploited Latin American and Asian guest workers to increase profits.

Some of the chain’s foreign guest workers in central Pennsylvania launched a strike, alleging management has retaliated against them for demanding unpaid wages.

The NYC strikers wanted to meet with McDonald’s directly, sign a labor agreement with worker protections, and ensure that they are fairly compensated.

Some improvement

The New York protest has led to some improvement. Just minutes after their protest, McDonald’s announced that the franchise owner accused of exploiting the guest workers will be selling his three stores and will no longer be associated with the company.

Additionally, McDonald’s says it is trying to connect with the workers on an individual basis to address the alleged abuse and it would provide franchisees with legal informationoon the J-1 visa program.

Not just a teenage job anymore

Also, as noted by the Atlantic, “these jobs are not being done by teenagers… the median age is over 28, and the average women – who make up two-thirds of the industry – is over 32.”

Numbers like these make it abundantly clear that we all lose when major international employers underpay and exploit their workers.

McDonalD’s, low-wage workers DeManD living wage, job protections


International to memorialize deceased local officers at Convention

The International is requesting its locals to send it the names, titles, and pictures (if available) of local presidents, busi-ness agents, and financial secretaries who have passed away since September 26, 2010. This information will be made into a special memorial that will be displayed during the Convention.

Please use the ATU Convention website or the form below to submit the name, title/office, local number and charter city*, and date of death to International President Larry Hanley, ATU, 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016, no later than August 1, 3013.

— Local Officer Memorial Form —Name:

Title/Office:

Local Number: Charter City:

Date of Death:

* For example: Local Number: 113 Charter City: Toronto, ON

Resolutionsubmitted to the

57th International Conventionof the

Amalgamated Transit Union

Submitted by Local 587-Seattle, WA:

“To protect the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and its Locals from potential costly lawsuits(s) by banning the ATU International and its Locals from providing alcohol at convention, conference, or training in hospitality suites or elsewhere.”

!


L’ATU se bat contre la cupidité, la MAIN-D’ŒUVRE esclave et la privatisation

1127 corps ont été retrouvés avant qu’ils n’arrêtent la recherche de survivants. Il s’agit du décompte des morts du désastre du 24 avril — l’un des pires de l’histoire en matière de massacre en usine — à l’autre bout du monde, au Bangladesh. C’est le résultat du même capitalisme (cupidité) qui a causé la mort de 146 couturières dans l’incendie de l’usine Triangle Shirtwaist à New York, il y a un siècle.

Tout est lié

Ne pensez pas à ces victimes comme des inconnus qui ne font pas partie de votre vie — ce n’est pas le cas. Elles font le travail que les travailleurs faisaient aux É.-U. et au Canada.

Leur travail – dans des usines dangereuses, à 8,000 miles (12 874 km) d’ici — sont les anciens emplois des travailleurs de nos pays — qui ont été relocalisés au Bangladesh pour générer davantage de profits pour les propriétaires d’entreprises.

Ce qu’il reste est une concurrence à la recherche d’emplois mal rémunérés ici et dans des villes comme Détroit, avec peu de bons emplois et des recettes fiscales qui en sont créés. Tout est lié.

La main-d’œuvre esclave

Dans le monde développé, nous avons des normes du travail et des codes de construction. Cependant, les vêtements vendus dans nos centres commerciaux sont produits dans des pays où des esclaves ou travailleurs qui frôlent l’esclavage travaillent dans des conditions qui seraient illégales chez nous. Plusieurs immeubles s’effondrent sur ces travailleurs au quotidien, ce qui est profondément honteux.

Donc — nous avons perdu de bons emplois et nous payons pour acheter des produits à des entreprises qui volent nos emplois, pendant que des travailleurs à l’autre bout du monde souffrent pour enrichir quelques personnes.

Les sociétés françaises et anglaises font venir l’économie globale dans les transports en commun et les bus scolaires dans nos pays, tout comme ils ont fait à Greyhound aux É.-U., et pour le faire maintenant au Canada.

Privatisation = Pauvreté

Ils vendent des salaires de misère à nos villes sous forme de transport en commun « privatif ». Ils dépensent actuellement

de l’argent au Congrès et dans plusieurs états en influençant nos représentants élus pour vendre les travailleurs Américains.

Au même moment, leurs collègues fabricants de vêtements exploitent les travailleurs en Asie. Tout est lié.

Il n’y a rien de nouveau avec les personnes riches qui exploitent les travailleurs — Ils le font tout simplement d’une manière plus sophistiquée.

L’idée que nos produits de consommation peuvent être fabriqués à plus bas prix pendant que nous maintenons nos salaires et pensions s’est avérée être fausse.

L’échec de la déréglementation

Tout autour de nous, nous voyons clairement les échecs du capitalisme déréglementé.

Dans ce document, vous apprendrez l’impact de Walmart sur nos vies. Chaque semaine, un grand nombre de nos membres rendent leurs salaires gagnés en tant que travailleurs syndiqués à Walmart. Ce dernier utilise ensuite ses profits pour détruire nos syndicats et les emplois dans nos pays et partout ailleurs dans le monde.

Dans son discours très courageux de juin 1966 en Afrique du Sud (il y a près de 50 ans de cela), le Sénateur Robert Kennedy a abordé cette question :

Les personnes meurent de faim dans les rues d’Inde; un ancien premier ministre est sommairement exécuté au Congo; les intellectuels vont en prison en Russie; et des milliers sont massacrés en Indonésie; la richesse est utilisée sur des armements partout dans le monde.

Il existe différents types de maux dans notre société : mais ils sont souvent créés pas les hommes. Ils reflètent les imperfections de la justice humaine, l’insuffisance de la compassion humaine, la défectuosité de notre sensibilité envers la souffrance d’autres êtres humains; ils marquent la limite de notre capacité à utiliser la connaissance pour le bien-être d’autres personnes ailleurs dans le monde.

En conséquence, ils en appellent aux qualités communes de conscience et d’indignation, une détermination partagée afin de se débarrasser des souffrances inutiles de nos semblables, chez nous et ailleurs dans le monde.

Chaque enfant tué est un emploi détruit chez nous

Chaque enfant tué dans une usine est un emploi détruit aux É.-U. ou au Canada.


Nous avons un ennemi commun envers ces personnes riches et cupides qui sont la cause de tout cela. Les mêmes entreprises qui pompent des centaines de millions de dollars dans les politiques des É.-U. et du Canada pour nous priver de nos droits et nos pensions, notre droit de négocier des contrats et notre droit d’avoir un syndicat.

S’il y avait eu une organisation syndicale dans cette usine du Bangladesh, ces 1127 personnes seraient toujours vivantes. Notre colère doit s’amplifier pour mettre un terme à cette situation.

Nous mentionnons aussi dans ce document les alternatives fiscales comme la taxe « Robin des Bois » (Robin Hood) — une taxe sur les transactions boursières — et la « taxe sur les ventes par internet ». Elles aideraient à sauver nos villes en collectant les mêmes taxes sur amazon.com, comme avec nos commerçants locaux.

Fiers d’être ATU

Ce document comprend aussi des histoires d’héroïsme personnel : l’histoire de Géraldine Mitchell, un membre de Toledo, qui a sauvé une vie pendant qu’elle conduisait un bus.

Je suis particulièrement fier de ces histoires concernant nos locaux dans « Ce qui fonctionne » — notre rapport sur les combats du syndicat local.

Vous lirez aussi à propos de notre local de Providence (R.I.) qui se bat et gagne contre Véolia, et de Bangor (M.E.), où nous venons tout juste d’obtenir une nouvelle organisation.

Chroniqueur invité : gagnant du Prix Pulitzer

Notre chroniqueur invité est l’auteur connu et gagnant du prix Pulitzer, Chris Hedges, qui a tourné son attention sur nos combats sur la fatigue du conducteur et nos efforts continus pour sécuriser une modification de la Fair Labor Standards Act obligeant les employeurs à payer en heures supplémentaires les conducteurs de l’industrie hors route.

Il y a aussi des rapports, à Toledo, de conducteurs de bus qui n’ont pas de pauses toilettes — quelque chose de familier?

Action structurelle

Lors de notre récente réunion du Conseil exécutif à Atlanta, tous nos officiers ont travaillé sur un plan pour une action

plus vaste. Nous travaillons sur des changements structurels potentiels dans notre Syndicat et nous avons nommé un Comité d’exploration structurelle pour la Convention à venir afin de nous permettre d’être plus efficaces sur le terrain.

Nous sommes un Syndicat en pleine croissance, en nombre, en force et en détermination. Plus nous subissons de défis et plus nous accomplissons de choses. Cependant, il y a encore beaucoup de choses à faire.

La foi

Nous nous réjouissons d’avance de notre Convention internationale à venir avec la foi que nous pouvons envisager beaucoup plus qu’auparavant.

Nous changerons la manière dont nous menons notre travail dans nos Conventions et la manière dont nous fournissons la formation nécessaire pour nos délégués afin qu’ils retournent chez eux prêt pour les années de combats à venir.

Être conscient du monde qui nous entoure, étant donné notre place dans le conflit moral, nous quitterons la Convention prêts à se battre pour tous les membres — et parce que nous savons que tous les navires se relèvent ensemble — pour se battre pour les travailleurs partout dans le monde.

PROUVEZ-MOI que j’ai tort!

Je me demande de temps en temps si les membres prennent In Transit avec une « graine de sel. » Je dis cela parce que chaque autre mois le magazine vous apporte beaucoup de mauvaises nouvelles, et si vous ne subissez pas les mauvaises nouvelles chez vous, vous imaginez que nous exagérons.

Après tout, le Syndicat tient depuis 121 années, et comme Mark Twain disait : « J’ai connu de nombreux problèmes, mais la plupart d’entre eux ne se sont jamais produits. »

Cependant, vous devriez savoir que la plupart des « problèmes » que vous lisez dans In Transit « ne se sont jamais produits » parce que votre Syndicat lutte efficacement pour pas qu’ils se produisent.

Malheureusement, ce type de réussite peut rendre les personnes complaisantes; les faisant croire qu’il n’y a pas à s’inquiéter.

Cependant, au risque d’être accusé de « crier au loup », je dois dire que je n’ai jamais vu un moment comme celui-ci, et cela m’inquiète. Un peu d’histoire peut aider à expliquer ce que j’essaye de dire :


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Nouvel accord vs. Accord brut

Pendant les années 1930, la Grande Dépression a apporté des réformes de type Nouvel accord qui ont grandement amélioré la vie des familles de travailleurs au Canada et aux États-Unis. En conséquence, la plupart d’entre nous ont grandi pendant les meilleurs moments économiques de l’histoire de nos deux pays. Bien sûr, nous pensons que la vie de la classe moyenne qui est apparue pendant le 20e siècle est « normale », même si c’est assez unique dans l’histoire.

Maintenant, au 21e siècle, la Grande récession a apporté un renversement de ce processus. Un « accord brut » est en train de voler la classe moyenne de la sécurité économique pour laquelle elle s’est battue et a réussi à obtenir au cours du siècle dernier. Sous le contrôle des intérêts de puissantes sociétés et de marionnettes politiques, l’Accord brut cherche à augmenter la richesse déjà extrême des plus riches en forçant les travailleurs des pays industrialisés à retourner travailler dans des conditions pitoyables qu’ils ont dû endurer au cours d’une grande partie de l’histoire humaine.

Une partie déjà croissante de nos populations fait un travail éreintant pour des salaires extrêmement bas, sans syndicats, sans congés de maladie, sans assurance santé, sans vacances, sans retraite, avec des règlements de travail injustes, des conditions de travail dangereuses et plus encore.

Ne s’agit-il pas de conditions de travail qui existaient entre la fin des années 1800 et le début des années 1900? N’avions-nous pas cru que notre civilisation s’était améliorée au-delà de cette sorte d’esclavage salarial pendant les années 1960, ou 1950?

Aujourd’hui, nous catégorisons ces personnes comme des « travailleurs pauvres », presque comme un effort d’essayer de mettre leur expérience de travail en quarantaine et de les séparer des autres travailleurs. Cependant, si nous refusons de reconnaitre la situation telle qu’elle est, la souffrance des travailleurs pauvres d’aujourd’hui sera bientôt considérée comme quelque chose de « normal », pour tous les travailleurs.

Je crains que ceux qui ont toujours un emploi touchant des salaires suffisants ne réalisent pas l’ampleur du problème tant qu’ils ne l’ont pas subi personnellement, mais quand cela se produira, il sera trop tard.

Le défi

Cependant, cela fait déjà trop de temps que je fais cela pour devenir pessimiste. Par conséquent, je mets au défi chaque membre ATU de me prouver que j’ai tort.

Je vous appelle à joindre notre combat contre l’Accord brut, même si cela ne vous a pas encore touché. Allez à votre réunion syndicale locale, participez avec le conseil local du travail, soutenez les candidats pro-travaillistes, faites tout ce que vous pouvez pour défendre et accroître les droits des travailleurs.

C’est important, pas seulement pour vous-même, mais pour vos enfants et petits-enfants, et surtout, pour le bien de nos deux pays.


OCTOBER 6 - 7 , 2013MUSKET RIDGE GOLF CLUB, MYERSVILLE, MD

FOR THE BENEFIT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RESEARCH


1- MEMBERS AT LARGEROBERT M HARDIN JRRODNEY E MEZELVIRGIL O SANDERSRUDOLPH H VARNEY

19- COLORADO SPRINGS, COLEO R MORRIS

22- WORCESTER, MALINDA A BROOKSKAREN M CHABOTROBERT A MOQUIN

26- DETROIT, MINICHOLAS JOHN COUREYDAVID L HOWTONCARL D JOHNSONEDDIE ROBERTSONBETTY SHEPHARDJESSE J WILLIS

85- PITTSBURGH, PAEUGENE T BUNGERTROLAND COLAGUORIJAMES R DEESEDGAR R LAURIEHOWARD W LINDBERGJESSE J MANNINGMAURICE J MC CARTHYWILLIAM A MC CARTNEYTHOMAS M MISKIEWICZRICHARD A MORGANJOHN MOSURAFRANK NIKLASLAWRENCE M O’CONNORTHOMAS O’LEARYFRANK M O’NEILLAWRENCE J PHILLIPSRUDOLPH PLAIKNERTHOMAS F PRILLJOSEPH LYNN TRUJILLOLETTIE M WALLS

107- HAMILTON, ONMAX EUGEN AHLFORSSTEPHEN E FORESTERJEFFREY T JOHNSTONCOLLEEN TOLL

113- TORONTO, ONMICHELLE S BEDWARDJOHN GERALD BRADLEYTHEODORE H CARLISLEFRANK CHIRCOPROCCO CORNACCHIANICOLA DI RENZORUSSELL HOWARD EWLESDAVID FAIRWEATHERFRANKLIN GEROUXWILLIAM FRANK HASLERFREDERICK W HAWTHORNELOUIS I HICKEYJOHN JOSEPH KEARNEYEDWARD LANSDOWNANTHONY LOCILENTOJOHN MAGEEBARRY N MORTONWILLIAM DENNIS O’BRIENELGIN PEPPINCHARLES PRICEJOHN SCHMUCKJOHN A SMITHJOHN D SPEARSROBERT STEWARTKENT TAYLOR

192- OAKLAND, CAEUGENE ARNETTLAWRENCE JAMES BIRT

SANDRA L COOKHAROLD E HAGLERANGELINA A LAGUERANDREW C NEALPHILLIP JORDON NELSONHERSCHEL A PLEASANTSTHOMAS JOE SANDOVAL JRJOHN P UNDERWOODMACLETUS THELMA WATSON

241- CHICAGO, ILMAURICE BANKHEADKELLY BELLHAVARD L BLANKSSTANLEY E BROWNWILLIE J COCHRANCHARLES E DIALJOSEPH A GORECKIDONALD E JACKSONFRANCIS J LAMBERTROBERTA S LEWISJACK MARTINVICTOR R MOORECARROLL C PORTERBRUCE PRICEMITCHELL P ROMASROBERT I STEWARTWILLIE R STRICKLANDHENRY SYKESDAVID A THOMASDORRIS WILSON JR

256- SACRAMENTO, CADAVID R BLENKHORNCURTIS THOMAS JR

265- SAN JOSE, CACARROLL W ADAMSJESSE J CISNEROSVINCENT LANZAROTTAMATTHEW PAULIN

268- CLEVELAND, OHCHRISTOPHER BATTLESAMUEL M KISNERROBERT EDWARD KRAUSE

279- OTTAWA, ONDENNIS P ARPINGEORGES GRANDMAITREJODY A STEELESTEFAN R VORONEY

308- CHICAGO, ILWILLIAM B BROWNDOROTHY M DISMANGBRIAN R DOEEDWARD JOSEPH FREEMANCARL C MEYERULYSSES S PRITCHETTSAM STIMAGEWILLIAM THOMASTHOMAS WALKERBETTY J WATSONPRIMES WESTE M WILIEKO

312- DAVENPORT, IALAWRENCE E FOX

382- SALT LAKE CITY, UTFRANK D RICHINS

416- PEORIA, ILGREGORY S CHURCH

569- EDMONTON, ABJAMES W HUFFMANALBERT LUETHEGERARD MARINGERNORMAN L SAX

580- SYRACUSE, NYRICHARD A DE PIETRO

583- CALGARY, ABWILLIAM CYRIL JULLYANCOLEMAN A LANDERWILLIAM A ORRRICHARD THOMAS WALKER

587- SEATTLE, WAJACK A BUCHANSPAUL A CONSIDINEDAVID E FARNHAMMICHAEL FLICKINGERRUSSELL W HARRISROBERT L MC ALPINEEARL STANLEY RADFORDHONORIO A STA CRUZ

589- BOSTON, MAJAMES F CANNONMAXWELL C CURRYJOSEPH S FORTINO JRCHARLMER G GROVESTHOMAS W HARDINGTHOMAS F KELLEYALBERT W NEWCOMBWILLIAM V RICHI

618- PROVIDENCE, RIWILLIAM J FURICHREGINALD HILLCARLOS S MEDEIROSJUAN OTERORALPH VITALE

627- CINCINNATI, OHJERRY L PARKERDEBORAH THOMAS

689- WASHINGTON, DCWILLIAM ALSTONNORMAN W BAYLOR JRJOSEPH E COULTERJEFFREY A GASTONKURT ALFRED HEINZ JRJOHN B KEILLORTAE H KIMMITCHELL L RICHARDSONARTHUR J SHUGARSROY G STANFORDSHIRLEY TWITTYDONTE C WASHINGTONJOSEPH J YAVULLA

690- FITCHBURG, MAALAN C EASTMAN

694- SAN ANTONIO, TXGASPAR S GARCIARAYMOND Q VALENZUELA

713- MEMPHIS, TNJOHN H LEWIS

725- BIRMINGHAM, ALFRANKLIN H ANDERSON

726- STATEN ISLAND, NYDOUGLAS BALLALFRED BEYERROBERT P CARROLLGILBERT MONTALVOARTHUR TAYLOR

732- ATLANTA, GADONALD HAYFORDFERNANDO KELLEYCHARLES W SNOW

757- PORTLAND, ORJOHN W BROWNJOREE JACKSONJASON A JANESKENT K KALWEITJOHN D MITCHELL SRVIRGINIA F PUTNAM

758- TACOMA, WACLIFTON A FOURNIERHAROLD A GERBER

819- NEWARK, NJLEONA P DAVISTAHEESHA HORTONPATRICK J PONTRELLIJOSEPH A SEMATAVAGE

825- ORADELL, NJFRANK O ROMA

880- CAMDEN, NJDENIS M FARRELLYAUGUSTUS HOLMES

966- THUNDER BAY, ONDON DUBOIS

998- MILWAUKEE, WIGEORGE R CASTRORICHARD CHOMICKICHARLES J CUNNINGHAMVINCENT C DIKIARAGOLDIE E JOHNSON-YOUNGHARVEY O SCHERREARL M SEYBOLDJULIA M THOMASLEONARD J WILHELMI

1001- DENVER, COJANICE FAYE STANLEY

1005- MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, MNJOSEPH J DITSCHLERRONALD E FONTAINEANTHONY D FRANKLINELDON K TURNER

1037- NEW BEDFORD, MACHARLES A LAGOA

1070- INDIANAPOLIS, INWALTER J DIXON

1177- NORFOLK, VAMELVIN COTTON

1181- NEW YORK, NYNANCY A AULLFRANK N CAPECIRAFAEL COLONSHEILA CRUPIFRED DAVISANNA DI FIOREMARGUERITE DI MICELLIBETTY D FILMOREWILLIE FRANKLINWILLIAM FREYINEL GAILLOTRAYMOND HAUGESRUSSELL F JONESMARY KARSEBOOMTHOMAS P KELLYMICHAEL LUCIANOGRACE MAIORANOLAWRENCE MAURELLOMADELINE MONTILUCILLE PAWIAKCLORINDA PORTSCHELLER

DONALD J REEDMARY ROMSKIMANLIO R SANTOROROSE MARIE SIMONWILLIAM H SMITHJODI SURIANAGAJEANETTE VARGETTO

1225- SAN FRANCISCO, CAHAROLD NEAL MC ELROYFRED G RICH

1235- NASHVILLE, TNDAVID L LOWE

1277- LOS ANGELES, CATHOMAS E DOTSONROBERT LEE NELSON

1285- JACKSON, TNSHADY O MOORE

1300- BALTIMORE, MDFRANK DANIELSROBERT L MC GRONANMIKE TAKESIANJOHN A THOMAS

1309- SAN DIEGO, CAKAROL R FERRISMARGARETA A MULLEN

1321- ALBANY & TROY, NYJAMES W KEECH

1342- BUFFALO, NYRICHARD W ROGERS

1345- READING, PAC GEORGE ZAPF JR

1374- CALGARY, ABGORDON IRWIN STEINMAN

1433- PHOENIX, AZSALVADOR G GONZALEZ

1436- HARRISBURG, PAPHILIP C CREA

1447- LOUISVILLE, KYDENNIS M CHAPMAN

1505- WINNIPEG, MBLLOYD GEORGE BISSETTJASWINDER SIDHUKENNETH V SMITHHENRICUS N VAN DE MOSSELAER

1575- SAN RAFAEL, CAJAMES CLINCY JR

1576- LYNNWOOD, WAPATRICK R HILL

1700- CHICAGO, ILHUGH E SMITHIRVIN THOMASTON

1729- PITTSBURGH, PAPAUL R GEORGE

1753- VENETIA, PARICHARD P BOTTLESJOSEPH HENRY

In MemoriamDeath Benefits Awarded March 1, 2013 - April 30, 2013

30 May/June 2013 | IN TRANSIT


OCTOBER 6 - 7 , 2013MUSKET RIDGE GOLF CLUB, MYERSVILLE, MD

FOR THE BENEFIT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RESEARCH

— SAVE THE DATE —

ATU/MS Research Funds28th Annual Tournament


PA School bus local awaits decision on grievance

Penn Hills, PA, school bus drivers have been waiting for a resolution of their labor dispute with Penn

Hills schools since the district broke off negotiations with Local 1552 in May 2011. The school system ceased bargaining in order to contract its student transportation work out to private operator First Student.

A fact-finder commissioned by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) concluded in 2011 that the

local made a fair contract offer to the school district that legally required the district to continue negotiating.

‘They will not talk to us’

The local accepted the report, and the district rejected it. “They will not talk to us,” says Local President Lori Krapf.

The local filed a grievance with the PLRB, accusing the district of prematurely ending negotiations. A PLRB hearing on those charges ended in June 2012, but the board still has not issued a final ruling.

If the Penn Hills local receives a favorable ruling, the school district could be ordered to buy its school bus-es back from First Transit, rehire all of Local 1552’s drivers, mechanics and bus aides, and pay Local 1552 members two years’ back pay – much more than what it would have cost to simply negotiate with the local in the first place.

In MemoriamDeath Benefits Awarded March 1, 2013 - April 30, 2013

Amalgamated Transit Union

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

STAY CONNECTED

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

When Mother Nature unleashed her wrath with Hurricane Sandy, ATU members stepped up – as we always do - to help our brothers and sisters impacted by donating the ATU Disaster Relief Fund (see chart). In May one of the worst tornados in history savaged an area in around Oklahoma City. The devastating wind and rocketing debris wreaked havoc on the region, shattering houses and flattening supposedly solid school buildings.

The cyclone left hundreds injured, and at least 20 residents – including 9 schoolchildren – dead in its wake. Unfortunately,

homes and property of ATU brothers and sisters and their families living in the area have been destroyed and damaged, as well.

When crisis hits, ATU members do what they do every day

on the job, in their communities, and in their places of worship. They just help out.

You can help your brothers and sisters who have been hurt by this year’s tornados by contributing to the ATU Disaster Relief Fund.

How to Donate

Donations can be made online by visiting www.atu.org, or by mailing a check to:

Amalgamated Transit Union Disaster Relief Fund 5025 Wisconsin, Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016 Attn: Lawrence J. Hanley

U.S. contributors: Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

YOUR HELP NEEDED AGAIN - ATU DISASTER RELIEF FUND

ATU members stepped up for Hurricane Sandy, Now Brothers and Sisters in Oklahoma in need!

$149,698.16

$155,100.00

Total Raised Since Hurricane Sandy

Total Disbursed in Hurricane Relief156 members from 16 Locals received assistance

Documents

GREED · In this issue are stories of personal heroism: the story . of Toledo member Geraldine Mitchell who saved a life while driving her bus. I am particularly proud of the stories