United States Version PDF - Amalgamated Transit Union

Legislative ConferenceWASHINGTON, DC • MARCH 10-14, 2007International President Warren S.George welcomed the LegislativeConference participants on Saturdayevening, March 10. He reviewed thelegislative accomplishments ofthe previous year and surveyedthe political landscape ahead.ATU Activists Take It tothe Next Level atLegislative ConferenceDetermined to take advantage ofthe new majorities in Congress,representatives from politicallyactive locals all over the UnitedStates converged upon Washington,DC, from March 10 – 14 forthe ATU’s largest LegislativeConference ever.This was the first time since1994 that conference participantslobbied a Democratically-controlledCongress. They worked hard tomake that happen, and they tookit to the next level – making sure that elected representatives followthrough on their commitments to work for pro-transit and pro-laborlegislation.ATU-COPE WinnersThe event began Saturday evening, March 10, with an address byInternational President Warren S. George, who reviewed the legislativeaccomplishments of the previous year and surveyed the politicallandscape ahead.International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens presented the 2006ATU-COPE President’s Award to attendees whose locals raised thehighest dollar amounts for COPE, and the Chairman’s Award to thosewhich enrolled the highest percentage of their members in the program.Local President and reigning Patriot Award winner Herb Dill, 788-St. Louis,MO, left, presents the award to the new winner, Local President Dale Anderson,519-La Crosse, WI, who beat out the long-standing champ to win the awardas the highest individual contributor to the ATU-COPE program.The Conference applauded each of the attending presidents whoselocals received top honors in what has become a friendly rivalry. Theysaved their warmest response, however, for a moment in which LocalPresident and reigning Patriot Award winner Herb Dill, 788-St. Louis,MO, presented the award to the new winner, Local President DaleAnderson, 519-La Crosse, WI, who beat out the long-standing champ towin the award as the highest individual contributor to the ATU-COPEprogram.In typical ATU-style, Dill was almost as delighted to pass the awardon to Anderson as he would have been to receive it himself, noting thatthe more members there are who step up to the plate for ATU-COPE, themore effective the program will be.Day One: PolicyATU Legislative Director Jeff Rosenberg kicked off the meeting byprofiling the new Democratic committee chairs who have the mostimpact on the ATU. Rosenberg then laid out some of the Union’slegislative priorities:n increasing federal support for mass transit in the face of attemptsby the Bush Administration to slash transit funding;n increasing state funding for mass transit; andn amending current law to allow communities with populationsabove the current 200,000 limit, to apply federal transitassistance to their operating budgets (administration, wages,etc.) if their transit systems run 100 or fewer buses duringpeak hours.If We Don’t Organize, We Will DieThe Conference next heard from Charles Lester, ATU’s neworganizing director, who led a panel of local presidents in relatingthe lessons they have learned from their organizing experiences,successful and otherwise.The panel included Local Presidents Wayne Baker, 1764-Washington,DC; Pennie Johnson, 1733-Vernon Hills, IL; and Jon Hunt, 757-Portland, OR.Lester started off with a blunt assessment: “If we don’t organize,we will die. The direct support we enjoy and the success we have inrepresenting our members is directly tied to how strong we are.”The organizing director explained the challenges facing 21 st centurylabor organizers: “Employers have become more vicious. They don’t carewhat the law says; they will break it. They will intimidate, they will lie,and they will fire workers who try to organize.“At the ATU we have to be more prepared for employer tactics, andprepare workers a little better because in the face of all the fears, lies10 IN TRANSIT www.atu.org