Open Season on Operators
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AUG / JUL 2 0 1 1 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 OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION | AFL-CIO/CLC INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS LAWRENCE J. HANLEY International President NEWSBRIEFS ROBERT H. BAKER International Executive Vice President A U.S. court and a Canadian arbitration panel issued rulings in July on disputes that go all the way back OSCAR OWENS International Secretary-Treasurer to 2008, and 2009: INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS Victorious local ‘not popping the champagne.’ Washington, DC members won a major RODNEY RICHMOND victory, July 22, when the U.S. District Court ruled Metro must honor an arbitrator’s 2009 ruling New Orleans, LA – [email protected] awarding a 9% wage increase to its ATU employees (3% per year in 2009, 2010, and 2011). LARRY R. KINNEAR Ashburn, ON – [email protected] The ruling stems from Metro’s request for a judicial review of the arbitrator’s 2009 award which, JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR. they said, did not take into account the budget difficulties governments were experiencing at Kansas City, MO – [email protected] the time in violation of the city’s interest arbitration standards. RICHARD M. MURPHY Newburyport, MA – [email protected] The court took a long time to issue a decision considering Metro’s request seemed a lot like BOB M. HYKAWAY suing the power company because you can’t afford the electric bill. Calgary, AB – [email protected] CHARLES COOK Metro hasn’t decided whether or not it will appeal the ruling. “I’m not popping the champagne,” Petaluma, CA – [email protected] responded DC Local 689 President Jackie Jeter. WILLIAM G. McLEAN Reno, NV – [email protected] JANIS M. BORCHARDT Was that strike necessary? On July 25, an arbitration panel issued its final ruling on a Madison, WI – [email protected] 53-day ATU strike that took place in Ottawa, ON, during the bitterly cold winter of 2008. PAUL BOWEN The panel’s report revealed that during negotiations Local 279 offered to give OC Transpo the Canton, MI – [email protected] control it wanted over scheduling in exchange for wage guarantees that the city refused to pay. KENNETH R. KIRK Lancaster, TX – [email protected] The union’s representative on the board, Joe Herbert, wrote that the contract is now so much GARY RAUEN like the offer the union made during bargaining in 2008, that the strike could likely have been Clayton, NC – [email protected] avoided. “Indeed it may well be that had my board colleagues’ considerable labour relations MARCELLUS BARNES expertise been engaged by the parties in 2008, the work stoppage might have been averted Flossmore, IL – [email protected] entirely,” he concluded. RAY RIVERA Lilburn, GA – [email protected] YVETTE SALAZAR Thornton, CO – [email protected] Stability vs. COLAs? Three years ago Tampa, FL did away with multi-year contracts with its GARY JOHNSON, SR. city employees. Now, the city’s unions are back at the negotiating table asking for three-year Cleveland, OH – [email protected] contracts again. ROBIN WEST Rexdale, ON – [email protected] Mike Young, a member of Local 1464’s negotiating team says many union members would do JOHN COSTA without cost-of-living increases in exchange for the stability of a three-year contract. Kenilworth, NJ – [email protected] CHUCK WATSON Even though Tampa faces $34.5 million budget deficit, city officials say they will balance next Syracuse, NY – [email protected] 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 – [email protected] DENNIS ANTONELLIS INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUS Spokane, WA – [email protected] International President Jim La Sala, ret. KAREN MILLER-LEWIS Memphis, TN – [email protected] International President Warren George, ret. CLAUDIA HUDSON International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret. Oakland, CA – [email protected] International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret. STEPHAN MACDOUGALL International Secretary-Treasurer Ray Wallace, ret. Boston, MA – [email protected] Subscription: USA and Canada, $5 a year. Single copy: 50 cents. All others: $10 a year. Published bimonthly by the Amalgamated CANADIAN COUNCIL 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, STAN DERA USPS: 260-280. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40033361. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: IN TRANSIT | 3 Rexdale, ON - [email protected] B&M Mailing Service Limited, 35 Van Kirk Drive, Unit 15, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1A5, [email protected] July/August 2011 JUL/AUG 2011 www.atu.org Vol. 120, No. 4 2 International Officers & General Executive Board NEWS Briefs Throwing Working Families Under the Bus 3 Index Page 4 International President’s Message: Unpatriots 7 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 Canadians Lead The Way: Set New Ridership Record 9 Canadians Lead the Way: Set New Ridership Record in 2010 9 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’ Open Season on Operators 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 13 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 Everyone in Massachusetts Cities Agrees with ATU 24 Colombian Union Leaders Murdered as US Pursues Trade Pact 20 25 Translations (French & Spanish) 30 In Memoriam 31 100 Years Ago: Local 569’s 100th Anniversary 32 ATU Launches New, User Friendly Website! IN TRANSIT | July/August 2011 3 LARRY HANLEY, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT Unpatriots n July 4, millions of Americans celebrated U.S. Mediators of an Angry Society Oindependence with fireworks, bands, and parades. On July 1, millions of Canadians celebrated Canada Day Transit workers are the front line mediators of an angry in much the same way. In both countries there were many society. Bus driver assaults have risen since service has been speeches extolling the values we share. Unfortunately, the cut and fares increased. We are joining with the Transport elite in America do not share our values. They only value Workers Union (TWU) in building a cross border effort greed. There is no patriotism left on Wall Street and I’m to bring attention to this plague of assaults, and to fight to searching for it in Washington, DC. protect our members. There is a phony fight between the Republicans and We continue to train your local officers to build Democrats in DC about the “debt ceiling.” It is cover to build community coalitions and become stronger leaders every day. public fear that will allow them to make a “grand bargain.” The values that built the North American middle class The only guarantee in the bargain is that average need to be restored to the public debate. Please reach out to Americans will be left out, shortchanged and screwed. your local officers and tell them you are ready to fight back. 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 New Website, Email Service Launched richer and the poor poorer. Politicians call for “shared sacrifice.” But who will do This month we rolled out a new communications the sharing? department with a strategy to make outreach to our members and the public more effective. We launched a Billionaire Warren Buffet, one of the worlds richest new more user-friendly website at www.atu.org, and we’re people has said, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my harnessing the power of social media. class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” He was right and the war is accelerating and becoming We’ll be sending out regular emails to update you on more visible every day. the latest ATU news and information. Simply email your name and local union number to [email protected]. In Michigan we are responding by organizing ATU Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time, and your email members to fight to restore the collective bargaining rights will not be shared with anyone. stolen by the legislature. In Ohio we helped gather 1.2 million signatures to repeal the anti-labor law there. In As an added incentive, for a limited time, we will hold Wisconsin we are organizing to recall politicians. random drawings from the email list. You could win valuable ATU merchandise and other prizes. Check out The string of recent over-the-road fatalities prove it is atu.org for details. wrong to deny bus drivers time-and-a-half after 40 hours – a basic right extended to 85% of U.S.