OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION|AFL-CIO/CLC IN TRANSIT MAGAZINE HAS GONE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 “After 30 years of driving a bus... what’s left?” See page 9 INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS LAWRENCE J. HANLEY International President JAVIER M. PEREZ, JR. International Executive Vice President NEWSBRIEFS OSCAR OWENS International Secretary-Treasurer Mississauga makes public transit affordable for all INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS About 2,500 of Mississauga’s low-income residents will pay 50 LARRY R. KINNEAR per cent less for a monthly transit pass for six months as part Ashburn, ON – [email protected] of an ongoing pilot program. Recognizing affordable access to RICHARD M. MURPHY public transit gives residents with limited financial means a way Newburyport, MA – [email protected] to get to a job and community services, councillors unanimously BOB M. HYKAWAY approved funds to help design, implement and evaluate Phase 2 of Calgary, AB – [email protected] Mississauga’s Affordable Transportation Pilot Program. JANIS M. BORCHARDT Madison, WI – [email protected] PAUL BOWEN Canton, MI – [email protected] KENNETH R. KIRK A bumpy ride for Niagara Falls transit changes Lancaster, TX – [email protected] Proposals to change bus service in Niagara Falls, ON, is part of GARY RAUEN Clayton, NC – [email protected] the city’s 2016 operating budget deliberations, but transit workers MARCELLUS BARNES and riders – the people most impacted - say the decisions are Flossmore, IL – [email protected] being made without their feedback. “We were simply told they RAY RIVERA (the changes) were happening,” said Margaret Gilbert, president Lilburn, GA – [email protected] of Local 1582, representing the Niagara Falls Transit workers. YVETTE TRUJILLO “Our members want to work in collaboration with the city.” Thornton, CO – [email protected] GARY JOHNSON, SR. One bus driver put it simply “drivers want to work for a better system, too. We want to look Cleveland, OH – [email protected] forward to the job every day”. ROBIN WEST Halifax, NS – [email protected] JOHN COSTA Kenilworth, NJ – [email protected] ATU Canada reveals new logo CHUCK WATSON Syracuse, NY – [email protected] ATU Canada has unveiled a brand new logo for the newly-formed CLAUDIA HUDSON Canadian ATU organization. The winning logo was chosen by a Oakland, CA – [email protected] vote of the ATU Canada membership from logos sent in by ATU BRUCE HAMILTON Canada members. The winner was submitted by Randy McNally, New York, NY – [email protected] a member of Local 107-Hamilton, ON. MICHELLE SOMMERS Brooklyn Park, MN – [email protected] JIM LINDSAY Santa Clarita, CA – [email protected] INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ANTHONY WITHINGTON Sebastopol, CA – [email protected] DENNIS ANTONELLIS INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS EMERITUS Spokane, WA – [email protected] STEPHAN MACDOUGALL International President Jim La Sala, ret. Boston, MA – [email protected] ANTHONY GARLAND International President Warren George, ret. Washington, DC – [email protected] International Executive Vice President Ellis Franklin, ret. ANTONETTE BRYANT Oakland, CA – [email protected] International Executive Vice President Mike Siano, ret. SESIL RUBAIN New Carrollton, MD – [email protected] Subscription: USA and Canada, $5 a year. Single copy: 50 cents. All others: $10 a year. Published bimonthly by the EMANUELE SFORZA Amalgamated Transit Union, Editor: Shawn Perry, Designer: Paul A. Fitzgerald.Editorial Office: 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Toronto, ON – [email protected] 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. ATU CANADA PAUL THORP Brampton, ON – [email protected] IN TRANSIT | www.atu.org 3 JAN/FEB 2016 CONTENT Vol. 125, No. 1 12 Bridj, Ford contracted to provide Kansas City transit service 13 What you may not know about Uber and other on-demand transit companies 14 ATU wins First Amendment victory on the heels Grand Rapids fare strike 15 Memphis Bus Riders Union fighting for transportation that ‘puts riders first’ ATU Lincoln, riders push for better UNIONS TELL GOVERNMENT TPP THREATENS 4 public transit JOBS, FOOD SAFETY AND MORE Louisiana Local, riders, allies push for more funding 17 ATU, disability community form coalitions to fight orf improved service, just wages 18 ATU to Las Vegas RTC: ‘Drivers are routinely exhausted’ Louisville Local calls for greater protection of members ATU loses Dallas hero in tragic accident 19 Winnipeg gets proactive about rider FATAL BUS ACCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS GROWING 16 conduct, safety BLIND SPOT PROBLEM 20 DC MetroAccess riders, drivers, allies join forces, voice complaints 2 International Officers & General Executive Board 21 Toledo member goes ‘above and beyond’ to help victims of Flint water crisis News Briefs Cincinnati Local votes ‘no confidence’ 3 Index Page in Metro CEO 5 Local officers lay out concerns prior to 22 Local alerts public about need for safety negotiations in Regina on KC buses Halifax Transit to provide discounted 23 2016 training program underway at low-income riders passes ATU Tommy Douglas Center 6 Canadian Agenda: Good sense prevails: 24 Save the Date - 58th International Convention Government moves to repeal C-377, C-525 25 Job numbers highlight urgent need for EI reform 7 Edmonton passes rules for on-demand, 26 TSB makes recommendations in wake of 2013 app-based operators bus-train crash 8 ATU Endorses Senator Bernie Sanders 27 Ottawa transit workers ratify new agreement for President before expiration of current contract 9 International President’s Message: Manitoba workers’ comp now covers PTSD Passion and maturity Windsor Transit struggles to keep aging 10 International Executive Vice President’s buses on the road Message: The audacity to make things happen 28 Translations (French) 11 International Secretary-Treasurer’s Message: Koch brothers counting on you sitting this 31 In Memoriam election out 32 The ATU mobile app IN TRANSIT | www.atu.org 3 Unions tell government TPP threatens jobs, food safety and more The federal government signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership to introduce new or maintain existing regulations such as (TPP) in February and Canada is now locked into a two- safety standards, even when they are in the public’s interest. year countdown to ratify the deal, despite the controversy Under the TPP, our ban on bovine growth hormone, and surrounding it. other regulations designed to protect consumers, could Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff has be challenged as a “trade barrier.” written Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland providing a detailed list of Canadian unions’ concerns with the TPP, including the following major threats: Higher prescription drug costs Canada already has the second-highest per capita drug Corporations get more power, workers costs in the world. The TPP gives even more monopoly patent protection to drug companies than they currently largely unprotected have, meaning it will take longer for Canadians to access cheaper, generic versions of drugs. Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) is a provision in many trade agreements, which allows massive corporations to directly sue democratically-elected governments, in an unaccountable system separate from national courts, in Companies could prevent countries order to protect and expand their profits. from fighting climate change While corporations are given more rights, workers’ rights By virtue of the TPP and previous trade agreements, remain almost totally unprotected under multinational trade government can no longer attach conditions to procurement agreements like the TPP. contracts to foster local economic development or ensure environmental standards. This restriction will likely mean that governments will not Massive job losses in auto industry be able to maximize the job spinoff of large infrastructure projects, such as those that are expected in the fight against In 2014, approximately 40,000 Canadians worked in climate change. For example, the TPP would prevent a motor vehicle manufacturing and another 70,000 in parts government from requiring local sourcing in order to foster manufacturing. A study by Unifor found the TPP could lead to the loss of 20,000 jobs in the Canadian auto green industry. sector alone. With ISDS, corporations will also be able to challenge the regulations required to fight climate change if they deem them to be unreasonable or unfair obstacles to carry on Lower food safety standards their business activities. As a result, the TPP will put a chill on governments taking the steps necessary to fight The TPP makes it harder for the Canadian government climate change. v 4 January/February 2016 | IN TRANSIT IN TRANSIT | www.atu.org 5 Local officers lay out Halifax Transit to provide discounted concerns prior to low-income riders negotiations in Regina passes “Transit isn’t a very high priority” for the City,” laments Local President Don Baker, 588-Regina, SK, pointing to recent cuts in funding – a charge the city’s transit director rejects. But, the Baker, a 15-year Regina Transit veteran, explains that the city needs to buy more buses and build more time into route schedules to catch up with the growth and increased ridership taking place in the area. Contract negotiations coming The current contract between the Local and the City won’t expire until December, but Baker and Local Vice President Kevin Lucier are already making the case for changes their members would like to see in the future. “Our scheduling that we give to the passengers is essentially our promise to the people. If we can’t maintain that bus on time, they’re not going to ride,” It’s taken two years, but it looks like Halifax (NS) Transit will offer a asserts Lucier. limited number of bus passes to low- As for the contract, Baker says, “We’re not asking for the moon, but we’re asking income Haligonians during a six- for what’s fair.