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ATU Action Weekly Update - 4/24/06
Last Chance to Get Your ATU-COPE T-Shirt Throughout the month of April, the ATU International and each ATU Local in the U.S. are increasing their efforts to raise funds for the ATU-COPE program. In this effort, the International is once again offering the popular ATU-COPE Upgrade Award program for ATU members of participating U.S. locals who increase their ATU-COPE contributions during the month of April. This is in addition to the ongoing ATU-COPE Club program, which rewards all ATU members who contribute at least $25/year to ATU-COPE.
Members of participating locals who upgrade their ATU-COPE Club membership during the month of April will receive a blue t-shirt bearing the ATU seal on the front and the ATU-COPE logo on the back. Members may upgrade in the following ways:
Please remember, the upgrade award program will be administered through the local unions. Participating locals must provide the International with the names of the members who upgraded no later than May 15th. Members will not receive an award if the local fails to notify the International of their decision to upgrade. Contact your local officers for more information about your local's COPE efforts, or to start a COPE drive at your local.
FTA Rejects ATU Petition for Lower Drug Testing Rate In a letter, dated April 10, 2006, Sandra Bushue, Deputy Administer of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), rejected a joint petition filed by the ATU, Transport Workers Union (TWU), and the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (TTD) to reconsider the agency's decision not to lower the annual random drug testing rate for transit employees. Federal law allows FTA to lower the random rate to 25% when available drug testing data shows that employees are testing positive at a rate of less than 1%. According to a notice published by FTA in January, the positive rate for transit employees was less 1% for two years in a row. Nonetheless, the agency has chosen to mandate a higher rate of 50%. In justifying her decision, Bushue cites "a significant increase in the availability of masking products." "Hence, for the present, public safety concerns warrant retaining the random rate for drug testing at 50 percent for calendar year 2006."
April 28 is Workers Memorial Day - Take Action to Honor Fallen Workers Every year on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, we honor fellow workers who have been hurt or killed on the job and renew our struggle for safe workplaces. This year began with a terrible workplace tragedy, the explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia that claimed the lives of 12 miners. A total of 24 coal miners have died in workplace accidents already in 2006, making it crystal clear that we need strong protection for our miners. As oil prices soar, pressure is on to produce more coal. As the coal mines kick into high gear, we have to protect the workers who are working for us. Let's make sure there are no more Sagos. Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative today and ask them to support real reform to our mine safety laws. To take action, or for more information about this issue, click here. This Workers Memorial Day, let's make a difference for workers who face unsafe conditions every single day. Help pass these important reforms and help save miners' lives.
Support Fair Wages for Farm Workers Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's hamburgers and Chipotle's burritos earn about 45 cents for every 32-pound container of tomatoes they pick, working from dawn to dusk without the right to overtime pay. The 45-cent piece rate has not changed in nearly 30 years. Annual income for farm workers is extremely low -- averaging $7,500 to $10,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The vast majority of farm workers receive no benefits - no health insurance, no sick leave and no vacation pay. Last year, Taco Bell signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an additional one cent per pound for tomatoes it purchases. But McDonald's and Chipotle, initially a subsidiary of McDonald's and now a publicly traded company in which McDonald's is the controlling shareholder, have refused to sign a similar agreement to raise wages in the fields. Although Chipotle's manifesto, titled "Food with Integrity," takes a strongly activist stance for humane conditions in its supply chain for farm animals, the manifesto says nothing about the conditions under which people are laboring to harvest its produce. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is calling on Chipotle to expand its "Food with Integrity" mission to include "Work with Dignity" for farm workers who harvest its tomatoes by improving wages and allowing workers to participate in the protection and advancement of their own rights. Further the Coalition is calling on Chipotle to ask McDonald's to join Taco Bell in improving wages and human rights in the fields. Send a letter to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner and Chipotle CEO Steve Ells demanding they sign the agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve wages and conditions for farm workers. Click here to take action.
Are You - or Do You Know - An ATU Member Elected to Public Office? Ted Mohr, a Retired Member of ATU Local 587 in Seattle, Washington, is a Precint Committee Officer for the Democratic Party in Whatcom County, Washington. Karl Cook, a Member of ATU Local 241 in Chicago, Illinois, is currently running for a position as a Cook County Commissioner. His election will be on November 7, 2006. Daniel Kozub, a Member of ATU Local 1342 in Buffalo, New York, was elected to the Erie County Legislature on November 8, 2005. Have you, like Brothers Mohr, Cook and Kozub, been elected to public office, selected for a state or local political party position, or are you currently seeking election to public office? Do you know of any ATU Brothers or Sisters who have been elected or are currently seeking election to public office? If so, please let us know by sending an email to atuaction@atu.org, Please include the member's name, the office held or sought, and the date of election. Thanks.
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