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ATU Action Weekly Update - 5/22/06
* Due to the Memorial Day Congressional Recess, there will be no ATU Action Weekly Update for the week of May 29, 2006. ATU Locals Seek to Exact Change in Wisconsin Last Tuesday, ATU officers and members from five locals in the state of Wisconsin met in Madison to discuss their legislative agenda and to mobilize for the upcoming fall elections. At the semi-annual meeting of the ATU Wisconsin State Legislative Conference Board, participants shared their ideas and experiences with contracts, health care and pension issues, local funding initiatives and politics. They also discussed their four priorities for the legislative session, which included: (1) increased funding for transit; (2) creating tax-exempt transit benefits for state and other employees; (3) including transit labor as voting members of local planning boards; and (4) creating a new pilot program to provide transit service to "reverse commuters." Participants also engaged in a lenghty discussion of the upcoming fall elections and heard from a representative of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO's Labor 2006 member mobilization program, who discussed the importance of mobilizing members early to ensure success for working families in November. Wisconsin ATU members and other voters will have the opportunity this fall to cast ballots in crucial elections for state assembly, state senate, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and Wisconsin Governor. Following the meeting, participants went to the State Capitol building where they distributed copies of the Exact Change: ATU 2006 State Legislative Agenda to all State Representatives and Senators. The following day, ATU officers attended the Spring Meeting of the Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transportation Association (WURTA), which lobbies along with the ATU to improve and promote transit services in the state.
ATU Ohio Conference Board Gets "Back on Track" On Saturday, May 20, the ATU's Ohio State Legislative Conference Board met in Cincinnati. Gary Johnson, President/Business Agent of Local 268 in Cleveland and President of the Conference Board, was pleased with the turnout - as more than 40 ATU members from across the state attended the board's first meeting in several years. The Ohio Conference Board represents ATU Locals in Cleveland, Youngstown, Steubenville, Cincinnati, Toledo and Dayton. New Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory (D), the keynote speaker of the conference, welcomed the participants and spoke about his commitment to improving public transit in the city. Later, Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley (D), who is running against Representative Steve Chabot (R) in Ohio's first Congressional District, greeted the conference board members and pledged his support on issues that matter most to the ATU. During the last five years, Ohio Governor Bob Taft (R) and the Republican controlled legislature have reduced state funding of public transit from $43.35 million in fiscal year (FY) 2001 to $16.3 million in the current year, more than a 60% reduction in funding. ATU is supporting Representative Ted Strickland (D), from the Youngstown, Marietta area against Secretary of State ken Blackwell (R) in the race to be the state's new Governor.
Are You - or Do You Know - an ATU Member Who Has Been Elected to Public Office? Ausborn J. Starling, Jr., former officer of ATU Local 1235 in Nashville, Tennessee, has been appointed to the Davidson County Tennessee Election Commission. Charles V. (Bud) Seagraff, retired President of ATU Local 1235 in Nashville, Tennessee, serves as the election inspector for State Representative District 59 in Davidson County Tennessee. Stephen Fein, Financial Secretary of ATU Local 1447 in Louisville, Kentucky, is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Louisville and Jefferson County Democratic Party and Chairman for the 44th Legislative District. Bob Bartlett, a member and former President/Business Agent of ATU Local 788 in St. Louis, Missouri, is currently running for his former office as Missouri State Representative for the 60th District. His election will be on November 7, 2006. Ted Mohr, a Retired Member of ATU Local 587 in Seattle, Washington, is a Precinct 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 Starling, Seagraff, Fein, Bartlett, 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?
A Special Thanks to ATU-COPE Upgrade Participants The ATU would like to thank the following locals and their members who participated in the fourth annual ATU-COPE Upgrade Awards Program during National ATU-COPE Month in April.
All ATU members from these locals who upgraded their ATU-COPE Club Membership during the month of April will receive an ATU-COPE t-shirt in addition to their ATU-COPE Club pin. |
