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ATU Action Weekly Update - 7/24/06
House Committees Seek to Address Transit Security, Employee Training In the wake of the horrific Mumbai train bombings, two U.S. House Committees considered legislation last week that would provide funding for transit security measures and recognize the need for transit employee training on security and emergency response procedures. On Wednesday, the House Homeland Security Committee passed a measure that, among other things, includes a one-time authorization of $400 million for rail and transit security grants and would require transit systems to develop and adopt security plans. Unlike the bill introduced in late June by the Committee's Democrats, the bill adopted by the whole committee does not include a mandate that transit systems provide security and emergency response training to all frontline transit employees - a provision advocated for by the ATU. Nonetheless, the bill does direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop guidelines for rail and transit employee training. At the markup, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the committee, expressed concern about the lack of security training for rail and transit employees and pledged to hold a hearing on the issue in September. On the same day, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Commitee passed H.R. 5808, a mass transit security bill which authorizes $3.4 billion in grants over three years to public transportation agencies for security-related expenses, including costs associated with employee training. The bill also includes $150 million for intercity bus security grants. At the urging of the ATU, this bill would require security and emergency response training for all transit employees. While the committee passage of these measures shows a growing recognition by the Members of Congress that transit security concerns must be addressed, we still have a long way to go to win final passage of these measures by Congress. The ATU will keep the pressure on Congress and employers to ensure that ATU members receive the necessary training to protect themselves and their passengers.
Bush Board Refuses to Hear Labor's Concerns The nationwide week of action to raise awareness about the Bush-appointed National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) pending decision on the definition of a supervisor - a massive threat to workers' freedom to form unions - was a huge success. From Florida to Oregon, ATU and thousands of other union members rallied across the country to protest the pending decisions, referred to collectively as the Kentucky River decisions. The events were so successful that they even gained the attention of Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Colbert dedicated his "The Word" segment to a satirical look at the NLRB's pending decisions. You can watch the segment by going to: http://www.youtube.com/v/arSyu4he-kU. The NLRB has refused to hear oral arguments as it considers these cases which could reshape basic workplace rights and further erode our freedom to form unions. This is an outrage that must be reversed. You can join the action and make your voice heard today, by urging your members of Congress to tell the NLRB Chairman to reverse the decision not to hear oral arguments in these critical cases. To take action, go to: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/kentuckyriver_cases/ingdzy7w83m7?.
Have Non-CMV Traffic Violations Affected Your Job? Last October, states began implementing new regulations that provide for the suspension of an individual's CDL if they commit certain traffic violations in their own personal car or any non-commercial motor vehicle (non-CMV). In addition, the new law prohibits states from granting hardship licenses or allowing individuals to enter into diversion programs in order to keep their CDL. The ATU has always maintained that CMV drivers should not lose their job as a result of unrelated conduct that they engage in during non-work hours which does not in anyway affect their ability to safely perform their job. For that reason, the ATU is supporting federal legislation that would allow CDL holders to enter into state-approved diversion programs or driver safety training programs that are available to other non-CDL holders. In order to educate Members of Congress about the effects of this unfair law, the ATU is seeking information from its members and local officers about how these new penalties have affected them. If you or someone you know has lost your CDL and/or your job as a result of the new penalties for non-CMV traffic violations, let us know. Simply send an email to atuaction@atu.org with the relevant information about the traffic violations, length of suspension, and how the suspension affected your job. For more information about the new CDL disqualification penalties, go to: http://www.atu.org/docs/safety_security/documents/CDLsummary.pdf
Minimum wage workers haven't had a raise in 9 years and Repubican leaders in the U.S. House refuse to allow a vote on the issue. The ATU has joined with the AFL-CIO and its other affiliates to put pressure on Congress by holding rallies outside the district offices of Members who have refused to support a raise in the minimum wage. You can join the fight today by going to: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/livingwages/americaneedsaraise.cfm In addition to raising the federal minimum wage, workers are fighting in 19 states to raise their state's minimum wage either through legislation or voter-approved initiative. While workers in Massachusetts were successful in passing legislation to raise the state's minimum wage from $6.75 to $8, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney rejected the measure last week. Since he did not technically veto the measure, the legisalture may now accept his counter-proposal or send the measure back to him with 10 days to veto or sign. To find out what is happening in your state, and how you can help go to: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/livingwages/americaneedsaraise_findyourstate.cfm |
