ATU Action Weekly Update - 6/4/07

War Funding Bill Includes Transit Funding

Ending a month-long impasse with Congress, President Bush signed a fiscal 2007 emergency supplemental war-funding bill last week that includes money for transit programs this year.

The bill, H.R. 2206, provides $100 million for intercity rail-passenger transportation, freight rail and transit security grants to be awarded by September 30.  This amount is significantly less than the $325 million included in an earlier version of the bill which was vetoed by President Bush because of troop pullout provisions. 

This bill increases the amount of funding for transit and rail security grants in 2007 to a total of $275 million.

 

Minimum Wage Increase Finally Enacted

Also included in the war funding bill was the long-awaited minimum wage increase.  The U.S. House initially passed a minimum wage increase on January 10th, but the measure has been held up in the Senate by Republicans insisting on massive tax breaks for businesses.

While the bill raises the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour, the delay in passing the increase is estimated to have cost minimum wage workers $750! 

Nonetheless, the increase will benefit more than 13 million workers who currently earn less than $7.25 an hour and another 7.4 million workers who earn a bit more, but are likely to see their pay increase as a result of the raise.  

 

Biden Addresses Florida Union Members

Presidential candidate and Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) met with more than 250 union members and their families in South Florida on May 16th as part of the AFL-CIO's "Working Families Vote 2008" town hall series.  During the 90-minute forum, Biden and working people from South Florida engaged in a lively dialogue touching on issues vitally important to America's future such as education, the war in Iraq, retirement security, the need for good jobs in America, and the freedom to form unions. 

Biden pledged to support policies that work for working Americans and to restore the promise of collective bargaining on the job to help stengthen and expand the middle class.

"There is a middle class in the United States for one reason - the union movement," Biden said.  But, he noted, the middle-class is shrinking in this country because of policies that favor the wealthy over working people and suppress the right to have a voice on the job.

"This president didn't just declarre war on the middle class.  He declared war on the union movement," said Biden.

South Florida AFL-CIO President Fred Frost, who moderated the forum, said the town hall-style meeting provided union members and their families with an unprecedented opportunity to raise issues that are important to working people throughout the country.

A "Working Families Vote 2008" town hall forum has been scheduled for June 9th in Detroit with Senator Hillary Clinton.  Forums have also been planned for Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) on June 21st in Phoenix , AZ and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on June 23 in Columbus, OH. 

For more information on the forums and the Presidential candidates' position on working family issues, go to:  http://www.workingfamiliesvote2008.com.

 

U.S. House Recognizes Contribution of School Bus Employees

The U.S. House recently passed Resolution 376, which recognizes the contributions of classified school employees, including school bus employees, to America's public schools.

The measure recognizes school bus and other classified school employees for playing "a vital role in providing for the welfare and safety of America's school children and students." 

The measures go on to state that the U.S. House of Representatives "congratulates all classified school employees across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education, and for the key role they play in promoting and ensuring student achievement, student safety and well-being."

 

WI ATU Locals Push for Regional Transit Authorities

The ATU Wisconsin State Legislative Conference Board, chaired by Local 519 (La Crosse, WI)President/Business Agent Dale Anderson, met in Madison, WI on May 23rd for their annual Transit Lobby Day, held in partnership with the Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transit Association (WURTA). 

Representatives from all five ATU locals in Wisconsin attended the Lobby Day events, which focused on promoting legislation to allow cities and counties to create Regional Transit Authorities.  The conference board voted to support the legislation, assuming adequate protections to ensure the continuation of collective bargaining rights and bargaining units.  The bill would ensure dedicated funding for transit systems created under the bill.

Chair Anderson tesified in support of the measure at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Insurance.