ATU Local 1505

Have a spooky and safe Halloween. #halloween🎃

Rest in Power, Dolores Huerta! #1u #UnionStrong #canlab

Another brutal attack on one of our members. Our transit agencies and elected officials need to make real changes to improve safety on our transit systems. ATU Local 689 wjla.com/news/local/metro-bu…

Safety was front and center on an historic day in Toronto as International President John Costa, Local 113-Toronto, ON, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and Centennial College convened nearly 200 Local leaders, transit agency officials, bus manufacturers, transit organizations, and academia from across North America for the ATU Bus Safety and Innovation Summit, an innovative labor-management partnership to build a safer, better bus to combat growing violence on transit and address other safety and health issues. “Our Union has been pounding on the issue of safety for our members and riders for decades. Just weeks ago, our Local 308-Chicago, IL, Brother Julian Mobley was killed on the job. When I came into office in 2019, our Local 1593-Tampa, FL, Brother Thomas Dunn was stabbed to death on his bus, and I can go on and on,” said Costa. “This program would be impossible without a commitment to giving workers a seat at the table. Nobody knows what needs to change on a bus better than our members who drive and work on them eight, ten hours or more a day. Thank you to the TTC and Centennial College for recognizing, like the ATU, that the future of transit safety is best achieved through collaboration. Now let’s get it done.” A highlight of the day included a press conference where Local 113 Member Anna Cohen and Local 1505-Winnipeg, MB, Member Crystal Hanley told their harrowing stories of being attacked on their bus. Attendees also participated in engaging workshops on developing a fully enclosed operator workstation, eliminating dangerous blind spots, improving airflow, and creating more ergonomic operator seats. Thank you to all who attended for creating a safer and better workplace for transit workers across the world.

Crosswalks are the transit industry’s Achilles heel and blind spots for bus operators created by poor bus design are the reason why. Large mirrors on the driver side of buses create blind spots for operators, who are often unable to see pedestrians who are walking in crosswalks. The Bus Design Innovation Program (BDIP), spearheaded by the ATU, Local 113, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and Centennial College, is working to develop a safer bus without blind spots for operators. Read more @ atu.org/members/bdip

Our Union is building our future through our innovative workforce development and mentorship programs under the leadership and vision of International President John Costa. Our New York City Locals 726, 1056, 1179, and 1181 recently held productive meeting with the MTA about establishing mentorship and registered apprenticeship programs throughout the agency. When labor and management work together to invest in training, workers win, and transit systems get stronger. This is how we build the next generation of the transit workforce.