Policy
Live Telephone Town Hall with President Hanley, Sun., April 27
Join ATU President Hanley this Sunday, April 27 at 7pm EST for a live telephone town hall to discuss the May Transit Action Month campaign. Through this campaign ATU locals and members will reach out to riders across North America to let them know we stand with them in the fight for more, better and safer…
Read MoreMay Is Transit Action Month!
May will be a month of action, excitement and mobilization, the likes of which have never been seen in ATU history. Hear details from President Hanley at LIVE webcasts TOMORROW (Wed., April 23) @ 7pm ET or 10pm ET. Click here to join the webcast tomorrow: http://new.livestream.com/ATUTV. Throughout May members will be reaching out to riders…
Read MoreHouse Moves To Eliminate Taxpayer Protection Act (“Pacheco Law”)
Brothers and sisters: Yesterday was a terrible day for the public and for the members of Local 589. The Massachusetts House of Representatives released their draft budget, and it includes recommendations that eliminate the protections afforded by the Taxpayer Protection Act (“Pacheco Law”), jeopardizing not only your jobs but also the public interest. We are…
Read MoreUS Bus Drivers Still Coping With Bathroom Access Issues
International Business Times | By Cole Stangler | March 1, 2015 One afternoon during the summer of 2000, her first year as a bus driver in Oregon’s Portland, Hope Okazaki had a troubling episode of gastrointestinal distress while on the job. She had just finished an almost two-hour tour through the east side of town, and…
Read MoreOpinion: MBTA only one part of a fragile transportation network
Opinion: Boston Globe | By Kristina Egan | FEBRUARY 27, 2015 The MBTA’s performance in the record snow and cold temperatures gives us a glimpse of a possible future — one in which our transportation system completely fails us. When the T shuts down, businesses and workers lose millions of dollars. The torturous driving commutes…
Read MoreTransit activists hopeful MBTA shut downs will spur investment in system
Sandra Larson | Bay State Banner | 2/25/2015 In the aftermath of the historic January and February snowstorms in Boston that led to transit shutdowns, stuck trains, borrowed shuttle buses and frustrating delays at frigid platforms, the MBTA announced it could be another 30 days before full service resumes on its rail lines. If the…
Read MoreEDITORIAL: Baker’s MBTA panel needs to provide fresh thinking, concrete steps
Boston Globe | By The Editorial Board | February 26, 2015 IT’S TEMPTING to dismiss the creation of yet another committee of experts to figure out what’s ailing the MBTA, given Beacon Hill’s willingness to ignore the findings of past blue-ribbon panels. But the latest MBTA advisory panel, assembled by Governor Charlie Baker, deserves a chance to…
Read MoreRosenberg sees transportation disconnect
Commonwealth Magazine | By BRUCE MOHL | Feb 17, 2015 Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said on Tuesday that the problems at the MBTA are straight out of “Democracy in America,” the book Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in the 1800s which suggested that Americans may vote themselves more benefits than they are willing to pay for.…
Read MoreSenate leaders skeptical of plan to allow more MBTA privatization
Boston Globe | By David Scharfenberg | April 16, 2015 Senate leaders are skeptical of a House plan that would open the door to more privatization of services at the beleaguered MBTA. The House has called for a suspension of the so-called Pacheco law, which creates obstacles to outsourcing, for five years for the T.…
Read MoreBaker panel kicks the can
CommonWealth Magazine | By James Aloisi | Wednesday, April, 8, 2015 IN THE AFTERMATH of the drip drip drip of a series of strategically placed leaks, the governor’s special commission on the MBTA has finally issued its report. It is a disappointing document that fails to address the MBTA’s real state-of-good-repair and capacity needs, fails…
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