Tonight, members of Local 589 attended a fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Michael Brady who is one of the candidates looking to succeed the late Sen. Tom Kennedy. Apart from being a former Teamsters truck driver and long supporter of unions, Mike was the only representative out of 154 to oppose the three-year repeal of the…
Wednesday night, members of of the executive board along with Local 589 members, members of other MBTA unions, various community groups, and T riders joined together outside South Station, Downtown Crossing, and Park Street T stations to educate riders about the dangers of privatization. Over 10,000 pamphlets were handed out to riders to let them know…
MassInc Polling Group | October 14, 2015 The more the MBTA’s new control board digs into the issue of T absenteeism, the less consequential the problem looks to the agency’s bottom line. The latest MBTA report shows overtime costs due to absenteeism at $7 million a year, down from a previous estimate of $10 million.…
Rally to Keep “Public” Transportation “Public” and Stop Privatization WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2015 WHERE: South Station, Downtown Crossing and Park Street Stations TIME: 4-6 p.m. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! Please contact Joe Cerbone or John Clancy at the union hall (617-542-8212) so we can add your name to the list. If we are not available please have…
The regular meeting of the membership will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, at the Boston Teachers Union Hall, 180 Mount Vernon St., Dorchester, MA (behind the State Police station near Columbia Rd. and Morrissey Blvd.) accessible by the Red Line. The regular order of business will be transacted. The morning session will start…
Boston Globe | By Evan Horowitz | October 14, 2015 When US companies earn profits abroad, they don’t have to pay taxes straightaway. They can hold on to that money, tax free, so long as they don’t use it for their US operations. This little loophole in US tax law gives companies a strong incentive to book…
Join Governor’s Councillor, Marilyn Petitto Devaney, for a public meeting this Thursday (Oct. 15) at 7 pm to discuss privatization and the loss of MBTA bus routes. The meeting is being held at the American Legion Hall Post #440 on 275 California Street in Newton, MA. Members of Local 589’s executive board will be in…
A.T.U. International Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for 2015-2016 scholarships. The scholarships are in remembrance of retired International Vice President Luther “Luke” E. Hall who passed away on April 28, 2015. This year, the program will consist of five scholarships each in the amount of $5000. In addition, a $2,000 scholarship may be awarded to…
More than 20,000 people packed into the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Saturday night to hear Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The Democratic presidential candidate called for aggressive reforms in healthcare, college education and debt, criminal justice, climate change, political donations, greater investment in public infrastructure, and a host of other progressive areas. Four local…
By Steve Annear GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 01, 2015 Allen Freeman is a Red Line driver who is getting attention for his creative and colorful narration of what’s happening outside as he drives passengers back and forth each day. By Steve Annear GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 01, 2015 Allen Freeman’s voice booms through the crackling loudspeakers like…
WBUR | By ABBY ELIZABETH CONWAY |September 30, 2015 BOSTON – With absent operators the leading cause of cancelled bus and subway trips, a member of the MBTA’s oversight board told state legislators that the T must take a similar approach to fixing its administrative system as it has to cataloging and updating its infrastructure needs. “The…
RALLY: Keep “Public” Transportation “Public” STOP PRIVATIZATION WHEN: Tuesday, October 6, 2015 WHERE: Various Locations to hand out anti-privatization information to the riding public TIME: 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! Please contact Joe Cerbone or John Clancy at the union hall (617-542-8212) so we can add your name to the list. If we are not…
The following letter written by President James O’Brien to the editor of the Boston Globe appeared in today’s paper: LETTERS Labor is right to note that privatization won’t solve T’s woes September 28, 2015 In Joan Vennochi’s Sept. 13 column (“Labor leaders’ hot rhetoric has grown cold”), organized labor is criticized for attacking the Pioneer…
Thanks to the 100+ members who turned out for Wednesday’s rally outside the Koch-funded Pioneer Institute. Our message to them was simple, stop STOP YOUR LIES! Click here to view photos from the rally. The following is some of the press coverage our rally received: NECN – Video: MBTA Workers Hit the Streets to Protest…
Privatization does not guarantee savings. Proponents of privatizing transit often make lofty claims about savings through private sector efficiencies. But frequently these claims couldn’t be farther from the truth. Public agencies are often more efficient because no profit margin gets siphoned off to shareholders. In Phoenix, Veolia demanded an additional $27.5 million on top of…