Dear Union Brothers and Sisters,

Throughout my union life I have often reflected on the sacrifices people have made over the past century to build our labor movement. Our generation is now witnessing a real struggle to save that labor movement. But to win – to rebuild the middle class – we have to do more than just witness it.

And, I’m inviting you to do just that on Sunday, September 30, at 7:00 EDT.

That’s when every ATU member can join me and local leaders from all over America to plan how we are going to win the November election in the U.S.– for our families and our riders.

We need to engage, and we need to get out of our “comfort zone,” and work in the coming 10 weeks before the general election.

Unfairness is all around us. We all know people who have lost jobs or cannot get one. Many of us have children, well into their 20s, still at home with no work.

We have socialism for the rich, and harsh unregulated capitalism for the poor. We have a Congress that is frozen – refusing to act on sensible programs like expanding mass transit.

But, the power to change that is in our hands. They have not heard enough from us or our co-victims – transit riders.

Put faith in yourself

I will not ask you to put your faith in a politician or a political party. I ask you to put your faith in yourself, your family, your union family, and your community. We can build power but it takes work.

The ATU program is to build alliances with our riders. This year, with a presidential election in the U.S., the focus must be on getting our friends, our families, and yes, our passengers, to vote.

Your local union is gearing up right now. In this magazine and on our website you will see ATU members all over who are saying – “Yes, I’m In!”

That’s what we need each and every member to do. Commit to your brothers and sisters that in the five weeks beginning October 1, you will do your part to get our community to VOTE.

Registration

This means making sure they can vote by asking now if they, and every member of their family, are registered to vote.  Then it means working with your local officers to build a campaign in your city and at your bus stops.
We can end that by telling our riders the truth and by expanding their power by getting them ready to vote.Our riders and our members have identical interests but often don’t see it that way. In many cities transit agencies

have divided us from our passengers. In major cities there are campaigns run by elected officials telling the riders to unite to cut our wages – or face service cuts and fare increases.

So mark you calendar for Sunday, September 30. Join ATU members from all over America in a huge ATU internet event to spell out our plan to rock the transit world!

In solidarity,

Larry Hanley
International President
Amalgamated Transit Union