The Convention reconvened at 9:00 a.m., on Wednesday, September 19, with an Invocation by Pastor Robert Fowler of Victory Mission Baptist Church.
It’s Time to Fight
Stuart Acuff, AFL-CIO director of organizing, congratulated the ATU on creating a first-class organizing department. We thank you, he said, for showing all of us what can be done.
Acuff spoke passionately about the need for new energy and a new vision of what it means to grow a union by instilling an organizing culture within the entire membership.
Acuff gave the delegates some startling facts: Productivity of American workers has grown by 75 percent since 1973, while wages have remained stagnant. Average CEO pay has skyrocketed from 42 to a staggering 411 times average wages during that same period.
Forty-seven million Americans, he said, have no access to health care and another 40 million have inadequate care. There are 20 percent more people living in poverty today than there were seven years ago. “The American middle class is being squeezed out,” he declared.
The U.S. federation’s organizing director explained that the assault on workers started 30 years ago with the advent of privatization, offshoring and bad public policies, but more importantly because of the loss of the freedom to form and join unions.
He spoke about the importance of voting a President into the White House who will not only sign but enforce the Employee Free Choice Act.
Acuff brought the delegates to their feet saying that it was time to take on this fight to advance “human dignity. With solidarity and unity, we can do this.”
International Executive Vice President Mike Siano then announced the Member-Organizer Award winners: Dan Bichel, 615-Saskatoon, SK; Jon Hunt, 757-Portland, OR; Michelle Sommers, 1005-Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; Steve Green, 1321-Albany & Troy, NY; and Gary Padgett, 1603-Bethlehem, PA. The “Member Organizer of the Year Award” was presented to Dan Sundquist, 1001-Denver, CO.
International President George took the opportunity to share his experience in “reaching out” to MV Transportation and Veolia Transport, and contrasted that with a meeting he had with the new British head of First Transit in America. George made several pointed remarks about his reaction to the “audacity” of the British manager’s preference for “democratic” American labor laws as opposed to the union-friendly laws of England. The International President’s comments were enthusiastically received.
‘Welcome’ is All Over This Union
International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens next introduced Clayola Brown, president of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute. She roused the delegates by echoing George’s remarks about First Transit; calling him her new “favorite president,” and “a man after my own heart.”
Brown complimented the delegates – describing the time she spent among ATU members before her speech. “‘Welcome’ is all over this union,” she declared.
Brown built on Acuff’s presentation by saying that Labor’s fight is “long overdue. Everything we have ever won has come through struggle,” she continued, “We are sick and tired of people taking advantage of us. Now we are saying ‘No more’ – my labor is worth something.
“Employers say that they gave us all that we have. We say, ‘No, we gave them the best years of our lives and made them rich!” The APRI leader said that union workers would no longer tolerate corporate take-backs.
Brown brought the delegates to their feet again by declaring, “You are warriors. You are champions, and I salute you.”
ATU-COPE Committee Report
ATU-COPE Committee Chair Sharon Anderson reported that the committee endorsed the COPE program’s goals of strengthening and expanding the legislative and political influence of the ATU at all levels of government in both the U.S. and Canada. To that end, COPE contributions averaged $760,000 per year since the last Convention, totaling $2.3 million.
ATU-COPE Award recipients during this convention cycle were: Locals 85-Pittsburgh, PA; 164-Wilkes-Barre, PA; 519-LaCrosse, WI; 587-Seattle, WA; 726-Staten Island, NY; 843-Bellingham, WA; 1179-New York, NY; 1235-Nashville, TN; and 1575-San Rafael, CA. The committee also acknowledged Herb Dill, president of 788-St. Louis, MO, and Dale Anderson, president of 519-La Crosse, WI, who received the ATU-COPE Patriot Award on behalf of their locals.
Legislative successes included the passage of SAFETEA-LU, which provides multi-year transit funding and preserves Section 13(c) collective bargaining rights. In addition, significant headway had been made on transit security, and an increase in the minimum wage.
The following resolutions were also presented: Resolution L, “Building ATU-COPE,” which resolves that ATU will provide legal, legislative and political support to each local to facilitate the COPE checkoff as part of collective bargaining agreements, and also rewards locals for actively participating and supporting ATU’s COPE program; and Resolution M, “ATU Votes 2008,” which encourages all locals in battleground states to participate in the AFL-CIO’s Labor 2008 program and to engage in other election-related activities designed to educate members and their families about the 2008 elections. The committee’s recommendation for concurrence on both resolutions was adopted.
In Memoriam
The delegates arose in a moment of silent tribute to the memory of their fallen colleagues who had passed away since the last Convention.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Safety and Security Committee Report
Safety and Security Committee Chair Vincent Crehan delivered the panel’s Report. The committee deliberated on Resolution D, “Stopping Violence Against Transit Workers,” and Resolution E, “Restroom Breaks for Transit Operators,” both of which were adopted unanimously by the convention.
On a point of personal privilege, Bob Kinnear, president of Local 113-Toronto, ON, introduced fellow member Jaime Pereira, an operator who was shot in the face by a gunman while on the job, leaving him blind in one eye, and with only peripheral vision in the other. He thanked the his local officers, the ATU and its members for their generosity of time and financial contributions during his ordeal in the hospital and beyond. Local 113 fought to make sure he had no lost income. But the company still resisted a proposal to install plastic safety shields for drivers. Brother Pereira encouraged everyone to fight for legislation to prevent on-the-job injuries and attacks on drivers.
International Secretary-Treasurer’s Report
International Secretary-Treasurer’s Report Committee Chair Shryl McCormick-Williams delivered her committee’s report. The committee examined and reviewed the audit reports covering the period July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2007, and found them satisfactory. In accordance with Section 36 of the ATU Constitution and General Laws, all of the reports were published and forwarded to each local union, except for the report for the six months ended July 30, 2007, which will be forwarded to each local later this month.
Laws Committee Report
The Laws Committee Report was delivered by Chair Tony Withington. The following amendments to the Constitution and General Laws were adopted:
Sec. 6.7 - The election of delegates will be held at least six (6) weeks previous to the Convention
Sec. 6.10 - The names of delegates and alternates elected will be sent to the International office at least four (4) weeks prior to the Convention.
Sec. 6.7 - “A member, to be eligible to run for delegate, must have been a member in continuous good standing of his or her L.U. the two (2) years preceding the day of the nomination meeting.”
Sec. 6.9 - The following will he added: “and no member elected as a delegate who has left the active service for reasons other than retirement upon pension shall be seated or serve as a delegate to a Convention of this Union.”
Sec. 6.14 - The committee recommended non-concurrence with the recommendation that the title of the section be amended to read “Financial and Reporting Requirements,” and that language be added at the end to read: “…have been paid in full and their L.U. is current in the filing of monthly and audit reports with the I.U.” The delegates adopted the motion of non-concurrence.
Sec. 6.20 - Language is deleted suggesting that ATU’s delegates to the AFL-CIO Convention prepare an In Transit report of the convention’s activities, since that information is available on the AFL-CIO website.
Sec. 7.2 – Language is added confirming the process by which vacancies on the General Executive Board are filled; and related changes to Sec. 12.1 so that it reads, “The GEB shall be composed of all International Vice Presidents.”
Sec. 11.1 - International Vice Presidents must notify the International President of any subpoenas issued by any government or law enforcement agency in connection with the investigation of mishandling of union funds, corruption or racketeering involving the union or an individual’s status with the union.
Sec. 13.15 - A similar amendment applies the identical substantive notice and reporting obligation to local union officers.
The committee’s recommendation for non-concurrence with the International President’s proposal that Sec. 22.1 be amended to include the words “associating with organized crime figures” among the chargeable offenses that could subject a member to an internal union trial and discipline was adopted.
Sec. 22.8 - The following language was added: “Any officer or member found guilty of corruption or racketeering shall be barred for life from holding any office with the IU or any LU, JBC, JSC or other subordinate body.”
Sec. 12.5 – The Section was amended to provide that charges against any member can be filed with the GEB only by any two (2) officers of the International.
Sec. 12.6 - The amendment confirms the consistent policy of limiting attendance at any trusteeship hearing to members in good standing, and that any legal representation of the local union itself at the trusteeship hearing is to be provided by the local’s officers.
Sec. 12.6 - The second sentence is amended to read: “…The trustee may delegate those functions to members appointed to assist in the work of caring for the affairs of the subordinated body, who shall be subject to removal without cause at any time…”
Sec. 13.3 - The second sentence is amended to read: “Meetings over the entire L.U. jurisdiction shall be held at such times later in the month subsequent to the charter meeting, and places as the L.U. may determine…”
Sec. 13.5 - Language is added prohibiting use of ATM or debit cards for withdrawing local union funds.
Sec. 13.15 - In that local dues are almost universally collected by payroll deduction, the outdated third sentence which prohibited local officers from acting as a financial collector for other organizations or societies is deleted.
Sec. 14.2 - Language is added to clarify that meeting attendance requirements “shall not operate to render a member ineligible [as a candidate for office] due to a confinement on account of sickness or injury or due to service in the uniformed military services of the United States or Canada.”
The Committee’s recommendation for concurrence with an amendment to Sec. 14.4 which would have added language governing “slate voting” in local union elections was rejected by the delegates.
Sec. 14.5 (b) - The section is amended to confirm that the determination of a majority vote outcome is to be made by reference to the total of number of valid votes cast.
Sec. 14.7 - The section is amended to ensure absolute consistency within Section 14.7, which specifies that in mail balloting each member is to receive a notice of elections by mail to his or her last known home address.
Sec. 18.1 - After other Allocations, the section is amended to require that five percent of monthly per capita tax revenue be dedicated to a new Organizing and Activism Fund.
Sec. 21.6 - Language is added to further specify that to be entitled to all benefits, rights and privileges of the Union, individuals must have submitted an application in accordance with Section 21.3 and either have paid dues and initiation fees in whole or in part or have authorized payroll deductions for such.
Sec. 22 and 23 - The amendment reformats these sections so that the process for appealing from a decision of a local union is set forth in its own separate section.
Sec. 26 - The amendment allows the International President to periodically establish the subscription rate for the In Transit magazine.
Sec. 29.2 - The amendment adds a new subsection (b) allowing for the transfer of a pensioned member in good standing who becomes employed in the jurisdiction of a second local to return to his or her original local after leaving that post retirement job.
The committee’s recommendation of non-concurrence with an amendment of Sec. 36.4 adding language providing that audit reports be “accompanied by a letter signed by the president certifying that the audit has been presented at a regular meeting of the L.U.” was adopted.
The committee’s recommendation of non-concurrence with Resolution No. 1, submitted by Local 587 concerning Sec. 21.13, “Retention of Membership – Retirees,” was adopted.
The committee’s recommendation of non-concurrence with Resolution No. 3, submitted by Local 758 concerning Sec. 18.4, and setting 40 years of continuous active service as a requirement for the exemption from dues payments, was adopted.
The committee’s recommendation of concurrence with Resolution No. 4, submitted by Local 569, approving a pay raise for International Officers of three percent per year was adopted.
During discussion of the resolution International President Warren George asserted that he would oppose any proposal to “un-freeze” the international officers’ cost-of-living allowance.
The convention recessed at 2:15 p.m.
