ATU in the South
The Amalgamated Transit Union is the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1892, the ATU today is comprised of over 180,000 members in 267 local unions spread across 46 states and nine provinces.In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastated a large portion of the Gulf Coast of the United States. Katrina is in the record books as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. It cut a path of damage that touched Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee before it was downgraded and moved on to the Great Lakes region. But, just as predicted in that old saying, the South will (and did) rise again. Slowly life in the Big Easy, and the surronding areas, is improving. And ATU members in those areas are at the forefront of those efforts. From being the catalyst for movement again, to countless hours of volunteer work and generosity, ATU members are rebuilding the South. In addition to New Orleans, ATU members serve the largest U.S. port cities (by volume) in the U.S. Mobile, AL (Local 770), Beaumont, TX (Local 1031), Baton Rouge, LA (Local 1546), Tampa (Local 1593) and Jacksonville, FL (Local 1197) all enjoy the convenience of public transportation; and the piece of mind knowing ATU members are behind the wheel. To ensure that the ATU is in it for the long haul, organizing efforts have stepped up in the South. Victories in Florida (Locals 1577 and 1395) and in Charleston, SC (Local 610), are setting the stage for more transit employees to enjoy the benefits of union membership.
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