2026 ATU Legislative Conference

Elizabeth H. Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, the democratic federation of 65 national and international unions that represent nearly 15 million working people. Shuler is the first woman leader of America’s labor movement. A visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, Shuler believes the labor movement is the single most powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations. She is committed to busting myths about labor, leveraging the labor movement’s diversity for innovative approaches to social justice and making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere.

Emma Cleveland, ATU State and Local Political Coordinator
Priscila Calderón, ATU Political & Legislative Representative

This interactive workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of lobbying, grassroots advocacy, and coalition building. Together, we will explore the basics of political power building and how workers, unions, and community organizations can collectively influence legislators to advance policy priorities.

Andrew Gena, ATU Director of Strategic Research
John Lyons, ATU Director of Collective Bargaining and Joint Industry Councils

This participatory workshop provides an opportunity to discuss the impact of AI on workers with fellow ATU leaders, share experiences from your Local Union, and work through a contract language exercise. We will delve into the unique threats posed by AI and discuss how collective bargaining can be used to defend our members.

Andrew Falotico, ATU Director of Health and Safety
Anna Byrd, ATU Health and Safety Coordinator
Laura Karr, ATU Associate Counsel

Transit workers face real job hazards every day, including workplace violence, unsafe equipment, exposure to dangerous chemicals, and inadequate training. Join the ATU Health and Safety Department workshop to learn practical, union-centered strategies for identifying risks, protecting members, and building safer workplaces. 

Clem Balanoff, ATU Political Consultant
David Carpio, AFL-CIO Deputy Political Director

David Zipper is a contributing writer at Bloomberg and the cohost of Look Both Ways, a podcast focused on transportation. He has published over 250 articles about mobility, cities, and technology, including more than 40 exploring ways in which autonomous vehicles could reshape travel behavior. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The Financial Times, and he has been interviewed by NBC Nightly News, CNN, and the New York Times, among many other outlets.

Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio.

Congressman Casar was sworn into office in January 2023 and serves as the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, composed of more than 100 members of Congress standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, he is fighting to raise wages for millions of American workers, expand immigrant rights, restore abortion rights and voting rights, protect veterans and seniors, and tackle the climate crisis.

Prior to being elected to Congress, he served on the Austin City Council for seven years. There, he championed and passed progressive policies including protections for renters from corporate abuse, bold affordable housing programs, and paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.

In the U.S. House, Congressman Casar has pledged to build a government that works for working people. In his first term in Congress, Congressman Casar successfully pushed for the introduction of the first-ever federal heat rule, which will protect over 30 million American workers facing extreme heat on the job. Additionally, he authored legislation to connect the Texas grid to neighboring power grids that would save billions and prevent future mass blackouts.

Emma Cleveland, ATU State and Local Political Coordinator
Priscila Calderón, ATU Political & Legislative Representative

This interactive workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of lobbying, grassroots advocacy, and coalition building. Together, we will explore the basics of political power building and how workers, unions, and community organizations can collectively influence legislators to advance policy priorities.

Andrew Gena, ATU Director of Strategic Research
John Lyons, ATU Director of Collective Bargaining and Joint Industry Councils

This participatory workshop provides an opportunity to discuss the impact of AI on workers with fellow ATU leaders, share experiences from your Local Union, and work through a contract language exercise. We will delve into the unique threats posed by AI and discuss how collective bargaining can be used to defend our members.

Andrew Falotico, ATU Director of Health and Safety
Anna Byrd, ATU Health and Safety Coordinator
Laura Karr, ATU Associate Counsel

Transit workers face real job hazards every day, including workplace violence, unsafe equipment, exposure to dangerous chemicals, and inadequate training. Join the ATU Health and Safety Department workshop to learn practical, union-centered strategies for identifying risks, protecting members, and building safer workplaces. 

Representative Rick Larsen has been serving as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure since the 118th Congress and has served on the Committee since arriving in the House in 2001. The Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, the largest Committee in Congress by membership, has broad jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the General Services Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Economic Development Administration and other agencies.

As the Democratic leader of the Committee, Ranking Member Larsen, who represents Washington’s Second Congressional District, is focused on investing in infrastructure to create good-paying jobs, keep people and the economy moving and build a cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation network. From the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to his work now in the 119th Congress, Ranking Member Larsen continues to fight for robust investments in infrastructure.

Larsen was born and raised in Arlington, Washington. Rick and his wife, Tiia, live in Everett, Washington, and are the proud parents of two sons, Robert and Per.

Tim is a lifelong Western New Yorker. He grew up in a blue-collar family in Buffalo, where his parents, Marty and Mary Kennedy, raised Tim and his four siblings to work hard, focus on their education, help their neighbors, and get involved in their community. Tim attended St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute before going on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy at D’Youville College, now D’Youville University. For 11 years, Tim worked with geriatric and pediatric populations to help them recover from injuries and fully participate in all life situations. As a licensed occupational therapist, Tim has spent his entire career working to help people.

Elected to the House of Representatives on April 30, 2024, Tim sits on the House Homeland Security Committee and has been assigned to two of its subcommittees: Emergency Management and Technology and Transportation and Maritime Security. As a member of the committee, and as Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus, Kennedy has worked to secure our northern border and ports of entry, and strengthen relations with our Canadian neighbors to boost our regions’ economies. He has championed changes to how FEMA responds to extreme winter weather events by introducing the SNOW Act. He also sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where he has fought to improve services for veterans at the Buffalo VA Hospital, including advocating for state-of-the-art facilities for veterans to receive care. 

Prior to serving in Congress, Tim represented Western New York in the New York State Senate, where he chaired the Transportation Committee. As Chair, Tim delivered an unprecedented $100 million for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to improve the Metro Rail. He passed legislation to protect children riding on school buses, workers in highway work zones, and pedestrians and cyclists across New York State. He spearheaded historic limousine safety reforms in the wake of tragic accidents on Long Island and in the Capital Region. In addition, Tim led the effort to pass a $32.8 billion New York State DOT five-year Capital Plan and a $54.8 billion Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) 5-year Capital Plan.

Tim has fought for equity and social justice, voting to legalize marriage equality, expand voting rights, and give striking workers easier access to unemployment benefits. He supported women’s rights in New York by codifying Roe v. Wade, worked to keep our communities safe by passing gun safety legislation, and fought back against attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act. He recognizes that our strength comes from our diversity and has worked to expand language access across state government, making New York State an even more welcoming place for New Americans.

Tim and his wife, Katie, live in the City of Buffalo where they are raising their three children.

Elected in 2022, Congressman Chris Deluzio is serving his second term in Congress representing Pennsylvania’s 17th district. The district includes all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County. Congressman Deluzio is a native of Thornburg and lives with his family and dog Yankee Doodle in Allegheny County.

Congressman Deluzio is an Iraq War veteran, voting rights attorney, and union organizer. He graduated from Bishop Canevin High School, St. Philip's School in Crafton, and Ingram Elementary. He received a Bachelor of Science degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Following graduation from the Naval Academy, Congressman Deluzio was commissioned as an active-duty surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. His military service included three deployments, including a tour of duty with U.S. Army Civil Affairs in Iraq.

After returning from Iraq, Congressman Deluzio received his law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown Law and clerked for a federal judge. He went on to work at the Brennan Center for Justice on the Voting Rights and Election Security teams and later worked at Pitt Cyber, where he focused on voting rights, election security, and the intersection of technology and civil rights. He was part of the Pitt Faculty Organizing Committee with the United Steelworkers, fighting successfully for a union. 

Congressman Deluzio serves on the House Armed Services Committee, sitting on the Subcommittee on Sea Power and Projection Forces, as well as the Subcommittee on Readiness. He also serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, sitting on the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and the Subcommittee on Aviation. Congressman Deluzio previously served as a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Congressman Shomari C. Figures represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. For Shomari, Alabama is home. It’s where he was raised in his grandfather’s church and educated from kindergarten to law school. His parents inspired him to dedicate his life to advocating for the people of Alabama. 

Shomari’s father, the late Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer who fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama for over two decades. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people, and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. Shomari’s mother, Vivian Figures, served on the Mobile City Council, currently serves as State Senator, and has worked to protect women’s rights and improve health and education in Alabama. 

After graduating from John L. LeFlore High School, Figures attended the University of Alabama and then followed in his father’s footsteps and attended law school at the University of Alabama. 

He served as a law clerk on the federal court, worked on President Barack Obama’s campaign, and then went on to work in the White House, serving as the Domestic Director of Presidential Personnel. Shomari worked closely with senior leadership at the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice. Figures supported the implementation of policies and legislation like the Affordable Care Act from the ground up, improving the lives of thousands in Alabama. 

Figures went on to serve as the White House Liaison at the Department of Justice alongside Loretta Lynch, the first Black woman to serve as Attorney General, and then as a Counsel in Congress, where he served as an advisor on issues including civil rights, immigration, homeland security, child welfare, and policing. He worked on the Biden-Harris Transition Team and then returned to the Department of Justice, where he most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor for Attorney General Merrick Garland. With his vast experience, Figures will improve the quality of life for everyone. 

Shomari is married to Dr. Kalisha Dessources Figures, an impact strategist who works across research, policy, and politics to advance gender and racial equity and strengthen civic engagement and leadership. They have four children.

Analilia Mejia is an Afro Latina mom, grassroots organizer, and nationally recognized advocate for working families. She’s running for Congress to make government work for working people.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Analilia is the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants who taught her that no one makes it alone. She grew up watching her mother, a seamstress, work multiple jobs and still struggle to put food on the table. When her mom got a union job, everything changed.

Analilia started her career as a union organizer and went on to lead the fights for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave as director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance.

She was the National Political Director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and served in the Department of Labor under President Joe Biden. Today, she’s Co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy, supporting grassroots organizations across the country.

Analilia is proud to call Glen Ridge home — and even prouder to fight for New Jersey families who deserve a government as strong and determined as they are.

The daughter of working-class Guatemalan immigrants, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez is an accomplished legislator, social service director, community leader, and coalition builder who has dedicated her life and career to advocating for working families. She proudly represents IL’s 3rd Congressional District as the first Latina elected to Congress in Illinois and the entire Midwest. She currently serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee for Veterans Affairs, where she is the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  

In Congress, Representative Ramirez is building on the bold and people-centered agenda she championed during her time in the IL General Assembly. As the only member of Congress in a mixed-status family, she is leading the fight for comprehensive immigration reform and finally making a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers like her husband, Boris. Having spent nearly two decades in the nonprofit sector, Representative Ramirez understands the challenges working people face every day, which is why she is a staunch advocate of housing as a human right, healthcare for all, climate justice, and the fight to preserve and protect our democracy. 

Representative Ramirez's commitment to her community and working families was shaped by her lived experiences as a lifelong resident of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Both of her parents worked low-wage jobs to give their children a fighting chance to escape poverty. The Congresswoman witnessed firsthand how important social services were as she grew up watching neighbors come to her church for housing assistance, food, and services for the undocumented. These experiences ignited a fire, a passion, and a deep commitment to public service. 

Representative Ramirez spent the next 18 years as a non-profit leader fighting for housing justice as the Executive Director for the Center for Changing Lives, advocating for good government as the Campaign Manager at Common Cause IL, and championing racial and economic justice initiatives as the Deputy Director of Community Renewal Society. She also served as board chair for both the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) and Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), organizations leading the fight for affordable housing, immigration reform, and public education.

In 2018, Representative Ramirez was recruited by community leaders to run for a vacant State Representative seat in the IL 4th House District. She was elected to the Illinois General Assembly, where she served two terms successfully passing legislation expanding Medicaid coverage to IL senior citizens regardless of immigration status, securing over $450 million to build affordable housing, protecting abortion rights, and creating an elected school board in the City of Chicago. She co-founded the Illinois House Progressive Caucus and rose to become an Assistant Majority Leader during her second term.

Representative Ramirez is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University and lives in Chicago with her husband, Boris, and their golden retrievers, Lola and Milo.

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres represents California’s 35th Congressional District in the Inland Empire which includes Montclair, Ontario, and Pomona and parts of Chino, Chino Hills, Eastvale, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland. She previously served as a State Senator, Assembly Member, and as a Mayor and Council Member in the City of Pomona. Throughout her career in elected office, she has worked to make government more responsive to the needs of Inland Empire residents. 

As State Senator, Torres played a significant role in making the Affordable Care Act work for California’s patients and consumers. Her law to diversify the Covered California Board so that it would be better prepared to enroll the uninsured, earned her statewide recognition and national attention. As Chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, she led an effort that secured $2 billion in federal funds for the “Keep Your Home California” program, which helped thousands of families keep their homes during the foreclosure crisis. Fighting crime and making sure public safety systems are responsive to the needs of the community has been a lifelong priority for Torres. As a former 9-1-1 dispatcher, she drew on her expertise to author a law that modernized the 9-1-1 system—resulting in a system that now routes cell phone callers to their local police department, rather than a statewide hotline, during an emergency. 

Now on her fifth term in Congress, Torres currently serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and Committee on House Administration. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for appropriating all federal spending, domestic and abroad. The Committee on House Administration oversees federal elections and the day-to-day operations of the House of Representatives. 

Previously, she served on the Rules, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Natural Resources Committees. As a member of the Rules Committee, Torres helped determine the consideration of all legislation in the House. 

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, she worked to address the root causes of migration from Central America and has fought to ensure accountability and transparency for U.S. funds spent abroad. Notably, her amendment to require the Secretary of State to send Congress a list of corrupt officials in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala was adopted in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and signed into law. 

On the Homeland Security Committee, she worked to tackle the many serious national security challenges facing the nation. In the committee, Torres prioritized the need to address cybersecurity risks at the nation’s ports. Specifically, at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where most of goods imported traverse the Inland Empire. In October 2018, her Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act was passed into law as part of the five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Torres also served on the Natural Resources Committee, where she championed initiatives that would strengthen Indian Country’s ability to become more self-sufficient and address the disturbing increase in murdered and missing Native American women. Her amendment to the National Landslide Preparedness Act that addresses increased risk of landslides and flooding due to wildfires passed in the House. 

Torres immigrated to the United States from Guatemala at age five and is a longtime resident of the Inland Empire. She resides in Pomona with her husband Louis, and their two sons Robert and Matthew. Her third son, Christopher, is an Air Force veteran. Torres received her bachelor’s degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Refer to information on your Local’s specific meetings.