Day one kicked off today for our Union’s newest Local officers’ training in Washington, DC. This training will provide Local officers with new strategies to strengthen their Locals and empower their members to get involved and prepare for the battles ahead.
International President John Costa spoke to attendees about the importance of training throughout his career first as a cleaner at NJ Transit, various positions at his Local 819-Newark, NJ, including President, and Chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council. He then went on to be elected International Vice President and now serves as International President.
“I’ve been in your shoes. I know you can’t run a Union from your office, and you need to get your members involved,” said Costa. “I took this training and others to learn critical leadership skills. It’s not just about the classroom work. It’s an opportunity to network with your fellow Local officers, who are dealing with the same issues, so you can learn from each other,” Costa told the attendees.
International Executive Vice President Yvette Trujillo and International Secretary-Treasurer Ken Kirk also addressed the attendees. International Vice Presidents Steve MacDougall and Carly Allen were also in attendance. Over the week, the Local leaders will hear from staff on a wide variety of topics and strategies to run their Locals and advocate for our members.
Later in the day, Costa, MacDougall, Boston Carmen’s Local 589 President/Business Agent Jimmy Evers, and Local 589 member Eddie Cora had the opportunity to tour the future headquarters of the ATU, located at 21 Dupont Circle. Renovations are already underway to create a state-of-the-art headquarters that our members will be proud to call the new home of the ATU.