It was a busy day in our nation’s Capital, as International President John Costa and ATU staff attended key meetings with high-ranking officials and transit advocates to strategize on collective solutions to protect transport workers, promote fair labor practices, strengthen our Union, expand workforce development programs, and discuss other critical issues impacting our members, riders, and communities.
The first meeting was at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with Administrator Marc Molinaro to ensure that transit workers’ safety, rights, and well-being are central to the agency's policies and initiatives. Costa emphasized the importance of maintaining the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Accountability (PTASP) committees under the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the critical role transit workers play in the success of these committees.
Next, Costa chaired the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) Board Meeting at the AFL-CIO, where he led the board in discussions about the importance of transit workforce development, ITLC research projects, transit worker recruitment, and other issues impacting our members and the industry. The ITLC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public transportation at the national level and within communities, including investing in frontline technical workers.
Under International President Costa, the ATU has been a leading and powerful voice for our members, our industry, and working families.