Solidarity and strength were in the convention hall for the second day of the ATU 61st International Convention in New York City, featuring powerful speakers and convention committee reports to set the vision for the future of our Union.
Before the convention proceedings began, International President John Costa met with the International Pride Caucus to reaffirm our Union’s commitment to a world where every member—no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression—is valued and treated with fairness and dignity. Costa then installed the newly elected officers of the Caucus. International Executive Vice President Yvette Trujillo, International Secretary-Treasurer Ken Kirk, and members of the General Executive Board joined Costa.
Then the convention got off to a roaring start with a fiery speech from Reverand Terry Melvin, President of the Coalition of Trade Unionists. “I want to be clear with all of you that the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the 2 million black workers that we represent every day has got the back of ATU every single day of the year.”
Next up was International Transport Workers’ Federation General-Secretary Steve Cotton, a strong global ally for our Union, who spoke about the how our Union and the ITF support each for strikes, the fight against transit privatization by Transdev and other international transit companies, automation, and other threats to transit workers worldwide.
After Cotton, President of the Illinois State AFL-CIO, Tim Drea spoke about working with our Locals across Illinois to form a coalition representing transit workers in the state to fight for critical transit funding and safety protections on the job.
The final speaker of the day, Ontario Federation of Labour President Laura Walton, brought the house down. “I have witnessed the reality of the voice and the power of ATU. I have seen it on the streets in Hamilton, with Local 107 when we were on strike. I witnessed it in the City of Toronto when Local 113 almost brought the City to their knees,” said Walton. “And I know that this power is within each and every single one of you and all of your ATU locals throughout Canada and the United States.”
Important convention business was conducted as committees gave their reports to set the course for our Union and tackle the challenges over the next three years. The committees giving their reports to the convention were Credentials, Appeals, Laws, Paratransit, and Maintenance Workforce Development. Convention delegates unanimously adopted all of the committee reports.
The day ended with a declaration of our Convention theme of “Our Voice, Our Power” for our Convention panoramic photo.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Day three! #OurVoiceOurPower