This weekend, ATU members from across Louisiana gathered in Baton Rouge for the ATU Louisiana Legislative Conference Board (LLCB), and they came ready to fight.
International President John Costa welcomed leaders from Locals across the state and the South, joining LLCB Chair Brother Carlos Westley of Local 1535-Harahan, LA, and International leadership, including Executive International Vice President Yvette Trujillo and International Vice Presidents Anthony Garland and Ken Day.
Costa highlighted how Louisiana Locals are proving what's possible in the South. Local 1546 in Baton Rouge scored a landmark legislative win last session, passing HB 179, which secured a permanent seat for the ATU on the CATS board. That same Local defeated HB 84, a bill that would have raided dedicated transit funds. Local 1535 in Kenner organized 45 airport shuttle workers into the ATU family after winning voluntary recognition. And Locals across the state are building apprenticeship and mentorship programs to invest in the next generation of transit workers.
"The stakes couldn't be higher,” said Costa. “Transit workers are facing real threats, assaults on the job, underfunded systems, and new technology that could eliminate jobs. This room is how we fight back. You’re going to be consequential in the future of politics. No one can get through unless they go through the South. You’re proving what's possible when transit workers are organized and engaged. People underestimate what's happening down here in the South, but I don't. I've seen our members fight, I've seen them win, and I'll tell you this: you can't mess with the ATU in the South.”
New Conference Board members were also sworn in by President Costa today. Congratulations, Chair George DeCuir Jr., ATU Local 1546-Baton Rouge, LA, Vice Chair Clyde Maiden, ATU Local 1535-Harahan, LA, and Financial Secretary Treasurer Janice Calton, ATU Local 558-Shreveport, LA.