This evening, the 2026 ATU Legislative Conference kicked off with the welcoming reception hosted by International President John Costa. “This is an important conference. Our Union, public transit, and our communities are under attack,” Costa told attendees. “When I first started coming to this conference, only Locals who gave to COPE were invited. I changed that since we need to educate all our Local leaders about the importance of political action and COPE. As you’re going to hear over the next three days, we’ve got major issues going on. It’s going to be an exciting and busy week, but there’s serious work to be done, so get ready.”
At the conference, attendees will hear from an esteemed group of speakers, attend a Rally on Capitol Hill, participate in a Lobby Day, and take sessions on State Legislative issues, Health and Safety, Transit Worker Assaults, Autonomous Vehicles, COPE, and other topics.