ATU Conference Boards Advocate for Our Members, Our Union, and Our Communities
ATU’s Conference Boards are powerful regional groups of Local leaders tackling the legislative, political, and industry issues most important to our members. The Conference Boards also gather in state capitals to meet with state legislators to advocate on critical issues that impact our jobs, our families, our riders, and our communities.
With a critical Presidential and Congressional election in the U.S. this coming November and a possible spark election in Canada, our Conference Boards will play an important role in mobilizing our Union and members.
ATU Midwest Conference Board Meet in Riverside, IA
More than 60 leaders from Locals across the Midwest in the U.S. gathered in Riverside, IA, in late April to talk about critical legislative fights, contract battles, and the importance of elections. Attendees also heard a presentation on the epidemic of violence and attacks on our members and the recent Federal Transit Administration’s life-saving final rule regulations regarding Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASPs) that will empower our Locals to make our transit systems safer.
The Conference Board also elected new officers. They are President Todd Strasser, Local 519- La Crosse, WI, Vice President Reginald Howard, Local 788-St. Louis, MO, Secretary-Treasurer Florian Skwierczynski, Local 1310-Eau Claire, WI, Executive Board Member Eric Nelson, Local 1005-Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, and Executive Board Member Michael Brown, Local 998-Milwaukee, WI.
Pennsylvania Joint Conference Board Rallies for State Transit Funding in Harrisburg, PA
In late April, the ATU Pennsylvania Joint Conference Board & delegates from around the commonwealth travelled to the state Capital of Harrisburg to take part in a rally to push for robust state funding for transit systems across the state.
Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, the son of a Local 85-Pittsburgh, PA, member, joined with our members to urge state legislators to pass Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal which includes $282 million dedicated to mass transportation.
Wisconsin State Legislative Conference Board Advocates for Our Members in State Capitol
The Wisconsin State Legislative Conference Board (WSLCB) has been hard at it fighting for our members across the state already this election cycle. Board members recently spent the day at the Capitol in Madison, WI where they met with state legislators and their staff to discuss drafting bills to address the safety of our members, who have seen a shocking increase in attacks.
For decades the WSLCB would partner with the Wisconsin Public Transportation Association (WIPTA) on critical issues, but that relationship soured. So the WSLCB decided to take matters into their own hands and met with state legislators to advance legislation on drivers’ safety and their concerns with the increase in microtransit across the state.
The WSLCB has been a force for change in the state, helping to elect Justice Janet Protasiewicz last year to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to tip the scale to a new liberal majority. They held a fundraising event for pro-transit, pro-workers Senator Tammy Baldwin. This election cycle the WSLCB and our Locals across the state are working to mobilize our members across the state to help elect legislators who are committed to making our workplaces safer and more secure for our members and their families.