Demand justice, respect and equity for all
Atlanta, GA – Bus drivers, symphony musicians, and clergy united in Midtown to fight for the preservation of institutions they say make Atlanta a “city worth saving."
MARTA workers represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 732, representatives of the locked-out Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians, and faith leaders will hold a “Rally for Atlanta: A City Worth Saving” outside of the Arts Center MARTA station at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 23rd.
The rally comes amid a rising tide of income inequality and poor treatment of working families in Atlanta. ASO musicians have been locked out for seven weeks, despite taking a 15% pay cut two years ago in exchange for a promise that a lockout would never happen again. MARTA workers, who are suffering an effective 15% pay cut after years without a raise, have been subject to police intimidation as they campaign to promote economic justice and fight a scheme by MARTA CEO Keith Parker and Board Chair Robbie Ashe to outsource the agency’s paratransit service.
“The people of Atlanta have been beaten down and ripped off by public officials and the wealthy elite in our community for far too long,” says ATU Local 732 President Curtis Howard. “If groups like the MARTA Board, the ASO, and the political class they serve succeed in their plans, they will transform Atlanta from a premier American city to a cradle of inequality. The working people are the heart and soul of this city, and we shall not be moved!”
Speakers include ATU 732 President Curtis Howard, ATL Symphony Musician Gloria Jones, Emmaus Road Baptist Church Pastor Sedrick L. Hamner, Bishop Gregory Fann, President of the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
“We stand in solidarity with MARTA workers in their fight for a living wage for all workers in Atlanta,” says Paul Murphy, President, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association. “It’s time to come together as a community to put an end to the injustice and mistreatment of working people in our city. Whether you are an artist with an instrument or a mechanic with a wrench, you deserve dignity and respect. We’re joining together today because we know that all Atlantans will be better off for it.”