Greyhound workers reach out to riders
ATU Local 1700 members have kicked up political activism to a new level. Greyhound drivers, mechanics and other employees from Los Angeles to Cleveland and the length of the Eastern Seaboard have rolled up their sleeves and worked with members of other unions to create a grass roots mobilization for transit issues and candidates.
“Without the right elected leaders in place, we could love everything,” said Orlando-based Executive Vice President Sandra Frye. “We had a successful first mobilization, but this is no time to stop. We learned that we can make a difference, and there are many other issues we need to take on.”
In Atlanta, Chief Mechanics Steward Richard Cloud, drivers Deborah Campbell and Cleon Orange, and about 20 other Local 1700 members have been passing out ATU literature everywhere people congregate, from churches and grocery stores to shopping center parking lots. “At first we were encouraging people to vote early. Now we’re just pointing out how they can vote for candidates and ballot measures that support transit,” Cloud said.
In Los Angeles, Chief Steward Leonard Weaver and a dozen Local 1700 members have been leafleting at regional transportation hubs, including flyers against Prop 32, one of 11 propositions on the California ballot, which would obliterate unions’ ability to raise political funds, and for Measure J, a City of LA measure to extend a transportation tax that is set to expire.
Local 1700 members have also been active in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jackson, Mississippi, and a dozen other cities. For more photos, click here>>
