Silver Spring, MD – Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President John Costa issued the following statement regarding Joe Biden’s announcement to not seek re-election.
“Joe Biden has been a champion of working families who has put our country first. He has proven time and time again his support for the ATU and workers across the nation. Focusing on kitchen table issues, Joe Biden has addressed the critical concerns of the American people, including jobs, corporate greed, prescription drug prices, childcare, and retirement. These weren’t just talking points for Joe. These issues have directly impacted our lives, including the services we provide to millions of people daily.
“Joe Biden showed his commitment to prioritize investment in transit through the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, directing billions of dollars into transit and adding critical safety protections for our members. Our nation’s transit systems are essential to our economy and social equity, and we look to our leaders to champion policies that support transit workers and riders. That leader, that champion, has been President Joe Biden.
“Joe is a union guy at heart. He has uplifted, protected, and advanced unions, Biden walked the picket line, the first sitting President in history to do so. Under the Biden-Harris administration over the past four years, workers have seen substantial raises, and worker organizing has soared.
“For the ATU, our members and workers will always come first, not corporate CEOs or management. This election is about our families and our future. Over the last four years, we have fought on picket lines, on the job, and in the halls of government, and we cannot and will not go back. We must protect our job security, healthcare, retirement, and our safety. Our Union was among the first to endorse Joe Biden in 2020 and we will forever be grateful for what he has done for the ATU and workers in this country. We respect and honor his decision not to run for re-election and thank him for his decades of service to our nation and steadfast commitment to protect our democracy.”
Amalgamated Transit Union Endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States
Silver Spring, MD - The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), the largest union representing transit workers in the U.S., is proud to be one of the first labor organizations to endorse Kamala Harris in her race against Donald Trump, the worst President in the history of our nation.
“Vice President Harris is without question the best candidate to beat Donald Trump,” said ATU International President John Costa. “She has been a full partner in one of the most successful administrations ever, pouring billions and billions of dollars into public transit, strengthening unions, and addressing critical concerns of the American people, including jobs, corporate greed, prescription drug prices, childcare, and retirement.”
The ATU salutes Joe Biden, the most pro-union commander in chief in U.S. history, for his bold and patriotic move to step aside from his reelection campaign in the interest of ensuring that Democrats beat Trump in November. The ATU was one of the first unions to endorse Biden in 2020.
“Through the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Joe Biden invested more money into public transit than any president in history. Our economy is back on track. Biden walked the picket line, the first sitting President in history to do so. We are forever grateful for the President’s leadership and friendship,” said Costa.
“Now, we will focus on building on the progress of the past three and a half years by electing the first female president, the woman who has played a key role in so many of the successful policies that have benefitted our members and all working families. For ATU members, this means further progress on transit worker safety through minimum vehicle safety standards on buses, investing in public transportation operating assistance to keep critical bus service on the road for transit dependent riders, and expansion of apprenticeship programs to ensure that transit workers have the skills for the transition to electric buses to keep their jobs and help transit agencies operate efficiently and safely. We know that Kamala Harris will fight for us on these issues, because she has already been doing so as Vice President,” said Costa.
“As for another Trump Administration, we know exactly what we will get—unions will be eviscerated, and millions of jobs will be lost, like the 2.9 million lost under his last Presidency compared to the 15 million created under Biden’s administration,” continued Costa. “The facts are the facts, even when Trump continues to lie. Wages, healthcare, retirement, and health and safety on the job will all be on the chopping block under Trump.”
While Donald Trump continues to say that he knows nothing about Project 2025, which he himself has called “extreme,” the...
(Milwaukee, July 18, 2024)—As Donald Trump takes the Republican National Convention stage tonight, the AFL-CIO will continue to highlight the threat his agenda poses to workers.
As part of its 2024 campaign program, the AFL-CIO, a federation of 60 unions and more than 12.5 million members, launched a comprehensive new online guide today that digs into the policies and approach of the Trump Project 2025 Agenda that will impact working people, our families, and the future of America’s unions.
That agenda includes, among other anti-worker policies:
Banning unions for public service workers (page 82).
Firing civil service workers and replacing them with Trump anti-union loyalists (page 80).
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