Prairie Land: Defending Political Expression and Dissent
We reprint the description from the radio show below:
FREE THE PRAIRIELAND DEFENDANTS! WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED!
From the struggle to free the Prairieland defendants to the growing resistance against ICE raids, deportations, censorship, and the criminalization of dissent, Building Bridges will be joined by activists from across the country and, conditions permitting, the Prairieland defendants themselves-voices on the front lines of resistance who are walking the walk, speaking truth to power, and refusing to be silenced.
As a new McCarthyism threatens political expression and the right to resist injustice, we hear from those organizing to defend immigrants, political activists, and our fundamental freedoms.
Their message is unmistakable: Dissent is not a crime. Resistance will not be silenced. And without equal rights and justice, there can be no peace!
Check out the new section of our website, “Resources.” There you can find all contracts for every property represented by ATU 1277, IBT 986 ambassadors, TCU 1315, and SMART at LA Metro, as well as union constitutions, bylaws, and meeting times and locations.
Then take a look at the Contract Comparison and Explainer. Important sections of all those contracts are explained and compared. Ever wonder who has the right to “Me Too” a contract and when? Do you want to find out if the length of your probation or the time it takes to top out is normal? Find a comparison chart as well as details on all these points and more.
We have also included important information from the local bylaws, though mainly for ATU 1277. We are still researching, so we would appreciate anyone who can send us local bylaws for their union locals or anything else useful. If you have comments or wish for more explanations, please message us!
Two stewards per shift at Union Station, one each at every other deployment!
Term length of three years or less!
Sign here! Note: please include employee/badge number in the comments.
Having completed our first contracted year as IBT 986 members, many Metro Ambassadors are left wondering about the term status of our shop stewards. There was never a defined or outlined term limit conveyed to us nor can any such information be found in our local’s bylaws.
As it stands, we have seven shop stewards serving around 200 Ambassadors, spread across six deployment sites. There has not been a strategic effort to disperse an equal number of shop stewards across deployment sites nor consideration of proportionality to ambassadors at each deployment site. Shop stewards service at deployment sites has been left to be randomly designated based on the individuals’ respective bidding results.
Out of the seven shop stewards currently serving, only two were voted in by IBT brothers and sisters at one deployment site, Union Station. As a result of the recent annual bidding, only one voted shop steward remains at Union Station.
We need a reconfiguration of shop stewards per deployment site to more effectively serve their fellow rank n file co-workers.
We, the dues paying IBT 986 Ambassadors at LA Metro feel that we all deserve a chance to democratically elect the shop stewards who are here to serve and uplift us.
Sign here and please include badge number in the comments.
“The timing could not have been more devastating; the decision hit just as my family had welcomed a new baby and we were on the verge of buying our first home. Overnight, a qualified, safe, and deeply committed transit operator was sidelined by bureaucracy,” an affected former Metro Train Operator told the Committee.
Hundreds of union members at the Los Angeles Metro have been stripped of their commercial driver’s licenses. A new rule from the US Department of Transportation no longer permits some immigrant workers who legally work in the US and have passed the Commercial DMV test to receive a CDL. Why are union leaders refusing to fight back? Let’s dig in.
The threat to workers’ CDLs first emerged last September when US DOT Secretary Sean Duffy issued a new rule excluding DACA recipients, among others, from receiving CDLs. According to the Train Operator the Committee spoke with, their CDL was revoked due to their DACA status.
The false idea that immigrant drivers are more likely than other drivers to have fatal accidents was first spread by Secretary Sean Duffy. The media repeated this idea, creating a false sense of urgency. The public began to believe that action was needed to ensure road safety.
It was never true. According to the government’s own data, immigrant drivers are much less likely than their peers to be involved in fatal accidents. Additionally, fatal accidents are at their lowest in years.
Again, the former Train Operator that the Committee spoke with: “Throughout my career, I have played strictly by the rules—earning two college degrees, maintaining an entirely spotless criminal record, and working hard to build a life here. However, my career was abruptly upended by a sudden federal policy shift.”
California’s DMV has so far complied with the rule, revoking CDLs as they come up for renewal. California is proving to bosses that it will be a reliable partner when it comes time to further cut driving jobs throughout transportation and logistics through technology.
A former Metro Bus Operator describes the emotional toll: “I lost not only a stable career, but also a sense of purpose, independence, and progress that I had worked hard to build. The job gave me structure, confidence, and the ability to support myself, and losing it forced me to take a significant pay cut and reevaluate my future.”
Hundreds of unionized operators and mechanics at Metro have lost their licenses. Many were reassigned as Metro Ambassadors. Metro gains the most from this. Workers with years of experience and proven reliability on the job now receive the least pay. Is it any wonder that Metro has not protested the rule change?
The bigger question is why union leaders aren’t taking action. Workers reassigned as Ambassadors are now in multiple unions, owing monthly dues to each union! While workers feel the pain of reduced pay, reset seniority, and dues doubled, union bank accounts remain safe.
Union leadership is refusing to see the flashing red light ahead. The same month California DMV stopped renewing workers’ CDLs, it started allowing public employers, like Metro, to begin using autonomous vehicles for passenger service. This shows how workers can be suddenly put out of work by new rules and replaced by technology.
Rank-and-file workers, both immigrant and native-born, must fight together. The State and Federal Government are paving the way for tech bosses to displace workers. The truth is that replacing workers through technology today only allows bosses to buy our labor cheaply tomorrow. Rank-and-file workers must fight to protect our right to good jobs with living wages. Workers at Metro must stand up for their fellow workers who have been denied a CDL. Failing to do so, they are next.
Works cited:
‘Administration Creates New Restrictions for Truck and Bus Driver Licensing’, Eno Center for Transportation
‘Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Takes Emergency Action to Protect America’s Roads, Restrict Non-Domiciled CDLs’, US Department of Transportation
Unions are facing headwinds. While gas and housing costs rise, the government spends more and more on war. No contract can protect us from coming budget cuts. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and assume we will be spared. We must build up our defenses now!
As a member of the E-Board, I will advocate and vote to:
Defend all gains, for every member! No loss in pay from Commerical Drivers License revocation! Fight to reclaim 23-and-out pensions for all! No to outsourcing and automation!
Combat divisions to strengthen the union! Down with union probation! End tiers and steps—equal pay for equal work at the highest rate! Fight to end segregation!
Rely on union power not the bosses! Democrats and Republicans work for the bosses—no more union money for their parties! Increase the strike fund instead and kill the no-strike clause! Coordinate action among transit unions—united we are stronger!
Vote for me for E-Board Member at Large, Seat 2! I seek a part-time position where I will continue working on the floor at my current wage. I pledge to earmark the extra earnings that come with the office—non-payment of dues and the extra payments for meeting attendance—for uses beneficial to union members and the union movement. All extra earnings and receipts will be tracked transparently on my website.
