1. It’s our
work!
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2. Contents
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Labor’s Strategic Predicament
ATU/VTA Challenges
Local 265’s Training Strategy
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3. Labor’s Predicament
We sometimes forget how much
working families’ security depends
on union power… and union power
is declining.
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4. 4

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6. DECLINING UNION DENSITY
Union density has continued to decline, despite attempts to organize.
50
40
30
20
?
10
0
1954
1982
2012
APPROXIMATELY 50% OF UNION MEMBERS
ARE NOW PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES
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7. 7

8. The Public Sector Predicament
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•
•
•
Citizens have lost faith in government
Public employees are disrespected
Tax revenues have declined
Privatization remains a threat
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9. ATU/VTA Challenges
• Privatization
• Adequate Funding
• New Service Delivery Challenges
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10. Is privatization a
threat?
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11. As the transit industry evolves, there are few options
available to public agencies when selecting an
operator for their bus or bus rental needs. In
partnership with local and state transit
systems, Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation is the
exception in providing efficient transportation
solutions to the public.”
Source: Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation website, February 2, 2013.
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12. This is not good for
workers or for
the public!
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13. 13

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15. “Private shuttle busses have been booming is San
Francisco. Genentech has more than 6,000
employees registered in commute programs of 56
routes. Google’s Gbus service transports more than
3,500 riders on more than 25 routes, with about 300
scheduled departures.
Source: S.F. Bay Guardian, April 19, 2012.
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16. What difference does it
make for worker and
citizens whether transit is
publicly or privately owned
or operated?
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17. Basic Private Sector Economics
Tokyo
New York
Stockholders
Berlin
Houston
London
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18. Q: Where does the profit margin come from?
A: Squeezing transit
workers, their family
budgets, and the
public treasury.
That’s why we oppose
privatization!
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19. Basic Public Sector Economics
Taxpayers
Public Agencies,
Including Transit
There are no stockholders to be paid, only
taxpaying citizens to be served…
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20. …citizens who pay us for high quality
service, who vote, and who may leave
their cars in favor of efficient transit
service.
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21. If we treat passengers
unprofessionally or fail to
deliver the best service possible,
the reputation of public employees
suffers. Privatization starts to look
good, and ballot measures supporting
public transportation become harder to
pass.
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22. What do we want to be the face
of mass transit in Siliconthis?
Or Valley?
This?
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23. Funding Challenges: High Costs, Low Tax
Revenue
“The Transportation 2035 plans cost and revenue projections demonstrate
that the Bay Are’s transit system simply is not sustainable… the Transit
Sustainability Plan’s financial analysis shows that the real operating costs
of the ‘Big 7’ increase significantly faster from 1997 through 2000 than did
service levels or ridership… sales revenue has been highly unpredictable
and actually is lower in real terms that it was in 1997, a trend that is
forecast to continue into the foreseeable future.”
Source: Metropolitan Commission’s Transit Sustainability Project report, May
23, 2012.
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24. Poor service makes it harder to attract
riders. Poor service makes it difficult to
organize transit riders to support pro
worker issues.
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25. Value Added
Part of our agenda as public
employees must be to help rebuild a strong public sector and
to make VTA a strong and
respected agency.
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26. Upcoming ATU/VTA Service
Delivery Challenges
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•
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49er’s Stadium
BART
BRT
Eastridge Transit Mall
Commuter, Wi-Fi Bus Service
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27. 3.
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29. 29

30. 30

31. As union members and public employees we want to
shine when those services are rolled out. There are TV
and newspaper reporters out there looking for a gotcha
moment, and we don’t want to give it to them.
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32. ATU’S Strategy…
Professionalism!
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33. Professional Excellence
Protects our Careers!
It is not a substitute for organizing and politics. But a
great public image means we will not be struggling
uphill against a bad reputation.
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34. Apprentice Programs
The building trades’ apprentice
programs provide the model for
public sector unions to gain the
trust, respect, and confidence of
taxpayers, voters and members.
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35. A Commitment to Their Craft
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36. A Commitment to Their Craft
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37. Bus Operator Apprenticeship
Master drivers mentor new employees as
they learn the core human challenges of
the craft; traditionally, bus drivers have
only been taught large vehicle
operation, and have been left to learn the
most challenging human and servicerelated aspects of the work on their own.
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38. Rail Operator Mentoring
Program
Operates on the same principle as the Bus
Operator Mentor program; it guides ATU
members as they make the challenging
transition from bus to rail.
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39. Veteran Operator Training
JWI mentors now conduct an all-ATU
session within the state-mandated annual
re-training classes our veteran operators
must take from VTA; we offer health-andwellness, professional skills development,
and inter-classification teamwork
curricula.
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40. Career Ladder
JWI has developed a career ladder
program in maintenance which makes the
union a valued partner in the skills
acquisition necessary for promotion,
thereby increasing union credibility and
loyalty among members.
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41. Skills Upgrades
JWI initiated and co-manages a skills
upgrade program for veteran Transit
Mechanics that equips them for rapidly
changing technology of mass transit
vehicles.
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42. Leadership Academy
In maintenance, ATU Forepersons and
Leads are being trained in the
leadership skills necessary to solve
problems on the shop floor rather than
to shunt them to supervision; this gives
ATU members deeper ownership of the
work to which we have a contractual
right
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43. Health
We are in the third year of building a
vigorous health-and-wellness program
to respond to the widespread and welldocumented health risks associated
with driving buses and trains stroke, heart
disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.
The program is now being expanded to
maintenance workers as well.
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44. ATU Health and Wellness Programs
Run on Three Tracks
1. Collective bargaining: better breaks and access to
restrooms
2. Professionalism
3. Public health style campaigns aimed at diet and
exercise: staging events providing facilities for
exercise
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45. JWI Programs and achievements:
Operations:
1. Bus Operator Apprentice (mentoring) program
2. Rail Operator mentoring program
3. Veteran Operator professionalism and health training
Maintenance:
1. Maintenance Career Ladder Training program (MCLTP)
2. Transit mechanic skills upgrades
3. Leadership Academy
Maintenance and Operations:
Transit Career ladders project (TCLP) in partnership with the California
Community Colleges
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46. JWI was initiated by the ATU in 2005. It operates according to
the following principles:
1. Joint Strategic Planning & Program Development
2. Joint Administration
3. Joint-though not equal-funding
4. Facilitated by a neutral 3rd party mediator and program
developer
5. Worker driven operations-side programs are conceived,
informed, and run by transit workers
6. Train and promote from within in both maintenance and
operations
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47. In closing…
Labor will need many tools in its tool kit
in order to regain the credibility and
power it once had. One of these is an
organizational commitment to
developing the skills by which we earn
our livelihoods.
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48. Questions?
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