ATU Gets Louisville, Kentucky, Welcome from Local 1447
International President John Costa, International Executive Vice President Yvette Trujillo, and International Vice President Natalie Cruz were on the ground with Local 1447-Louisville, KY, President/Business Agent Lillian Brents, Financial Secretary Freda Withers, and Vice President Matt Staser to visit with our members on the job and meet with a group of prominent politicians to talk about the issues impacting our Union and members.
Meeting with Kentucky Legislators
To begin the day, Costa went to City Hall to meet with ATU-endorsed Mayor Craig Greenberg for a discussion on how the City can support TARC and our Union, the search for a new Transit Authority of River City (TARC) Director, and the importance of safety, concerns about microtransit, and other issues. While downtown, Costa was surprised by the electronic TARC bus tickers with a custom message welcoming ATU International President Costa to Louisville.
The next stop was the Local Union Hall to first meet with ATU-endorsed Congressman Morgan McGarvey, who thanked Costa and our Union for supporting him. Then, in what may be a first, ATU-endorsed Governor Andy Beshear came to the Union Hall along with Deputy Mayor David James and Louisville Councilmembers Ben Reno-Weber and Phillip Baker. Costa led an engaging discussion about the importance of a robust TARC, the role of our Union, engaging our members in politics and elections, and other issues. “We are honored to have all of you come to our Local 1447 Union Hall,” said Costa. “As you know, our members play an important role in keeping Louisville moving, and we look forward to working with you to continue to make TARC a world-class transit system.”
On the Ground with Members
Next stop was the TARC Main Garage, where Costa first met with TARC Interim Director Ozzie Gibson, TARC Board Member/Finance Committee Chairperson Steve Miller, and TARC COO Rob Stephens to discuss violence on TARC, our Local’s upcoming contract negotiations, and other issues. Then Costa visited with our operators in the break room and toured the maintenance facility, meeting with members to talk about their concerns and issues.
The final stop was the TARC3 – Paratransit facility, run by MV Transportation, where Costa met with our paratransit members to ask them how the Union was working for them.
Thanks to President/Business Agent Brents and the Local for their hospitality and welcoming us with open arms.