ATU Celebrates Pride Month

Local 846-St. Catharines, ON, Member Sandi Mansfield identifies as Two-Spirited, a term used within some Indigenouscommunities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity. Mansfield, who identifies as they/them,joined Local 1602-St. Catharines, ON, as a School Bus Driver, and then Local 1582-Niagara Falls, ON, as a Transit Operator.The 3 ATU Locals in the Niagara Region were recently merged into Local 846. A tireless Executive Board Member forLocal 846, they have attended the ATU Canada Diversity and Inclusion Committee meetings. Mansfield played a critical rolein having the Local sponsor a Two-Spirited panel at Brock University and serves as a member of the Local’s Audit Committee.They is active in the labor community joining picket lines and other actions in solidarity with other unions. With a tradeunion and community mental health background, during COVID Mansfield led a live prayer feed for fellow members andothers in the labor movement. We applaud Mansfield for their work to promote tolerance, social equality, and acceptanceof all people regardless of their gender or sexual orientation in the Local, our Union and the community.

Mike Mackay (he/him) is an out and proud gay cisgender man, and an 18-year member of Local 587-Seattle, WA,working as a Bus Operator for King County Metro. Brother Mackay serves as a shop steward and was electedas a Local 587 Executive Board member. He was also appointed to the Labor Management Resolution Committee.At King County Metro, Brother Mackay is the Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Committee Vice Presidentand At-Large Learning Coordinator. He is the Co-chair of the transit agency’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Regular Groupand a longtime leader and advocate at Lambert House, the oldest LGBTQIA+ youth center in the world.Brother Mackay was recently unanimously elected as the founding President of the newly established LGBTQIA+ATU International PRIDE Caucus. We applaud Brother Mackay for his commitment and dedication to fightingfor inclusion and diversity for our members, his Local and our Union.

A Local 689-Washington, DC, Member since June 2000,  Ozzie Andrews works as a Station Managerfor the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Andrews serves on the Local’sExecutive Board and as a Shop Steward for Station Managers to ensure his fellow Station Managershave a strong voice in the workplace. A proud member of the ATU International PRIDE Caucus andadvocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Andrews believes the Caucus will open doors that are oftenclosed to his fellow members in the LGBTQIA+ community. “I stand with countless others to welcomenew members and to celebrate us and our freedom to love who we love and to love ourselves forbeing part of the movement,” said Andrews. We applaud Andrews for his commitment anddedication to his Local, his community, and our Union.