California Conference Board Meets in San Diego, CA
To kick off his time on the west coast for the California Conference Board meeting this year, International President John Costa joined Local 1309-San Diego, CA, President/Business Agent Duane Koslicki, Financial Secretary Jamaal Russell, and Vice President Frank Coates to visit with our members on the job.
San Diego Welcome from Local 1309
The First stop was the IAD Bus Garage, where they met with members in the break room. The second stop was the Kearny Mesa Bus Garage, where Costa and the team toured the new on-site lactation room and thanked Koslicki for his Local’s work to secure it for our breastfeeding members. The final stop was at the Old Town Transit Center, one of the largest transit hubs in San Diego, where Costa met with operators and asked how our Union was working for them.
Joining Costa in San Diego, CA, were International Executive Vice President Yvette Trujillo and International Vice Presidents Jim Lindsay and Art Aguilar.
ATU California Conference Board Meeting
Early the next morning, the ATU California Conference Board (CCB) kicked off their meeting attended by members from across the state to conduct important business, including hearing from United States Senate candidates for the state of California. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA) each talked about their background fighting for workers and their commitment to ATU members and transit. The CCB voted to endorse Rep. Schiff.
Costa also addressed attendees, stressing the important work of ATU’s conference boards to elect pro-union, pro-transit candidates and their impact on everything from autonomous vehicles to assaults to privatization and our contracts. “It’s going to get rougher, not easier going forward. They want to take us backward. We have to continue to fight. We have to be involved in politics if we’re going to survive.”
New Leadership
Later in the day, the CCB voted on their leadership. Congratulations to new Chair Jeff Shaffer, Local 1277-Los Angeles, CA, who was sworn in by Costa. In addition to IEVP Trujillo, and IVP’s Lindsay and Aguilar, International Representative Michael Cornelius attended the CCB meeting.
Thank you, San Diego and our California Locals, for the amazing visit and for reminding us that ATU is always Stronger Together.