How Local 1091-Austin, TX, Turned a Contract fight into a National Message
When International President John Costa landed in Austin, Texas, he was there because Local 1091 had just done something extraordinary.
Solidarity Gets Results
For months, transit workers at CapMetro had been locked in tough negotiations with subcontractor Keolis. The company tried to shortchange the people who keep Austin moving. Our members answered with a 99.5 percent strike authorization vote. The they ramped up pressure by demonstrating outside a CapMetro Board meeting. That unity forced Keolis back to the table, and the result was a tentative agreement with real wage increases, more vacation, and a better work-life balance.
“Coming to Austin to stand with our members means everything,” Costa said at the Local 1091 Union Hall. “We took on a subcontractor and didn’t back down. This agreement is proof that solidarity gets results.”
Taking the Fight to the DNC
The next day, our Local win became part of a national conversation. Costa, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Super Delegate from New Jersey, joined Local 1091 President/Business Agent Brent Payne at the DNC Labor Committee to talk about the hard truth behind the victory. More than 75 percent of CapMetro workers can’t afford to live in the city they serve and our Local mobilized to win a strong contract. “Working people are watching who shows up for them and who doesn’t,” Costa told the committee about what’s at stake in the critical November midterm elections in the U.S. “We need candidates who will fight for affordability first, who understand that a strong transit workforce means real wages, real safety standards, and real training as this industry changes. Build a platform that puts workers at the center, not as a line item, but as the actual frame.”
Visiting the Yards
Then Costa did what he says a union leader has to do. He went to the yards. At North Op and 2910, Costa and Payne thanked members in person for standing strong and sat in on an operator safety meeting. There he met our members and shop stewards, leaders who helped secure their contract.
Investing in the Next Generation
The week closed on a different kind of investment. Costa joined a labor-management meeting at the 1091 Union Hall to highlight the Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) grant, which is fueling a registered bus mechanic apprenticeship program in Austin, with a coach operator program next in line.
“This grant is doing real work on the ground by putting training dollars behind our members, right here in Austin,” said Costa. “Growing apprenticeships means more good union jobs and a workforce that’s ready for the road ahead.”
When workers stay unified, they win contracts, shape political platforms and build the next generation of transit workers. Thank you, Austin and everyone who made this victory possible!