Our Voice, Our Power - Inside the 2026 ATU U.S. Legislative Conference
Three days, more than 170 Local officers, over 200 Members of Congress, and one message that rang through the halls of the U.S. Capitol. The ATU is not backing down.
That was the story of the 2026 ATU U.S. Legislative Conference, held in Washington, DC, a gathering that brought together Local leaders and transit workers from across the U.S. to confront a moment International President John Costa did not sugarcoat.
“Our Union, public transit, and our communities are under attack,” Costa told attendees at the welcoming reception that kicked off the week. It was a theme he would return to over the next three days, so was his call to action. Costa reminded the room that the conference used to be invite-only, reserved for Locals who contributed to COPE. He changed that years ago, because every Local leader needs to understand why political action matters, not just the ones already in the room.
Showing Up
The room was packed as the conference opened. Local officers and General Executive Board members filled the space as Costa opened the conference. He didn’t waste time getting to the point.
“I want you to look around this room. You flew in from across the country to be here. Some of you drove. Some of you took the train, or maybe the bus,” Costa said. “When ATU members need to be somewhere, they show up.”
At stake this year, automation, transit funding, worker safety, 13(c) protections, and the midterm elections are all bearing down fast. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler addressed the group about the labor movement’s fight, DC mayoral candidate Janesse Lewis George spoke about her early alliance with Local 689-Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania congressional candidate Janelle Stelson joined by Zoom to talk about a race that could shape the next Congress. The ATU-COPE awards were handed out, including the Chairman’s, President’s, Patriot, and Political Activism Awards, recognizing members who have put in the work at the local level.
Attendees spent the day in breakout sessions on power mapping, lobbying in practice, the risks AI poses to the workforce, and building effective safety committees. To close things out, the group marked Pride Month with a group photo, a reminder that the fight for dignity on the job extends to every member of the ATU family.
Building the Case
Day two shifted from strategy to substance. Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, spoke about his own roots as a labor organizer. Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, a longtime ATU ally and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, briefed attendees on the newly introduced BUILD America 250 Act and the transit funding and safety provisions our Union helped secure.
Local leaders took the stage, too, on panels, sharing what’s working in their states on transit funding, school bus safety, worker power, autonomous vehicles, and microtransit. More breakout sessions followed, digging further into AI, safety committees, and lobbying tactics.
Costa closed the day with a challenge that set up everything to come. “Congress hears from lobbyists all day long who have never driven a bus or fixed a rail car in their lives,” he said. “What they don’t hear enough from is workers like us on the frontlines. This is your advantage. Use it.”
Taking It to the Hill
On the final day, the ATU brought that advantage straight to Capitol Hill. More than 170 members held a rally steps from the U.S. Capitol, chanting “Our Voice, Our Power” and “Who Are We? ATU!” before leaving to lobby their representatives directly. Members of Congress showed up, too. Reps. Tim Kennedy, Delia Ramirez, Analilia Mejia, Shomari Figures, and Chris Deluzio spoke in solidarity.
“We do the important job of moving people every day. We face serious dangers on the job. We’re the backbone of our communities,” Costa told the crowd at the rally. “We’re showing our legislators we aren’t just a Union, we’re a movement, a force to be reckoned with.”
And across a single day, ATU members met with more than 200 offices on the Hill, from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to Senator Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Jeff Hurd, Tom Barrett, and Rob Bresnan, pressing the case on transit funding, worker safety, AI, and the demand that autonomous vehicles keep an operator on board.
By the time the delegation headed home, the numbers told their own story. Three days, 170-plus Local officers, 200-plus congressional offices visited. But the real measure of the week was less about numbers and more about what Costa said on day one. ATU members show up. And this year, in a Congress that needed to hear it most, we made sure our voice was impossible to ignore.