First Annual Northeast Conference Meets in Steel City
ATU International President John Costa joined the First Annual ATU Northeast Conference in the Steel City, and the region’s most powerful elected leaders came with him. Lt. Governor Austin Davis, the son of an ATU Local 85-Pittsburgh, PA, member, Congresswoman Summer Lee, Congressman Chris Deluzio, and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta all made time to be in the room, standing shoulder to shoulder with transit workers and union leadership.
Northeast Represents
ATU’s International leadership, including International Secretary Treasurer Ken Kirk and International Vice Presidents Anthony Garland, Ray Greaves, Steve MacDougall, Amanda Sawyer-Turner, Jacques Chapman, and Mark Henry, also joined the conference. The Northeast Conference Executive Board was well represented, too, with Conference President Tommy Mason among those leading the gathering.
The presence of elected allies made this conference something special. For transit workers who have been fighting budget cuts, pushing back against automation, and demanding the right to do their jobs without fear, seeing their elected leaders show up in person sent a message.
Leaders Who Show Up
“These are leaders who show up,” said Costa. “When transit workers need allies in the fight for safe buses, funded systems, and good contracts, they are there. Our members are on the front lines every single day, fighting budget cuts, fighting automation, and fighting for the right to do their jobs safely. Today, we proved that when the ATU calls, our elected leaders answer. That’s power, and we’re going to use it.”
That kind of power, built over years of organizing and relationship-building, is exactly what a moment like this is designed to demonstrate. The Northeast Conference is a reminder that ATU members do not fight alone, and that the work of electing allies and holding them accountable pays off when it matters most.
When the ATU Calls, They Answer
Transit workers across the Northeast are navigating some of the most difficult conditions the industry has seen, with funding fights, workforce challenges, and ongoing battles over safety and contract standards. The elected leaders attending an ATU regional conference signal that we have allies at every level of government.
Pittsburgh proved it. When the ATU calls, they answer.