On the Ground in the Midwest: Costa Takes the Fight to the Members
International President John Costa has a saying that you can’t run a union from your office. That’s why he traveled to Riverside, Iowa, joining members from across the Midwest for a regional conference focused on what’s actually happening on the ground, from active contract fights to the rapid rise of new technology threatening transit jobs.
A Region Leading the Way
“The Midwest is a model for what the ATU does best,” Costa told attendees. He pointed to a string of hard-won victories, including the historic $1.5 billion in transit funding in Illinois that saved jobs and required floor-to-ceiling protective barriers on buses, and groundbreaking apprenticeship programs in Minnesota that are building the next generation of transit workers.
But Costa made clear the work isn’t done. “You’re fighting every day in statehouses across this region to make sure automation never replaces the people who serve our communities,” he said. “This isn’t just a union, it’s a movement.”
Taking on Technology
Members also got a deep-dive briefing from ATU International staff across the Strategic Research, Legal, and Collective Bargaining departments on the technology reshaping the industry, covering microtransit, automated vehicles, and workplace surveillance. The Health and Safety department presented on ATU-backed Safety Committees, which give workers a direct voice in their own working conditions.
A Broad Show of Solidarity
Locals from Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma were all represented. Midwest Conference President Todd Strasser and the full Conference Board led the gathering, joined by International Executive Vice President Yvette Trujillo, International Secretary-Treasurer Ken Kirk, and International Vice Presidents Marcellis Barnes, Gary Johnson, Natalie Cruz, Mark Henry, Kenneth Day, and Carly Allen.
The Midwest isn’t waiting for the future of transit to arrive. They’re building it.