In the second of a series of rallies held across the country to ask for flexibility in federal stimulus funds for transit, the TWU, ATU and Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed a crowd of transit workers, the riding public and community groups in Birmingham, Al. on May 12. The rally was held at Linn Park, where U.S. Rep Artur Davis (D-AL) and Birmingham Mayor William Bell joined the crowd.

Save Our Ride, the TWU, ATU and Jackson coalition, is fighting for the passage of H.R. 2746 and S3189, Rep. Carnahan's and Sen. Brown's bills, that would allow transit agencies to use federal stimulus money, currently allocated for capital expenses only, for operating costs as needed. Mayor Bell said that this would make about $2-2.5 million available for paying expenses and possibly even for paying debt service on bonds that could help to start building a light rail or rapid transit system.

Save Our Ride
The Transport Workers Union, Amalgamated Transit Union and the Reverend Jesse Jackson have formed Save Our Ride, a coalition representing more than 300,000 transit employees across the country, community groups and environmentalists. Save Our Ride aims to raise public awareness about the transit crisis plaguing major American cities from coast to coast by rallying for flexibility in stimulus funds.

Transit agencies are suffering and the millions of stimulus dollars offered to systems in cash-strapped cities with populations larger than 200,000 are restricted; the funds are allocated only for capital expenses. Save Our Ride is fighting for the passage of Rep. Russ Carnahan's bill, H.R.2746, and its Senate version, Sen. Brown's bill, S3189. The bills allow local transit agencies the flexibility to use the stimulus funds for operating costs based on local and community needs.

"The fight for quality transit isn't just about transit workers. It's about all of us. It's about our cities and our communities," said TWU Executive Vice President Harry Lombardo at the Atlanta rally in May.

Proper preservation and restoration of mass transit systems is essential for our country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to create good green jobs, and to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Local transit workers know how best to allocated need stimulus funds in their systems, and "buying new buses with no money to pay operators makes no sense," said ATU President Warren George at a Save Our Ride rally.

"We cannot and will not allow our transit systems to crumble from financial neglect," said TWU International President James C. Little.

Save Our Ride rallies have been held in Atlanta, Ga., Birmingham, Al., Detroit, Mi., and Cleveland, Oh. and are planned for this summer in San Francisco, Ca., Oakland, Ca., Sacramento, Ca., Houston, Tx., Miami, Fl., and New York, NY.