Press Release

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to join transit workers, environmental and community leaders Wednesday, July 7 at Mickey Leland Federal Building in Houston, 11 am

“Save our Ride” rally to address transit crisis, call for federal public transit funding and against further service cuts

Houston – National labor and civil rights leaders and elected officials will join local transit workers, transit managers and environmental and community leaders at a “Save our Ride” rally in downtown Houston this coming Wednesday, July 7 at 11 am at the Mickey Leland Federal Building in downtown Houston.

What: Rally for federal public transit funding

Who: Rev. Jesse Jackson; Rep. Sheila-Jackson Lee; Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President Ronald J. Heintzman; Transport Workers Union (TWU) International Executive Vice President Harry Lombardo; TWU Local 260 President David Gollinger; environmental and community leaders.

When: Wednesday, July 7, 11 am

Where: Mickey Leland Federal Building, 1919 Smith St., Houston.
Background: Following successful public events in Atlanta, Birmingham (AL), Detroit, Cleveland, Portland and San Francisco and Sacramento, the Save Our Ride campaign is coming to Houston to advocate for affordable, quality mass transit.

Public transit systems are in crisis, with fare hikes, service cuts, and layoffs of transit workers taking place in communities throughout the U.S. According to a recent survey by the American Public Transit Association, 84 percent of public transit agencies across the country have increased fares, reduced services, or are considering one or both actions.

The Save Our Ride campaign is advocating for federal legislation to address the nationwide transit crisis:

The Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010, (S.3412 and HR 5418) would provide $2 billion in emergency aid for transit systems throughout the U.S., to help reverse fare increases and service cuts. Senate Banking Chair Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY) are sponsors of this legislation.

HR 2746 and S3189 will allow for local control of federal transit funds. Current federal aid for municipal public transit comes with significant strings attached; local officials in large cities like Sacramento can only use these funds for capital projects and are prevented from using resources to meet local needs and priorities.

HR 2746 and S3189, sponsored by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), do not allocate any additional federal funds. Instead, they allow greater local control of federal transit funds. This would give Harris County Metro and other municipal transit systems the ability to keep buses and trains rolling when and where they are most needed.

Contact: Roger Kerson, 202.315.8533, roger.kerson@gmail.com ; Jamie Horwitz, 292.549.4921, jhdcpr@starpower.net

The Save Our Ride campaign was convened by the Amalgamated Transit Union, the Transport Workers Union of America, and the Rainbow/Push Coalition. With support from elected officials, transit advocates, transit managers, environmental and community groups, Save Our Ride has sponsored transit rallies in cities across the country, purchased paid media, and initiated a national text message campaign in support of affordable, quality mass transit.