Last year, 2011 will be known as the year people stood up to anti-union legislation and governors, corporate greed and forming solidarity across the nation against the attacks on workers’ rights.

Here are the 11 most promising events from 2011.

1. Occupy Wall Street Inspires the 99 Percent to Fight Back

The birth of the Occupy Movement and its spread across the country and around the world was a hugely important development for all working people in 2011. TWU members can take pride that their union was one of the first to support this historic movement. Inspired in part by the Wisconsin uprising this protest of economic and social injustice fostered by corporate greed changed the focus of public dialogue to where it needs to be: on the needs of the middle class, working families, and poor and marginalized people -- the 99 percent.

Although some occupiers have been evicted and their encampments destroyed, the protesters are right when they say no one can destroy an idea whose time has come. Millions more Americans now understand that the 1 percent have rigged the system to capture a larger and larger share of the world's wealth and power, while the middle class and poor face unemployment, soaring student debt burdens, homelessness, and the disappearance of their retirement savings. Not only do people get it, they are doing something about it. As it becomes clear that neither corporate CEOs nor national political leaders have solutions to today's deep crises, thousands of grassroots activists are working together to make the change we need. The Occupy Movement, which is often called "leaderless," is actually full of emerging leaders who are building the skills and connections to create the economic and social changes that will benefit working families for decades to come.

2. Hard work by union members leads Ohio voters to repeal union-busting SB 5

When an anti-union Governor and legislature passed a law that would all but outlaw public sector collective bargaining, Ohio union members and their allies didn’t mourn, they organized. In only 90 days, TWU and other Ohio activists collected 1.3 million signatures, which filled a semi-truck, to repeal the union-busting SB 5. Once the referendum was on the ballot, unionists from all over the country united to defeat it. And defeat it we did. Ohio voters overwhelmingly voted to repeal the law, 61 to 39%. This important win built momentum for the Walker recall in Ohio and the 2012 elections. More importantly, it showed once again that when workers are united and strong, we win.

3. Wisconsin Leads the Way

When newly elected Koch Brothers front man Scott Walker pushed through the first law to effectively ban public sector collective bargaining, Wisconsinites immediately fought back. Thousands of young people put their lives on hold and occupied the State Capitol for weeks, inspiring all 14 Assembly Democrats to unprecedented discipline, principle and unity, and becoming a model for the nationwide Occupy movement. The so-called “Wisconsin 14” courageously left their homes and families and stayed out of state for the rest of the legislative session to try to prevent this assault on workers’ rights from becoming law.

Meanwhile, TWU members and hundreds of thousands of other workers’ rights activists from around the country descended on Wisconsin in the dead of winter to protest the measure. When the Governor and his allies in the State Senate failed to get the message and used legislative dirty tricks to ram the measure through, “Workers Rights are Human Rights” activists turned to the ballot box. Last summer, activists successfully recalled two of the leading union-busters in the State Senate. As soon as Walker became eligible for recall last November, activists went to work again, gathering over half a million signatures to recall the anti-union Governor in only a month of canvassing.

4. New NLRB Rules Help Protect Workers’ Rights

After Congress failed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, President Obama’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board used the rulemaking authority they have been granted by Congress to craft new regulations that would make it much harder for employers to use the tried and true tactic of busting unions by delaying elections. Under the old regulations, employers could endlessly delay elections by demanding hearings and pursuing appeals for years even where there was no disputed legal issue. The new rules preliminarily voted on by the Board in December will eliminate this loophole by requiring speedy elections and postponing legal fights until after the vote. Unfortunately, Republicans will probably refuse to confirm the President’s new appointments to the Board, leaving the new rules in legal limbo until after the 2012 elections.

5. New Hampshire Defeats Anti-Union “Right-to-Work” legislation

Last spring, New Hampshire's Republican-controlled state legislature passed so-called right-to-work legislation that would undermine the right to collectively bargain. But Democratic Governor Lynch vetoed the bill, and thanks to the efforts of thousands of workers’ rights supporters who wrote, called and lobbied legislators to uphold the veto and protect the freedom to have a union, conservatives were not able to override the veto. Working people won this vote despite underhanded tactics by state House leaders and big-money lobbying from out-of-state interests. As they did in Wisconsin and Ohio, working people in New Hampshire—union and non-union alike—stood up in support of basic workers’ rights. They preserved good jobs with fair wages and benefits and struck a blow against the anti-worker agenda.

6. TWU wins ILO Ruling that NY Strike Ban Violates Human Rights

In a historic ruling last November, the International Labor Organization (ILO), an independent agency of the United Nations, upheld TWU’s Complaint and found that New York’s law banning all strikes by public sector workers, as well as the harsh punishments it imposes on “illegal” strikes (including fines, loss of dues check off and imprisonment of union leaders), violates the fundamental human right to Freedom of Association protected under ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

The complaint was based on New York’s response to TWU Local 100’s 60 hour strike in December 2005. New York State courts responded to the strike with an array of penalties, including a $2.5 million fine on the union, a penalty of an additional day’s lost pay for each day each worker was out on strike, personal fines on the top three officers, and jail time for the Local President. Most harmfully, the courts ordered an end to Local 100’s automatic dues check off.

But TWU’s flagship Local was not so easy to kill. The ILO said New York’s Taylor Law should be amended to comply with Freedom of Association principles and that the union and its members should be compensated for the fines, the suspension of dues checkoff, and the detention of Local 100’s then-President, Roger Toussaint. International President James C. Little said, “This ruling from the ILO, which pertains to the critical New York City transit sector, could become a spearhead for the American labor movement’s defense of the rights of public sector workers, and eventually spur re-shaping of U.S. law in this area.” Whether and when the New York legislature and courts decide to implement the ILO’s recommendations remains to be seen.

7. TWU wins Allegiant Election, makes progress on first contract

In late December 2010, Allegiant flight attendants voted overwhelmingly for representation by TWU. The hard-working Allegiant negotiating committee dedicated 2011 to negotiating the terms of their first contract, wrapping up their final session of the year just as the 2011 holiday season began. The team has made a lot of progress, with 15 articles signed off on by both sides, and six negotiation dates already set for the first three months of 2012. The parties left two of the harder provisions for last—compensation and hours of service—but TWU’s Allegiant team is excited about the progress they made last year, and optimistic about signing off on their first ever CBA this year.

8. Activism stalls job and climate killing Keystone XL pipeline

Under President Jim Little, TWU has been a leader in advocating for major “New Deal” type investments in infrastructure modernization and repair, public transportation, energy conservation and climate protection as a means of putting people to work and laying the foundations of a more sustainable economic future for the United States. This is a transition that sound science and sound economics tell us we must make today, not in some far off future, in order to prevent irreversible harm to our planet’s climate, and to provide good jobs now for the millions of Americans who desperately need them. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would take us in the opposite direction, increasing our reliance on dirty bitumen sands oil and stalling critical efforts to create the jobs we need to transition to a more sustainable economy.

The pipeline appeared to be on a fast track to approval, but thanks to the efforts of TWU and a handful of other unions allied with millions of climate justice activists, in November the State Department delayed its decision on the project, and President Obama has said that if Republicans again try to force him to make a premature decision by tying the pipeline’s fate to another payroll tax cut extension early in 2012, he’ll kill the project for good.

9. Movements Build Strength by Connecting Across Borders

In 2011,we saw working people in the US – and the world -- building a “matrix of intersecting and increasingly interconnected movements around the world—the Arab Spring, the Indignados in Spain, ongoing Latin American mobilizations and the most recent, Occupy in the US, among others--transforming the global web of politics,” according to Roberto Lovato, founder of presente.org.

TWU contributed to this development, serving on a Tribunal investigating abuses of workers’ rights by the Mexican government, participating in the UN climate negotiations, and playing a leading a role in the ITF, the global federation of transport unions. In 2011, TWU hosted an ITF strategy meeting in its new DC headquarters for unions of workers employed by the One World air carriers, and aided ITF campaigns in support of transport workers employed by Veolia in the United States and UPS in Turkey, among others.

10. New Protections For The Young And Uninsured

Thanks to one of the major provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act, 2.5 million 18-25 year olds received health insurance in 2011 by being able to stay on their parent’s plans until age 26. Without the so-called dependent provision in the health care reform bill, its likely most of these recent high school or college graduates would have joined the ranks of the uninsured. It’s progress, for sure, but there are still 8 million uninsured 18-25 year olds— either because their parents don’t have private health coverage, their employer doesn’t offer it or they can’t afford it. Young people who can’t continue on their parent’s insurance will get help from the new law in 2014, when many will become eligible for Medicaid and subsidies to help buy private insurance will kick in.

11. Consumers Get A New Watchdog For Their Wallets

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officially opened for business in July 2011. The CFPB was the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, who was appointed by the President to get the agency up and running. After the financial collapse wiped out nearly $11 trillion of household wealth, much of it tangled up in sub-prime mortgages, the new Bureau was included in the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. The CFPB protects consumers from confusing, and often, predatory financial practices, through rule-making, enforcement and research. Republicans vehemently oppose the Bureau and are seeking to weaken its authority. They’ve pledged to filibuster any nominated director until the teeth are knocked out of the agency’s power, and so far, have made good on their promise.

On October 6, 2011 the White House announced the appointment of five-member Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to investigate and make non-binding recommendations in the dispute involving TWU and 10 other rail labor unions and the National Carrier’s Conference Committee which represent the freight railroads.

The President issued the executive order, under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), after he was notified by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that the disputes would interrupt the transportation services essential to America.

President Obama announced the PEB appointments as: Ira Jaffe, Chairman; Roberta Golick, Member; Joshua Javits, Member; Gil Vernon, Member; and Arnold Zack, Member.

The board will report to the President within 30 days of the Board’s appointment.

You can read the executive order for further details here.

NMB Arbitration proffer rejected by TWU – 10 other rail unions

Yesterday afternoon the National Mediation Board proffered arbitration to TWU and 10 other Rail Labor unions in national negotiations with the freight railroads. [Click here for NMB PROFFER]

International President James C. Little immediately responded to the NMB declining the proffer of arbitration. [Click here for President Little’s Response]

The rejection of NMB’s proffer by TWU and the 10 other Rail Unions in national negotiations will trigger a release from mediation by the NMB which we expect early next week. The Board’s release will then trigger a 30 day cooling off period. It is expected that within the cooling-off period President Obama will appoint a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) that will convene hearings to hear the dispute and issue non-binding recommendations.

Our Coalition, including TWU, TCU, IAM, IBEW and ATDA, in anticipation of an NMB release has already begun coordinating with the other Rail Labor Coalition in national negotiations.

International President James C. Little welcomed the Board’s proffer stating “The release moves the process forward and advances our efforts to achieve a fair settlement for our Railroad Division members employed on the freights.” Likewise Railroad Division Director Gary Maslanka welcomed the Board’s proffer stating “It signals progress in getting beyond the impasse we have been at for months, in large part due to the carriers unjustified demands for major concessions in our health plan”.

Its official- union busting Senate Bill 5 will be on the ballot in November for the citizens of Ohio to overturn. On July 21 state election officials announced that enough certified petition signatures were submitted to get a referendum.

After delivering a semi-truck full of petitions, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that 915,456 valid signatures were collected by the We Are Ohio coalition; only 231,147 signatures were required to get a referendum on the bill. The coalition of unions, community groups, churches, environmentalists and students got the required amount in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.

TWU members in Ohio were busy collecting thousands of signatures and are now ready to mobilize and educate voters to repeal the legislation pioneered by Gov. John Kasich and his CEO funders who are sure to put up a fight. However, grassroots energy and boots on the ground will be more powerful than millions of dollars.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll revealed that the majority of Ohioans support repealing the bill, 56%, while only 32% want to keep it.

“Now we have to get the message out to go and vote on Nov. 8 to repeal the bill,” said Andrew Jordan, President of TWU Local 208, at an anti-SB 5 rally in Columbus, OH.

Watch video of People's Parade delivering the petitions.

Cutting mass transit by one third is going backwards and not forwards! The "New Direction" that Chairman Mica proposes is a direction in the wrong way. The facts are clear, transit authorities are making serious cuts to service and staffing while ridership is steadily rising. Report after report clearly states that the fastest way to jump start the economy, bring innovation, build America, and create and save jobs is through investing in the country's transportation and infrastructure.

Mr. Mica made it clear that his bottom-line number for funding the Surface bill has been conditioned to House Rule 21 and cannot go further than the highway trust fund; however, this is a critical time in our economy and as such there should be no rule that prevents the creation of jobs and sustainability of how Americans travel.

It is very clear and obvious that the approval of this proposal given by Chairman Mica will result in hundreds of thousands of jobs lost. American's are at a critical juncture in our country’s time. This is not an issue of spending; this is an issue of building our future, and creating opportunities for everyday Americans.

Proper funding of our Nation’s transportation systems is imperative. Instead of moving forward in an unproductive direction our legislative leaders should do the right thing and move our economy forward.

A semi-truck stuffed with petitions delivered nearly 1.3 million signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State on June 29 in order to put union busting SB 5 up for a citizen’s veto. Thousands of Ohioans marched through the streets of the capitol in the People’s Parade to deliver the signatures, which were over five times the number needed to get the bill on the ballot for a public referendum.

The 1,298,301 signatures send a powerful message that Ohioans are fed up with the attack on the middle class and the human rights of workers. The grassroots groundswell to repeal the unpopular SB 5 swept across the state as people collected signatures on sidewalks and doorsteps and in union halls and churches. Now, once the signatures are verified, the bill will be placed on the November ballot for the people to overturn.

TWU members in Ohio have been very active in the movement to repeal SB 5, collecting thousands of signatures and registering hundreds of new voters. TWU Locals in Ohio and International staff worked together to train petitioners and organize events and canvassing. Local 1 from Akron, OH sponsored regular petition circulations, even gathering 315 signatures during one afternoon in the pouring rain. For weeks Local 208 in Columbus, OH held tabling and other petition events. Railroad Locals like 2019 also gathered hundreds of signatures. The TWU members who spent evenings and weekends working to stop SB 5 were a vital part of the effort to prevent this devastating bill.

The drive to repeal SB 5 is being coordinated by We Are Ohio, a diverse coalition of Ohio workers, community groups, citizens and people of faith. They are pushing back against Gov. John Kasich and the right-wing state politicians who have overstepped and gone too far in the politically driven effort to take away the collective bargaining rights of public workers. Kasich is now one of the two most unpopular governors in the country, along with anti-union Governor Scott of Florida.

Ohioans will now shift their energy to mobilizing voters to vote SB 5 down.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

Due to the disability retirement of International Administrative Vice President, Susan Resch, the TWU International Executive Council, at the IEC meeting on June 7, 2011, endorsed International Vice President and Railroad Division Director, Gary Maslanka to fill the remainder of the vacated term, as outlined in the TWU Constitution Article VII.

On a personal note there is no question that Susan Resch will be missed and on behalf of all of our staff we wish her all the best for the future. We are fortunate to have Gary as a new member of International Administrative Committee and as you can see from his bio he brings a great deal of knowledge to the position. In his current capacity as Director of the Railroad Division he has certainly taken on a number of challenges and I have always appreciated his sound judgment in the execution of decisions.

In his new role as International Administrative Vice President, Gary will continue as Director of the Railroad Division. We have agreed to review the position over the next 12 months and make adjustments as required.

On behalf of the entire Organization I want to thank Gary for accepting the position and look forward to working with him.

Sincerely and fraternally,

James C. Little
International President



Download the letter
Gary Maslanka's bio

Transport Workers Union of America President, James C. Little was one of two labor union presidents and 16 other principle officers of various organizations including Amtrak participating in a discussion on “Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure” with the Senate Democratic Caucus on May 25, 2011. The dialogue focused on job creation, the impact of budget cuts on infrastructure and investing in the American infrastructure.

President Little addressed the caucus focusing on the fact that TWU represents three major modes of transportation. He reminded them of several things including; the importance of placing significance of the American public as partners in investing in the infrastructure to ensure job growth, safety and quality of life; and, the need to continue to keep our airports and airlines continuous in the transportation services that they provide to the American public making NEXT GEN a priority in promoting the ideals of global competitiveness, economic stimulation while creating and sustaining jobs. He further commented that while privatizing AMTRAK is not the solution proper funding would place our investment in perspective of what was needed to sustain the ridership and alternative to the oil crisis and debate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senator Begich, Chairman of the Steering and Outreach Committee lead the discussion as 14 other Senators, including Barbara Boxer the Environment and Public Works Chair and John Kerry a senior member of the Finance Committee ( two key committees in charge of writing pieces to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill) and Sen. Lautenberg (a key senator on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee commented and discussed funding the infrastructure projects and the importance of job creation.

Also, in attendance joining in the discussion was Co-Chair of Building America’s Future, Governor Ed Rendell who encouraged the Senators to do more work to find additional revenues for the Highway Trust Fund so that the House and Senate can work in rebuilding highways, transit, safety and other critical transportation systems.

In attendance (alphabetically) :
• AFL-CIO, Building and Construction Trades Department, President, Mark Ayers
• Airports Council International - North America, President, Gregory Principato
• Alaska AFL-CIO, President, Vincent Beltrami
• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, President, Susan Martinovich
• American Road and Transportation Builders, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pete Ruane
• American Trucking Association, Chair, Barbara Windsor
• Amtrak, Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Boardman
• Associated Equipment Distributors, Chairman, Dennis Kruepke
• Associated General Contractors of America, Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Sandherr
• Association of Equipment Manufacturers, President, Dennis Slater
• Building America’s Future, Co-Chair, Governor Edward G. Rendell
• CSX Corporation, Chief Executive Officer, Michael Ward
• Genesis High Speed Rail America, Chairman, Duane Wilder
• McCarran International Airport, Director of Aviation, Randall Walker
• National Asphalt Pavement Association, Past Chairman, Jim Weeks
• National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Joy Wilson
• Transport Workers Union of America, International President, James Little

For forty years Amtrak has provided travelers with rail service between cities and towns across the U.S., but the publicly run company has faced challenges of underfunding, threats of privatization and changing management, which has created a turbulent environment for Amtrak workers, according to an article in Progressive Railroading that features TWU International Rail Director Gary Maslanka.

Workers at Amtrak, including 1,400 members of TWU who work as carmen and onboard service staff, have had to adapt to changing financial situations and company culture. According to the article, frequent changes in management have required workers to adjust to changing workplace culture and created challenges for bargaining. However, the appointment of a new CEO, Joseph Boardman, in 2008 has shown signs of progress and stability.

In the article, Maslanka discusses the union’s perspective and current examples of positive cooperation with Amtrak management and Boardman. Maslanka commented that there is an increased emphasis on collaborating with labor and getting workers’ input on the workplace, like engaging union leaders in strategic planning. He highlighted the examples of shops where TWU members have worked to improve processes, such as at the Beech Grove, Ind. shop where management adopted a proposal by TWU members to implement Six Sigma quality control processes.

"Management at many companies say, 'Our most valued asset begins with the employees,' and they use it pretty loosely, but in this situation, there's been a true demonstration," said Maslanka in the article. "Since Mr. Boardman's been here, he's been walking the talk. His actions show that he is indeed interested and engaged, and working with the employees in a collaborative way."

"Part of the process here is to find ways to be competitive and leverage the assets Amtrak has," said Maslanka. "The better we do things, the more we can take advantage of opportunities and the more competitive we'll be."

Read the full article, Amtrak: keeping an eye on the long-range forecast for U.S. intercity passenger rail.

The lively crowd on the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg on May 3 broke out into chants of “We Are One” as thousands of Pennsylvanians told Republican Governor Tom Corbett and conservative legislatures that the state budget cannot be balanced on the backs of workers, students and the poor.

Scores of TWU members from Pennsylvania joined the noontime rally in Harrisburg, including two busloads of Local 234 members from Philadelphia joined by many other TWU activists who travelled to Harrisburg on their own to hook up with the TWU contingent, wearing Workers Rights are Human Rights t-shirts and carrying signs and banners.

TWU members descended on the statehouse to show solidarity with fellow union members representing public and private sector workers, and to protest the proposed budget that would cut $2.7 billion, including vital funding public services, while continuing tax breaks for corporations. They were standing up against the attack on working families and joining the nationwide movement to defend the middle class. Local 234 President John Johnson helped to coordinate mobilization for the rally and continued his local’s activism in fighting for workers’ rights.

“The Governor wants to make cuts to services that everyday people need,” said Gordy Moretton of TWU Local 2009. “We need to stop this attack on the middle class.”

Worker unity and people power was on display as Local 234 and SEIU members chanted back and forth “We Are One” and “Workers Rights are Human Rights” on the steps of the capitol. Union members, community activists and clergy all spoke in front of the crowd after a group marched from the Chamber of Commerce where they protested against big business who is not paying their fair share.

"If we allow them to knock us down, it is only going to knock the unorganized down. We have always been the voice of labor, so we are here for everyone today," said David Szczepanski of Local 234.

The transit workers, teachers, construction workers, miners and nurses who took time in their busy workweek to rally for an equitable budget are fed up with politicians in Pennsylvania and across the country who are trying to slash services while giving away millions of dollars to the greedy corporations and weakening workers' rights.

The protestors expressed their anger about the proposed cuts to education that would eliminate Kindergarten, cut back on after school programs, increase class sizes and increase college tuition. “These cuts would limit the youth of America’s ability to prosper,” said Lawrence Ooten of Local 2016.

“We don’t want our kids on over-crowded classrooms. We don’t want health care cuts for our seniors. We don’t want huge increases in tuition,” said AFSME Council 13 Executive Director Dave Fillman to the crowd. “A budget with devastating cuts for working families is wrong. A budget without a drilling tax on Marcellus Shale is wrong. A budget that allows tax loopholes for big corporations is wrong.”

Pennsylvanians are also outraged about the lack of taxes being paid by oil companies who are drilling for natural gas throughout the state. The huge multi-national companies are exploiting natural resources and polluting the environment without paying a cent to the state of Pennsylvania.

The state budget is due on June 30th and unions, progressive organizations, environmentalists and people of faith are coordinating through the Coalition for Labor Engagement and Accountable Revenues (CLEAR) to promote a budget that provides for all Pennsylvanians and helps build strong communities and create jobs.

Get all the photos on Flickr.