THE ATU is Joining COPE
As a transit worker, your job, wages and working conditions are directly linked to politics. Representatives in federal, state and local government make crucial decisions everyday that determine the amount of funding available to your transit system , the safely and security requirements at your workplace, and your bargaining rights, and more. By participating in ATU-COPE, you can have a direct impact on the political process from guiding policies on transit funding, privatization and other issues that affect you to helping elect the public officials who make the decisions. As the largest transit worker Political Action Committee (PAC) in the United States, ATU-COPE is the voice of transit workers, school bus employees and over-the-road bus workers at all levels of government. Since by law, union dues cannot be used to fund political campaigns, voluntary member contributions to ATU-COPE are used to help elect pro-labor, pro-transit candidates for local, state and federal office. Once the election is over, ATU-COPE works closely with the officials we helped elect to make sure that our members’ interests are well-represented.
This year, ATU is launching a new program called “COPE –PLUS.” ATU will return to each local every dollar contributed above their 2010 contribution level for the purpose of conducting grassroots coalition campaigns in their community aimed at restoring transit service that has been cut in recent years and getting our members back to work. And, ATU will match the money sent back to each local dollar for dollar. This special program will apply during 2011. Literature on the COPE-PLUS program is available at the ATU Local 1300 Union Hall.