SF Forum/Video The War on Transit Workers Lessons of Bay Area Transit Worker Battles

SF Forum/Video The War on Transit Workers Lessons of Bay Area Transit Worker Battles
http://www.laborfest.net/2014/2014schedule.htm#26
July 26 (Saturday) 7:00 PM (Free) 518 Valencia - near 16th St., SF
The War on Transit Workers
Lessons of Bay Area Transit Worker Battles
Last year, a major contract battle took place at BART and AC Transit as management and their respective elected boards took back even more worker benefits despite years of wage and benefit freezes. Management ordered these cuts as part of their scheme to make workers pay for upgrades in the transit system including new trains at BART.
Labor and their unions were in a one-sided war launched by management and the boards when the BART management hired Thomas Hock, VP of the international company, Veolia Transportation. They led a poisonous corporate media campaign of disinformation with the aide of the Bay Area Council which represents the billionaires.
SEIU and ATU which have over 100,000 members in the bay area had no mass mobilization of their entire membership in this crucial battle. This lack of preparation also resulted in a failure to successfully counter the anti-labor union busting campaign by mangement, the transit boards and politicians who demanded that transit workers take concessions and be banned from striking.
BART bosses and the board also sought to run the trains to break the strike by hiring scabs. This move directly resulted in the deaths of two strike-breakers. The National Transportation Safety Board, state legislators and Cal-OSHA all pointed to BART management being responsible for these deaths. The deaths finally led management and the board to agree to a contract while still pushing for concessions.
This film screening and forum will discuss the lessons of these critical transit struggles and the role of the international struggle against Veolia Transportation.
Speakers from BART ATU Local 1555, ATU 192, MTA Muni TWU 250A and other unions will be present.
Sponsored by the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee
http://www.transportworkers.org