Rallying for union bus drivers

GREENFIELD, Mass.--At least 100 members and supporters of United Electrical Workers (UE) Local 274 turned out February 20 to show the fighting spirit that led Nation columnist John Nichols to name UE the country's "most-valuable union" in 2008.

People gathered bright and early in this small, now largely reindustrialized, city in northwestern Massachusetts, to demand that the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) stop trying to enforce a policy prohibiting the long-standing practice of UE demand-response bus drivers from assisting passengers into and out of the buses, as well as into and out of their homes as needed.

Demand-response buses provide for the transportation needs of senior citizens. One UE member denounced FRTA's policy, observing, "The only good management rule is one that's broken."

In an inspiring show of solidarity, members of UE locals in Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Boston and Pittsburgh attended the rally and joined the picket line, some carrying signs that demanded FRTA stop "throwing grandma under the bus." Senior citizens with walkers and canes held signs thanking UE drivers for their dedication.

During the rare lulls in the chanting that took place on the picket line, three small children wearing oversized UE T-shirts over their winter coats raised new chants.

UE National President John Hovis addressed the rally before it dispersed, promising Local 274 that the national union stands with it in its ongoing struggle for a fair contract and a community based on the solidarity of working people. Hovis raised his fist in the air as he reminded everyone present of the old Industrial Workers of the World slogan: "An injury to one is an injury to all!"