OAKLAND, CA, JULY 18 — Hundreds of East Bay Area transit workers streamed into the union hall yesterday for a special meeting amid a buzz of righteous anger over an unprecedented company attack: imposing a new contract and work schedules. Many arrived seeking a plan of action, but the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) leadership offered nothing. One driver declared, “Man, we walked in here mad…strong like some dark coffee, but they just kept watering it down until it was like some weak herbal tea…and they got us drinking it!”
Union Pushes for Arbitration; Sign-up Boycott Successful
AC Transit carries about 230,000 people daily in the East Bay. Our contract expired June 30. Though for months the union president mouthed the possibility of a strike and members took a unanimous strike vote, nothing was organized. Then, a newspaper told us our union was asking for binding arbitration, ignoring a strike. Our international dispatched a representative to convince us this was the right course, promising that during arbitration, we’d continue under our old contract.
Meanwhile, the company threatened to impose their contract on July 18, demanding we “sign up” (choose our work assignments) on runs that completely violate our contract. The union asked drivers to boycott the sign-up. In a great show of solidarity, everyone boycotted. We all believed there was no way we would work these runs.
But on July 16, when the union asked the court for arbitration, they “forgot” to ask to remain under the old contract. The judge used this technicality to order the new contract be in force until a Tuesday, July 20 hearing.
Union Bets on Court System, Not Drivers’ Action
As yesterday’s meeting began, drivers expected an action plan. As one young driver texted: “I think we should strike…. By doing this [signing up] they mess up a lot of people…. Hey, I think we should do like New York transit did — strike even if the court still said no!....” Another said: “People ain’t gonna work these runs…. My wife works here too and we always work different schedules so we can pick up the kids. We can’t let them do this to us. I’m staying off work until Tuesday.”
One dispatcher and several drivers suggested we all show up to work Sunday but demand to work on the runs WE had chosen, not those the company chose for us. The union president and her “smart” lawyers said no. We now see that the union is relying on courts, lawyers and arbitrators, not on the kind of workers’ solidarity we saw on the day of the sign-up. The International wants to put out fires, not start them!
Another young driver declared, “When the verdict was announced for the cop that killed Oscar Grant [see letter, page 6), his uncle said the family felt they’d been slapped in the face by the system. Well, right now, we’re getting slapped in the face, and our union seems to be telling us to turn the other cheek. As long as we rely on their court system, this will keep happening. We’re being disrespected, spit on, stepped on. There’s no way we should work these runs!”
President Talks ‘Faith’ to Avoid Talking Business
Then the union president said, “I’m a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and the bible does say you must obey the law of the land....These laws were originally established by God, but man messed them up.”
But not everyone agrees with her use of “faith.” As one driver said later, “She’s using that ‘faith’ stuff as a smokescreen, to get people on her side. If you want to testify, go to church. We come here to deal with our business…. I remember what you said last time, this is like a war, and we’re the front-line soldiers. We’re supposed to have a battle plan.”
The union’s real “faith” is faith in the capitalist legal system. We communists point out that the legal system is stacked for the rich capitalists. As one driver put it, “They [the courts] always tend to side with the big corporation.” Instead of relying on the bosses’ legal system, communists try to build workers’ power through education, solidarity, action, building PLP and eventually revolution.
As things got watered down, some drivers were drinking the “weak herbal tea,” but others were ready for action. So many drivers didn’t show up for work that 25 runs were cancelled at one division and 10-15 at another.
In the Class War, Communists Fight To Win
Nationwide, transit workers are under attack. This is war. While the International keeps playing softball, communists believe we need hardball. Through this struggle, we want to win more workers to consider fighting this war to the finish: a revolution to destroy capitalism.