If transit workers ran as late as Tuesday night’s Fairfax County Council meeting – which ran more than four hours behind schedule – they would lose their jobs, said ATU 1764, the union representing Fairfax Connector members. Dozens of Local 1764 drivers who had turned out Tuesday night to air their grievances against their employer, MV Transportation, staged a walkout, convened a union meeting in the lobby and voted to stay as late as it took to make their voices heard. Finally, at 9:30 p.m., ATU member Bob Snyder, who has been a driver for 21 years and a Fairfax resident for 27 years, got to ask Supervisors to ensure that MV Transportation allow him and his co-workers “to retire with dignity, not into poverty.” The union says MV has failed to provide its employees with a viable retirement plan despite workers forfeiting a 2% raise to help fund a pension plan and MV’s own contract with the county, which included funding to provide retirement security. photo: Fed-up members meet in the Fairfax County Council lobby to discuss a plan of action after hours of delay; photo by Natalie Perez Cruz Metro workers are rallying Saturday at noon over funding and safety issues. Led by ATU Local 689, other unions as well as political and community allies are expected to turn out to support demands for dedicated funding for Metro to ensure long-term maintenance, upkeep, and expansion and make Metro safe for riders and workers. The rally will be held at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation 213 E. Capitol St. NE in DC. What Do Working People Want? We want elected leaders who think big. Today, two families control more wealth than half our population. One family is spending almost a billion dollars to influence our elections. Meanwhile, more than 60% of American households are one missed paycheck away from economic calamity. This is not the America we should leave our children. We can and must do better. She's With Us: Congratulations Hillary Clinton My Life Matters to the Labor Movement AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Addresses the Democratic National Convention “I would have worked with the devil himself if he'd been for the six hour day and worker control of the hiring hall.”
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