Transit Workers Start Push For Greater Federal Investment In Public Transit

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/13208

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on March 29, 2010 - 4:36pm
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Transit workers began pushing for greater federal investment in public transit with a rally this weekend in Chicago. Jesse Russell reports:

The rally was organized by the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to show support for a bill introduced by Missouri Representative Russ Carnahan that would provide up to 50 percent of federal transit funding for operating assistance in regions with populations of over 200,000. ATU President Warren George said it doesn’t make sense for a single parent to need to ride two hours on two busses as she takes her children to day care and figures out how to get to work in the morning.

: Our communities will not survive if we don’t have a viable transport system to take people back-and-forth to work everyday. We need that work.

Chicago was the first stop on a tour seeking support for the legislation. The next rally is scheduled for Wednesday at Penn Station in New York City.