ATU Legislative
Conference
March 13-17 • Washington, DC
The U.S. Transit Crisis
and
The Longest Undeclared War
in U.S. History—
On America’s Middle Class
and Workers
Corporate America drives down
power of workers
Union Membership, Percentage of Workers, 19732010
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Public
Private
The Corporate Attack
on Public Workers
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker:
“We can no longer live in a society where
the public employees are the haves and
taxpayers who foot
the bills are the
have-nots.”
FOX Gets it Wrong Again
Legislative Attacks
“Do public workers make more than private sector workers?
THE WRONG QUESTION
All workers wages and benefits frozen for 40 years
Wages and compensation stagnating, 1959-2009
$24
$22
Hourly compensation
2009 dollars
$20
$18
Hourly wage
$16
$14
$12
$10
1959
1964
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
1999
2004
2009
Growing Together, Growing Apart
Off the charts!
497% income rise
$6 million avg. income
Household Income
Percent Increase
200
Wealthiest
0.1% avg.
$1.7 million
a year
150
116%
97%
103%
98%
100
181%
85%
64%
50
3%
12%
23%
38%
0
Poorest Second
20%
20%
Source: Economic Policy Institute
Middle
20%
1947-'73
Fourth
20%
1973-'04
Richest
20%
Top
0.1%*
Top
0.01%*
*1979-2001
We Make It, They Take It
450
400
1947=100
350
300
Productivity
250
200
Real median family income
150
100
50
0
Source: EPI analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Major Sector Productivity and Costs data.
How much does Defense Spending
cost your city?
National Priorities Project's "Trade Offs"
How have workers survived?
THEY HAVEN’T!
• Spouses work
• Part time jobs
• Borrow on credit cards
• Borrow from retirement savings
• Take out savings/equity in homes
The Economy is NOT
Like the Weather…
The Economy Is Not Like the Weather
Neo-conservative Ideas Govern America
• The market solves all problems
• Anything that gets in the way of the market is bad
• Get government out of the way of the market
– Cut taxes
– Dismantle government
– De-regulate
– Privatize
• Unions are in the way of the market
– Weaken, eliminate unions
This is a story of POWER
• Working families and our unions helped
build a powerful American middle class.
• Corporations are taking power away from
workers–we are losing bargaining power
at work and in our country.
• This power grab is key to their corporate
agenda for America.
Boxing Workers Into
The Corporate Agenda
WHOSE Tax Cut?
Stranded at the Station
One Year's Mass Transit Cuts, 2009
Fare Increases
Service and/or
Staff Reductions
Privatize: Everything for Sale
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Pittsburgh, PA
Las Vegas, NV
New Orleans, LA
Jefferson Parish, LA
Phoenix, AZ
Dallas, TX
Bridgeport, CT
Rockford, IL
Savannah, GA
San Diego, CA
Austin, TX
Denver, CO
Newark, NJ
Union, NJ
Marietta, GA
Norcross, GA
Charleston, SC
Sacramento, CA
Toronto, ON
Colorado Springs, CO
Plymouth, MA
Brockton, MA
Pensacola, FL
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
Knoxville, TN
Milwaukee, WI
South Bend, IN
Lexington, KY
Boise, ID
Asheville, NC
Worcester, MA
The Economy is NOT
Like the Weather…
Build
Dismantle
a Working
the Corporate
Families Agenda
Corporate America has a plan.
What Is
Our Plan?