Vol. 73/No. 7      February 23, 2009

The meeting, called “People’s Assembly on MARTA: Workers and Riders Unite,” was held at the Adamsville Recreation Center here. MARTA is the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. The meeting was sponsored by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and the Atlanta Transit Riders Union.

“We need to build a movement that includes the support of the trade unions to win what we need for all working people, without regard to the capitalists’ budgets,” Perasso said.

“The way we are going to get anything is by saying ‘You are going to give it to us!’” said Tana Westwood, a bus driver and working official of the ATU. “We can’t go asking for things, we have to march to the Gold Dome,” she said, referring to the state capitol.

MARTA officials propose increasing fares and parking fees and cutting service. They also threaten to lay off workers. MARTA already put in place a hiring freeze of its administrative positions and suspended pay raises for mangers, supervisors, and administrative staff. Even Beverly Scott, MARTA general manager, has described the planned reduction in service as “unbelievably draconian.”

Officials at MARTA say that cuts have to be made due to the economic downturn. They claim that not enough money is made from fares of passengers, despite ridership going up.

Perasso pointed out that, “Now is when we most need public transportation. Cuts are also planned for hospitals and schools. But it’s not true that the city and state don’t have the resources to provide these services for everyone. They have the money—they just prefer to pay off the wealthy bondholders instead.”

Jim Hightower, a member of ATU who drives buses that provide transportation for disabled passengers, explained how the drivers are forced to work long hours with no breaks and aren’t able to meet the schedules they are assigned. As a result many passengers wait unreasonably long times and end up arriving late to their destinations. Hightower said he was “tired of people saying there is not enough money” for improvements in service. “They have been saying that for at least 10 years.” Several other drivers also spoke to overpacked workloads and the lack of breaks.

After the meeting, a participant asked Perasso, “How would you propose funding MARTA services?”

“The money and resources are there,” Perasso answered. “If elected we would use the office of mayor and city council president to help organize a struggle of working people to expand public transportation, as well as fight for a massive public works program at union-scale wages to build schools, hospitals, and affordable housing, and repair infrastructure. No election will solve the problems we face. We need to make a revolution in this country, take power out of the hands of the capitalist class, and reorganize society on the basis of solidarity and human need.”

Perasso is running on a ticket with sewing machine operator Lisa Potash, the Socialist Workers candidate for mayor.
 
 
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