Brooklyn, NY – Dozens gathered on Tuesday, September 30 at the New York City Transit Authority to speak and give public comment at a monthly meeting of the MTA board. The event was organized by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as other members of the Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition, including the December 12th Movement.

The Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition has been organizing to stop the train and bus fare increase to $3 and expand the Fair Fares program to include those up to 400% of the federal poverty line. Because of their campaign, the MTA delayed the fare increase to January 2026 and set up public hearings. There were four times as many public comments in July as there were during the last fare increase in 2023. Public pressure forced them to walk back other proposals over the weekend, including an increase in the seven-day fare cap, which will now be $1 instead of $2.

The December 12th Movement led a rally and speakout before the public comment period, chanting, “The fare ain’t fair and the poor won’t pay more!” There were 47 community members who signed up for public comment, necessitating an overflow room and recording for those who did not get a chance to speak in person.

The majority of the speakers condemned the fare increase. December 12th Movement member Christian Joseph said, “There's the working and poor people of this city, and there's those with the deep pockets. Who are you going to serve? Because this city runs off of the labor, the efforts, the sweat, and the blood of poor and working people. The fare ain't fair.”

New York Alliance speakers connected the Fare Ain’t Fair campaign to its Cops Off the Subways campaign, specifically their demand to “fund communities, not the cops.” NYAARPR member Jamie Kowalski said, “Meeting the needs of the community is the way we actually reduce crime. And instead of enforcing fares with violence and penalties, we need to stop the fare increases and eventually make the trains a free public service for all riders.”

After the board meeting, the New York Alliance led another speakout in front of the NYCTA building. Speakers reemphasized the connection between the fare increase and the ongoing, inevitable increase in policing to enforce it. They presented community control as a way to take back power over how tax money gets spent. Through community control, people would be able to decide the hiring, firing, discipline, wages and priorities of the police. They would be able to redirect money out of the pockets of billionaires and towards making transit truly affordable and accessible.

The New York Alliance, December 12th Movement. and the Fare Ain’t Fair coalition will continue to organize for safer subways and against the fare increase.

#BrooklynNY #NY #PeoplesStruggles #Transit #NYAARPR

Chicago, IL – “We are here to demand that Governor JB Pritzker live up to his promise of standing up against the cuts and the cruelty of the Trump administration,” Chicago Teachers Union member Jesse Bostic said to the hundreds of people who rallied in Daley Plaza on Saturday afternoon, July 12.

Better Streets Chicago organized the protest in response to the Illinois government’s failure to secure funding necessary to prevent 40% service cuts to public transportation.

“This fight isn't just about buses and trains, it's about workers having dignity, it's about students being able to get to school. Let's build a system that shows up like we do,” said Jose Manuel Almanza, with Equicity Chicago.

“If the state cuts transit funding, I don’t know how I’m going to get around,” said disability rights activist Mary Delgado.

“We know people in our communities are willing to fight for better,” declared Melanie Minuche with Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Minuche added, “It’s on all of us to make sure Governor Pritzker gets back to Springfield and calls a special session to fully fund public services.” The demand for a public session comes after the Illinois General Assembly adjourned on May 31 without addressing a $770 million gap in the Regional Transit Authority budget. The state government has also neglected to cover $734 in the Chicago Public Schools budget, which has contributed to mass layoffs of school staff.

The rally showed that communities and unions are ready to unite against both federal attacks on public services and the state government’s reluctance to fund them.

W Robert Schultz III with the Active Transit Alliance led the crowd in chants of “Transit is essential!” After the rally, protesters took the streets and marched to a state-owned office building in the West Loop. While marching, they chanted “Public transit, public good! Fix it, fund it, like you should!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #CTU #ATA #Transit

San Jose, CA – On Monday, March 10, around 1500 bus and light rail operators and mechanics for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), walked off the job. The workers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265. This is the first strike at the VTA since its founding in 1973.

Around 9 a.m. upwards of 70 ATU rank-and-file members could be seen picketing in front of the VTA headquarters as the strike began. Pickets were held at four other light rail and bus yards beginning at 4 a.m.

VTA and ATU have been in contract negotiations since August. After six months of bargaining, the ATU members decided to call a strike – which was approved by more than 96% of the union’s membership. The strike vote came after negotiations fell through and their contract expired last week.

SEIU 521, representing roughly 200 of VTA’s office workers, bus and light rail yard maintenance roles are also currently negotiating with VTA management and may be affected by the ongoing strike.

Raj Singh, ATU Local 265 president and business agent, picketed with rank-and-file members in front of the VTA headquarters and said, “Our current demands at this point are fair compensation, but our top priority is our arbitration clause – a dispute resolution process. Over the last year and half the agency has decided that on a handful of items that they were not going to participate in our arbitration proceedings.”

Singh continued, “I don’t understand why they don’t realize how unfair it is for [management] to just unilaterally decide if an issue has any merit or not. In a sense, it makes it so that all our employees are essentially at-will employees if we can’t challenge the decision that they come out with in regard to discipline issues.”

With the workers on strike, transit riders will need to plan alternatives to get to school and work. ATU has announced 24-hour picket lines at the VTA headquarters as well as at four transit yards until another tentative agreement is reached between ATU and VTA.

#SanJoseCA #CA #Labor #Transit #ATU #Strike #Feature