Transit Union Renews Demand for Action

Media Contact: David Roscow (202) 537-1645 x254

St. Louis, MO – Governor Nixon and the Metro Board must hold management accountable for their racially divisive treatment of employees, says the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

For over a year, Metro management attempted to drive a wedge between black and white employees in the midst of a union contract dispute, including suggesting to white employees that they would be better off if they dissociated from the ATU. Tensions flared after the second-ranking official at Metro implied that the diverse workforce belonged to an "Oreo cookie" union during a contract bargaining session in July. “Oreo” is a disparaging term used to imply that a person is “black on the outside, but white on the inside.”

“It’s shocking that Governor Nixon and the Metro Board remain paralyzed after a top official at the agency called our union leaders Oreos,” said ATU International President Larry Hanley. “It proves that in Missouri the racism is deep and institutional and condoned by the Governor himself.

“As the nation waits to see the official reaction of the jury to the shooting of Michael Brown, the ATU has grave concerns about the fact that this act at METRO continues to be supported by a Governor who is threatening to deploy the national guard to suppress a community,” Hanley continued. “Nixon does so while not lifting a finger to stop the racism of public officials in his own administration.”

Hanley believes the Governor and the Board are staying mum because they falsely believed that transit workers would forget the racially-charged insults once ATU Local 788 and Metro reached a contract agreement in September.

“We will not allow those in power to sweep this under the rug. This type of outrageous and backward mistreatment of workers by public officials will not be tolerated,” Hanley continued. “It is a black eye on this community. Until those responsible are held accountable for their actions, we will not be silent.”

About ATU

The Amalgamated Transit Union is the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1892, the ATU today is comprised of over 190,000 members in 253 local unions spread across 47 states and nine provinces, including 3,000 workers at Greyhound Lines, Inc. Composed of bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance and clerical personnel and other transit and municipal employees, the ATU works to promote transit issues and fights for the interests of its hard-working members.