Troy L Miller
December 2020
Dear ATU Members:
2020 is undeniably a year nobody will ever forget. COVID-19 has affected everyone in ways, big and small. We have come to rely on texting members to give updates and to keep you informed on the ever changing developments. COVID-19 will pass eventually, and we will talk about it with our children and grandchildren for years to come. The following represents a few of the points I wanted to share with you as we approach the end of the year.
Metro and Access
Finally, after 48 years we passed our first transit sales tax. Some may remember the “MetroMoves” levy in 2002, which failed by a 2 to1 margin. After the MetroMoves levy failed, many people both inside and out of transit never thought another levy to aid transit would be possible. Once few years passed and the dust settled, we tried it again. This time, the riders and the business community all recognized the value of growing our system, even to the point of suggesting our service be provided on a 24-hour basis. Their idea was to attract more business to Hamilton County and the Cincinnati region with the hope of creating more jobs. The vote passed by the Hamilton County voters by a margin of 1.5 percent. The vote count was 67,698 in favor to 66,718 opposed, leaving Metro with a win by 980 votes. This is truly a historical moment for ATU 627, Metro, and the Riders in Hamilton County. We are hopeful with an additional revenue source we will be able to improve the system for years to come.
Cincinnati Streetcar
This year has been a tough year for the Streetcar. After COVID-19 hit, most of our brothers as sisters at the Streetcar were laid-off. In August, after we lobbied together at City Hall, the City agreed to reopen the Cincinnati Streetcar. This has made it challenging with the funding, especially when some of our City leaders don’t want to invest in our City or infrastructure.
If some reason you are not receiving the group texts, please let our office know so we can make sure you’re signed up. Switching services or even getting a new phone may disrupt your receipt of our texts which will cause you to have to re-enroll in our system.
Also, as you may know, we have canceled a few union meetings due to COVID-19. We do this reluctantly but we are simply following the directions of our elected leaders as well as the leadership at the ATU International; our primary concern is to ensure that our members are safe. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal soon and we can have Union Meetings, Christmas Parties, and Picnics.
In closing, since old man winter is now here, please be careful while driving.
In Solidarity,
Troy Miller