Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, representing 14,000 members, endorsed New York City Council Member Ben Kallos for Manhattan Borough President. ATU Local 1181 represents school bus operators, matrons, and mechanics as well as operators of MTA buses and Access-A-Ride Paratransit. With today’s announcement, Kallos has been endorsed by 74 district councils and local unions for Manhattan Borough President.
“We endorse Council Member Ben Kallos for Manhattan Borough President because he has always stood up for our members and the countless students, working families, and disabled New Yorkers we transport,” said Michael Cordiello, President and Business Agent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181.
As a candidate in 2012, Kallos joined ATU Local 1181 in support of the Employee Protection Provision (EPP), marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, joining picket lines during their strike, and bringing coffee to warm members in the cold. Since being elected to the City Council in 2013, Kallos has been dedicated to ensuring operators and attendants have the tools they need to transport students safely each day. Kallos even authored laws to give operators and attendants more time for dry runs and created an opportunity to flag bad routes before the start of the school year.
“I am proud to have the support of our bus drivers who get our students to school and provide transportation for our disabled,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “We must support the bus drivers who get us where we need to go from the disabled to our children going to school.”