Violence Culture of CTA Management

As a union steward for rail workers at the CTA, I have learned the most peculiar thing: Some in CTA Management think it is perfectly fine to threaten with assault/murder ATU members who stand up against harassment.

There are quite a few of these walking dirtbags at the CTA. Let’s focus on one location at which I have the most experience as a union steward:

Instead of firing a particular senior manager who is responsible for allowing lower managers to berate and threaten bodily harm to innocent people, the CTA makes sure to keep the managers in place. 

This insensitive and vindictive senior manager won’t do a damn thing to protect us from their underlings. But this person is behind locked doors shooting off terminations, suspensions and writeups on imperfect “Second Chance” workers who strive to get their lives together. 

Special thanks to the “union rep” who just smiles and collects blood money from our dues. Does this “union rep” help us grieve the loss? 

Nah, it’s “unwinnable.”

Are the CTA upper management waiting for the managerial underling—and possibly others—to actually MURDER one of us who dare to speak up for our safety and dignity?

Maybe they want to humiliate enough workers to cause one of them to snap and do something horrible? Then maybe they can blame the worker, prescribe counseling services and make us feel like we are the deranged ones?

Certainly our International ATU President, John “The King” Costa, loves to give us free counseling and 18% raises to his “International Vice Presidents.” But he won’t tell the lords of commerce that they need counseling for stealing tax revenue for wars and prisons, will he?

Our ATU Local 308 president, Eric “Boss” Dixon, REFUSES to publicly condemn this blatant violation of Article 1.1 of the Collective  Bargaining Agreement. 

A real union president would be all over mass media, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and whatnot! A real union president would be organizing direct action, public action and calling allies to bring the CTA mismanagement to its knees! 

Maybe if we give him a 33% raise on top of his $150,000 salary, he will feel obligated to organize mass action to make the CTA treat us with respect?

Our union president only meets in secret with management and placates to the victims. He talkity-talks about “doin’ somethin’”. 

Yeah, whatever. Cheap talk translation: #ShutUpBeHappy 

Will he write a violation ticket against the CTA? What kind of “accelerated discipline” awaits the tyrannical senior manager who will try to fire one of us if we forgot to log out of a job?

I hear President Eric “Boss” Dixon and my ignorant detractors are actually blaming ME for the violence! 

Shoot the messenger! The rouge union steward! How dare I care about and take sides with lazy, ungrateful union members! They should be happy to be berated, overworked, threatened, assaulted and murdered!

Welcome to the CTA!

This is where workers are threatened with death by cruel managers, angry riders and pacified by rotten union officials.