Day of Atonement: Abolish the Second Chance Program

It was 28 years ago today, that Brother Minister Louis Farrakhan called a million Black men to Washington D.C. for an event in history that showed us that the descendants of enslaved Africans ancestors in the United States have the power to overthrow inferiority and establish a true new world order.

His message was not for us to worship him—nor was it to convert Black men to Islam (although that was a natural consequence for me and many others over the years). His message was about atoning for the wrongs we commit against each other and taking responsibility for making our communities whole. 

As a Local 308 union steward and CTA employee, I weaved what I learned from his example into my own moral convictions. Not only do I strive to help warring coworkers establish peace, but I spend alot of time helping them unite to fight against the brutal CTA mismanagers who harass and dehumanize them. 

The CTA mismanagement must atone for the wrongs they have committed. This article is one of many to extol them to atone for their cruel misconduct regarding our Agreements and human rights.

The outlaw CTA mismanagement is perpetuating poverty in Chicago through the violation of an Agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union. It is a disgrace that they celebrate Black and Hispanic Heritage Months while exploiting vulnerable people from those communities.

The Agreement (Attachment O) between the ATU and CTA is clear: The Second Chance "Apprentice" rail car servicer workers are not supposed to do any work except sweep trains at the platform and remove graffiti on the inside.

No more. No less.

The CTA has them doing everything that Full-Time Servicers do for half the pay, no picking rights, 40-hour midnight schedules and almost zero benefits. In fact they have them doing the most deadly work: Exterior Wash. My poor brothers are doing grueling, backbreaking work cleaning entire rail cars with power washers, skin-burning chemicals and inferior PPE. 

I made an impassioned public speech about their suffering at a PLP May Day rally a year ago.

When they report injuries and speak up about the Contract violations, they are punished and prevented from attaining any Full-Time opportunities. 

Ironically, when the CTA decides to fire them, it is often after dragging them through years of loyal service. Then they get a cruel "congratulations" email. I wrote about this crap last year. Myself and coworkers in the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition organized a protest at CTA headquarters on the day the Second Chancers were being fired. 

The insult to our Full-Time Rail Janitor brothers and sisters with pitting the Second Chance "Apprentice"  Rail Janitors is utter betrayal by ATU Presidents Ken Franklin and Keith Hill. If they refuse to atone, they must be charged and expelled from the union for their treason.

The mistreatment of my coworkers and Contract violations is wrong. It is immoral. I will stand by principles as a union steward and condemn it as pure evil.

This is how the CTA can atone for their wrongs:

The Second Chance Program must be radically rewritten or abolished in the 2024 Contract. Anyone who supports it in its current form promotes poverty and disenfranchisement in the Black and Latino communities of Chicago.

If my coworkers elect me to the Executive Board for ATU Local 308 on November 21st, I intend on tripling my efforts to expose and initiate justice regarding this hideous offense to human rights and our the Preamble of the ATU Constitution. 

Rewriting the Agreement—with the guidance of of my coworkers—is an important short-term goal that was met recently. See the proposal here.

If you are a coworker—or supporter—that wants to help me fight for this cause, sign up for my email list. Also, please sign the petition to abolish the Second Chance Program.

References:

Attachment O
https://www.scribd.com/document/522271355/Local-308-Second-Chance-Program

Crime in Progress: Slave Wage CTA Jobs
https://ericbasir308.blogspot.com/2023/09/crime-in-progress-slave-wage-cta-jobs.html