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ATU and APTA Leaders Share Insights on Building a Strong and Resilient Frontline Transit Workforce at ATU Legislative Conference

Posted June 2021

On June 7, Executive Director Jack Clark moderated a discussion between ATU International President John Costa and APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. The panel was part of the three-day ATU Legislative Conference.

During the discussion, Jack posed questions to the two panelists on a variety of topics including the emergence of new technologies and providing the needed training for the technicians responsible for maintenance; the importance and significance of apprenticeship in transit workforce training; and how transit proved its necessity during the worst of the pandemic when essential workers continued to rely on it for their daily commutes even as protections for transit workers had to be fought for.

Costa and Skoutelas both discussed the value of apprenticeships in transit. As a former apprentice himself, Costa stressed that apprenticeship is well-suited to the implementation of new technologies in transit because it recognizes the value of working alongside an experienced technician and learning from experience. Skoutelas also acknowledged that apprenticeship provides structure to this method of passing along skills that has been occurring informally by necessity and by virtue of its efficacy. Costa said that he saw firsthand how apprenticeship strengthens the workforce as a whole and its sense of community. In the face of the tragedy at San Jose VTA, the workplace culture and the network of support provided by the mentors were a source of strength as they work to recover.

The panelists emphasized that transit must be a focus in any economic recovery plan due to its irreplaceable role in the prosperity of the nation’s cities as well as the jobs that transit provides. Both Costa and Skoutelas agreed that public transit jobs must be protected because they provide family-sustaining wages and benefits that are becoming increasingly rare for workers without extensive formal education. In fact, Skoutelas emphasized that these are not just jobs but lifelong careers that offer the opportunity to advance and learn new skills.