On March 1st, hundreds of MUNI workers from TWU Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 250-A, riders, and community organizations rallied and marched in downtown San Francisco to oppose the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) proposed budget cuts and threatened layoffs. The march began at Powell and Market and went down Market to rally in front of the MTA offices calling for the cuts to be on the Mayor Newsom-appointed executive managers. The march then went to City Hall for a spontaneous forum led by TWU cable car driver and union organizer Eric Williams, who explained what the workers are forced to put up with and called for unity between MUNI workers and riders.

The San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) is a vital service to the people of San Francisco serving over 700,000 riders a day. In the current economic environment affecting public services across the country, workers and the poor are being forced to bear the brunt of the crisis. There is no end to money to bail out the banks, but when it comes to essential services, there is none.

The San Francisco MTA has waged a campaign against the TWU in an attempt to weaken the union and to cover their own mismanagement in creating MUNI’s financial mess. It has called for cuts in service, hikes in fares and for the layoff of 176 TWU operators. At yesterday’s rally in front of the MTA offices, the union asked for an independent accounting of the MTA's $783 million budget, of which only $200 million is spent on operational costs.

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