Amalgamated Association Of Street And Electric Railway Employees

Four black and white stripes with contrasting text with the image of a trolley toward the top and the union seal at the bottom.

The Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America union was founded in September of 1892. The union was intended to represent employees of the transit industry and be international, initially focusing on the east coast of the United States and Canada. The objectives of the union included settlement of disputes with management, securing fair compensation and good working conditions also education for workers. Although the union participated in strikes by the start of the 20^th century the union became much more militant in its efforts. During these strikes the public and small business often sympathized with the streetcar employees. Nowadays the Amalgamated Transit Union is the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada. The union has over 190,000 members across 46 states and 9 provinces. The ATU represents operators of buses, vans, subway trains, and light rail. Additionally clerks, baggage handlers, maintenance workers and others are also represented by ATU. There are currently 220 local unions in North America with Chicago being Division 241.