CTA workers, members of ATU Local 308, canvassing stations to raise awareness of fiscal cliff

CHICAGO (WLS) -- CTA workers say they've reached a dire situation and are fighting for their jobs, if what was outlined in a grim report released last week comes to fruition.

Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308 are canvassing Blue and Red Line stations Wednesday, handing out pamphlets to riders on the impending fiscal cliff facing Chicago public transit.

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"It is feeling like we're fighting. We're trying to get the safety issues taken care of. We're trying to get the morale of the ridership; we're trying to get that back up," CTA switch operator Brandy Leach said.

Leach has been a switch operator for the CTA for 24 years.

"We kind of get the service rolling. So, if it wasn't for us, there would be no trains to run," Leach said.

She was worried, she says, after last week's report from the Regional Transportation Authority, projecting drastic cuts on the horizon next year for Metra, Pace and the CTA, if lawmakers in Springfield don't work to resolve the $771 million budget gap by the end of this legislative session.

"I was nervous," Leach said. "I need my job, and the public needs CTA."

According to the RTA, at least four of the eight CTA rail lines would have service suspended, closing or drastically reducing service to over 50 rail stations. Bus service would also be significantly reduced; 74 of 127 bus routes would be eliminated.

"If we don't get this funding, it's going to be layoffs, and that means food off the table for employees, service cuts, where people can't get to their doctors appointments, grocery stores and things of that nature. So, we're out here being proactive and trying to get this done before we get to that point," said Pennie McCoach, president and business agent for ATU Local 308.

CTA workers are trying to raise awareness of the issue and the impacts on riders Wednesday.

"Public transit is a key component of any major metropolitan area. I've never owned a car in my life. I rely on the CTA to get to work every single day, and I'm just surprised that the government isn't stepping in to do more of the funding. I feel like it is a public service," CTA rider Coi Stopek said.

"This is something that has been going on for years and years and years, and we have been kicking this can down the road instead of fixing the problem. So, right now we're trying to fix the problem," McCoach said.

Consolidating the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace has also been thrown around as an idea in an effort to run the transit system more efficiently and cost-effectively. But, the union says they are not in favor of that.

Lawmakers have until May 31 to figure it out.