STATEMENT ON MARTA FINANCIAL CRISIS

ATLANTA TRANSIT RIDERS UNION – ATLANTA JOBS WITH JUSTICE

Layoffs, budget cuts, and foreclosures are all signs of a deepening
economic crisis that is affecting every sector of our society. While
trillions of dollars are spent on wars and to bail out Wall Street and
the banks, very little of that money is getting down to the masses of
people who need it the most. In public transit, we see fare increases,
service cuts, and layoffs hitting every major system in the country.
St. Louis, for example, lost 43% of their bus service because of
severe cuts in operations funding.

MARTA’s current crisis is caused by these national conditions, but is
made even worse by this state’s racist history of under-funding and
paternalistic control of Atlanta’s public institutions. In 1971,
MARTA’s original idea was to have a free fare, but this was
unacceptable to the Lieutenant Governor, well-known segregationist
Lester Maddox. He made sure that MARTA would be forced to spend half
of its budget on capital expenses. This forced MARTA to make up the
difference in operating costs at the fare box. In addition, the state
placed four members on the MARTA board and MARTA continues to be the
only major U.S. transit system to receive no operating help from the
state.

Legislation to lift the 50/50 restriction on MARTA’s budget recently
failed to pass. MARTA now faces a $24 million deficit, $40 million
next year, and a projected $588-634 million shortfall over the next
decade. What is MARTA management’s response? They propose to raise
fares, eliminate Friday service, and layoff workers. These drastic
measures will have a severe impact on MARTA riders, those 30,000 who
transfer to MARTA from outlying systems, and Amalgamated Transit Union
members. Those who will be especially hit hard are the 63% of MARTA
riders who have household incomes of less than $30,000 a year and the
54% who depend on MARTA to get to work.

The state’s racist refusal to provide MARTA operating resources it
needs represents a failure to respect, protect, and fulfill the
government’s human rights obligations to our community. The Atlanta
Transit Riders Union and Atlanta Jobs with Justice believe that
everyone has a human right to jobs, housing, education, health care,
and transportation access. Atlanta taxpayers pay half the state’s
taxes, but get back only one-third of what the state spends on
services. It’s time to stop the subsidizing of road-building in south
Georgia, while MARTA, Grady, and our public schools struggle to survive.

Only a movement led by those most affected by this crisis can build
the power we need at this critical time. We demand the state reconvene
in order to lift the 50/50 restriction. We say “NO” to service cuts,
fare increases, layoffs, or state takeover of MARTA. We say “YES” to
better service, lower fares, state and regional funding, and community
control. Nationally, we will be working with Transit Riders for Public
Transportation, which supports mass expansion of transit and
restriction of auto use. We organize knowing that the people
themselves are the only protection we have against injustice. We did
not cause this crisis and we are determined to not be the ones to pay
for it.

Atlanta Transit Riders Union/Atlanta Jobs with Justice