Unionists: Defend LA Bus Drivers

On September 25, some 60 unionists, leftists and community activists rallied outside Metro headquarters in Los Angeles to demand the immediate reinstatement of two bus drivers disciplined for speaking out in defense of immigrant riders. On their own steam, some 30 drivers had pledged to refuse ICE thugs entry to their buses; and two of them, Seán Broadbent and Jaime, publicized this stand to a local media outlet. In response, the Metro bosses summarily fired them. Coming at a time when working people are under attack on many fronts—from the anti-immigrant crackdown to mass layoffs of federal workers—the initiative taken by these bus drivers points to the urgent need to draw the unions into collective action on behalf of their members and broader layers of the class.

Significantly, initial pushback from the bus drivers and some mechanics compelled Metro to back off the firings and instead impose a 60-day unpaid suspension on Seán and Jaime. A small core of transit workers—including members of the Committee for One Fighting Transit Union (COFTU)—formed the “Unionists for Seán and Jaime” coalition to coordinate a defense campaign under the demands: “No discipline! Full back pay!” The coalition initiated and built the September 25 rally, which brought out a small number of drivers from SMART Local 1607, mechanics from ATU Local 1277 and other union militants as well as a host of left groups. These included the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Freedom Socialist Party, Socialist Alternative, Tempest Collective, Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle, the Internationalist Group and the Spartacist League. The protest was a modest but important first step in rallying unionists and their allies in their own defense.

It also provided a forum to discuss strategy for the defense of immigrants. The DSA’s answer is to appeal to the conscience of the Metro Board—in particular, liberal Democratic L.A. County supervisor Janice Hahn—to protect immigrant riders from ICE. Such pleas are bound to fail. The Metro Board oversees service and job cuts and the lack of efficient mass transit for immigrant and other riders. Hahn herself offers words of sympathy, but all for the purpose of covering for the complete lack of protections for and super-exploitation of immigrants in a city ruled for decades by Democrats.

Under pressure, Hahn opposed the firings of Seán and Jaime to undercut the momentum of the union-based defense campaign. But she refuses to do anything to get discipline dropped altogether because the last thing the Democrats want to condone is union members stepping up as a collective fighting force. Instead, she proposes that Metro inform immigrants of their rights—which does absolutely nothing to keep the ridership out of ICE’s clutches. As the SL speaker at the rally argued:

We reprint below a leaflet about the rally issued by COFTU on October 13. COFTU seeks to unite the three main unions representing Metro workers into one strong fist under a leadership that fights for the interests of transit workers and the rest of the working class.

In July, SMART bus operators Seán Broadbent and Jaime shared with the LA Public Press that they and around 30 of their coworkers had vowed not to let unidentified, masked and armed ICE agents onboard without a warrant. As a result, they were both fired. After Seán went back to the media saying this was retaliatory, the discipline was reduced to a 60-day suspension. But this remains a threat to the rest of the workforce. So, we in the Committee for One Fighting Transit Union joined with other Metro workers to form Unionists for Seán and Jaime, holding a rally on September 25 demanding clean reinstatements with full backpay.

While the rally was small, various Metro union members, other unionists and left activists joined in. It was a success, despite the blowback we encountered. TCU Local 1315 leadership refused to engage. ATU mostly stonewalled, only sending a letter to the top dog at SMART that it then refused to make public, despite a membership motion calling for it to do so. A SMART local vice chairman wanted to speak at the rally, but leadership ordered him to stand down. Meanwhile, rumors circulated that Metro would discipline anyone who attended.

All Metro workers must defend Seán and Jaime! Metro intimidates workers who reach out to the press on safety issues in order to control the narrative. Many coworkers say “follow the policy” or “it’s not your bus.” But operators are like captains of a ship; they are stewards of their riders. What Metro feared most was this step toward collective action—with drivers taking safety into their own hands—while Trump says ICE can go anywhere. Unions coming together for two of their own would put us in a stronger position to defend all of us.

While all rally participants agreed on the main demands, there was open debate on how best to achieve them. The Democratic Socialists of America and others, for example, pushed for Metro to adopt a “proactive policy” to protect immigrants. But Metro already has a policy: to punish people like Seán and Jaime for standing up to ICE. Metro wants transit moving to keep profits flowing to the bosses of Los Angeles. Metro doesn’t care about its own workforce, let alone immigrant riders.

The bosses will not bend to moral pressure to do right. The bottom line is all they care about. That’s why COFTU demands that the unions flex their muscle. The bosses need us, we don’t need them—we make the wheels turn! Keep up on the fight to defend Seán and Jaime at linktr.ee/unionists4sj.