New York, NY –The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is the largest transit union in North America. ATU transit and allied trade members enjoy the highest wages and benefits in the industry. They are leaders in the fight to ensure safety in Mass Transit. They work hard to improve service for their riders.
The ATU is also the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1892, the ATU today is comprised of over 180,000 members in 268 local unions spread across 46 states and nine provinces. Composed of bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance and clerical personnel and other transit and municipal employees, the ATU works to promote transit issues and fights for the interests of its hard-working members.
Since 1916, Local 726 has represented the Operators, Mechanics, and other titles of the various bus companies that through the years operated local bus service on Staten Island. They now represent 2000 employees and retirees of the New York City Transit.
They operate 23 local routes on Staten Island. Two of those routes provide service to Brooklyn and one provides service to Bayonne N.J. They also operate 22 express routes between Staten Island and Manhattan.
LaborPress spoke to one of their stand-out workers, Peter Warner, a bus operator who grew up on Staten Island where many of these routes are located, to find out more about his job, his experience, and a very special rescue that have made many call him a hero.
“My duties, as a bus operator, are to pick up passengers, and take them to and from their destination in a safety and timely matter,” he says.
Those who live or have lived on the routes that are served by Local 726 surely understand that there is a great amount of skill involved in negotiating not only extremely busy streets and traffic, but, as Warner points out, the care of those who ride the bus. Transit workers also, at times, must look out for themselves, due to occasional situations where their own safety is at risk.
Warner says that his career in the industry began by simply filling out an application for the job. “There was no test,” he says, “I think because there was a demand for bus drivers.” But that was not the end of the long process. “I filled it out and 3 years later I was called in for an interview.” He also had to follow that with a psychological evaluation.
Warner passed that hurdle and was hired. “I’ve had the same job title for 13 1/2 years.”
His longevity and dedication to his job and union was partly due to his parents’ influence on him while growing up. “I looked up to my father. He retired from the MTA. He was in Structure down in the subways. He was a supervisor for 31 years. He always worked hard. My mom worked 30 years for ShopRite. Both my parents were union workers.”
Warner has also stood out in another way, a way that must be described as heroic. On June 19, 2024, while navigating the S61 route towards the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, he came upon a toddler wandering in the middle of the road. The child, estimated to be only about 3 years old was running down the street in an intersection.
Warner secured his bus, putting it in the middle of the intersection to block the child from running out in front of it, as it seemed as if that was where he was headed. Also, Warner took into consideration that cars would start coming around the bus. He exited the bus and quickly secured the boy, and brought him on the bus, contacting his union and EMS responders right away.
When asked if there were any particular instincts that kicked in at this crucial moment, Warner says, “My parent’s instinct kicked in to rescue the child from the middle of the street. Having two kids of my own my focus was fully on to save that child and made sure he got home safe!”
Did any of his training help him in this time of potential crisis? “Yes, because we are taught to forward plan. I saw this happening from a distance and knew I had to make a decision quick.”
The boy was uninjured and he and his parents were able to reunite. Daniel Cassella, president of ATU Local 726, applauded the efforts of Warner, and said, “The drivers, they do a lot of things every day to help people, and every once in a while you get one like this where it’s really a miracle that nothing happened to this kid.”
Says Warner, “I am very proud to be a part of ATU Local 726. They are there to guide, protect and help us no matter what the circumstances are. Being a bus driver takes a lot of dedication and tolerance to please the public!”
