CATS workers strike through Mardi Gras as ATU International President visits to show solidarity
BATON ROUGE, La. (LOUISIANA FIRST NEWS)— CATS workers remain on strike, demanding a fair contract and improved working conditions. On Tuesday, they lined up with signs, ponchos and tents outside the CATS bus station on Florida St.
Baton Rouge bus drivers strike over safety, CATS ensures service
'Safety is the number one issue for me and my drivers. We want to make sure we go home in the afternoon. We don't want to be insulted or assaulted, and we want our company to stand behind us when those things happen,' said Inez Bowie, executive board member of Operations at ATU Local 1546.
Despite the festive atmosphere of Mardi Gras, Bowie joined other CATS workers on the strike and said that as a CATS employee, it's important for her to let her voice be heard.
'We don't want to be out here. Today's Mardi Gras, we're festive, we'd prefer to be at the parades, enjoying time with our families, but at the end of the day, this is my family,' she said.
ATU International President John Costa also joined the strike. He stopped in Baton Rouge from Washington D.C, emphasizing the importance of supporting CATS workers and their fight for a fair contract.
'Heartening to me to see my members walking off the job and I'm very proud of them because the company took a position that we were dealing fairly and we thought we were going to go to arbitration and settle this the right way and continue to work. But they chose to change the contract,' he said. 'They should've left everything in place and we wouldn't be here.'
CATS Issued a statement ahead of the strike, saying they had plans to minimize disruptions and provide bus service for its passengers. Costa expressed hope that CATS management and the union could reach an agreement soon.
'They chose to change discipline, the grievance procedure, which is totally disrespectful,' he said. 'We feel this is illegal, we're asking them to take put the contract back as it was and let's go to arbitration like the contract shows and see and battle it out there.'
Until then, Costa urged continued support for the workers and encouraged the public to speak out.
'To the riders were sorry to say that there's this is going on and we ask them to support us and make a phone call to this general manager and tell him to do the right thing. And also to the board and also any politicians that are supporting this, we appreciate that and would urge them to do the same,' he said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Business Insider
My father and I work at AT&T together. On our hourlong commutes, he teaches me valuable lessons about life and my career.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nicole Wen, 25, who works at AT&T. It has been edited for length and clarity. My dad got a job at AT&T more than 26 years ago. After college, he told me about the company's amazing internship programs. I ended up doing three summer internships there throughout college, so that's how I got my foot in the door with the company. Today, we're both at AT&T. He is in a leadership position within sales, and I am a principal project program manager. When I first started my full-time job about two years ago, I was living in a townhouse super close to my dad's house, so we would carpool together every day for an hour each way. The most time I've ever spent with him was in those car rides, and it was very special because we learned so much about each other. My dad moved to America from Taiwan when he was 14 years old. He had to learn English, went to high school in California, and then to college in New York, where he met my mom. He then started working with a company that eventually became part of the AT&T family. During those car rides, he also shared a lot of life advice with me. The importance of having a good circle The more I got to know my dad, the more I realized he's a pretty cool guy. I learned he has more friends than I do. He's part of several social groups, like a Porsche club and a coffee club. He even writes a newsletter for a car club. You would think I would know everything about him since he is my father, but no, I never knew any of this about my dad. He's just got so much going on outside work. He inspired me to join an employee resource group. We do a lot of charity work and fundraising events. Our main mission is to support high school students and offer college scholarships. My dad started joining the events too, and that's another thing that we do together now. Our favorite event is the Lunar New Year event, and it's very special coming from a mixed-race household. It teaches me a lot more about my culture. We try all the food together, and it's a really nice bonding experience. Never say 'no' to an opportunity My dad always says, "Never say no to an opportunity, big or small." He often explains to me that opportunities don't come around all the time. It's always a chance to learn something new, and being uncomfortable is OK. This advice has helped me a lot in my networking. I never say no, just like he told me. So if I randomly get invited to a happy hour, that's not even on my own team, I still go — even if I'm tired. I've met a lot of people that way. Have multiple areas of expertise My dad also always says you have to have multiple areas of expertise to elevate your career. If you are an expert in one thing, you're going to be known as an expert for that one thing, and you're going to stay there. He says that's something that he wishes he did differently — expand his expertise versus just siloing in one spot. That definitely stuck with me. I now remind myself that it's good to move around. When I now start to feel comfortable, I seek out discomfort. Three months ago, for example, I accepted a new role coming from one in finance. Now, I'm doing chief of staff work, which is all about planning internal events and thinking about our operations. It's under a whole new set of leaders and seeing a side of the business that I haven't even touched on yet. I've gotten very uncomfortable, and it's been so great — thanks to my dad.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The Dollar Is Crumbling, And Hedge Fund Analyst Says A New Global Trade Is Brewing
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. As the U.S. dollar has slumped to its lowest level in over two years, emerging market stocks rallied in near-perfect inverse fashion—a trend that may be just at its early stages. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSE:EEM), which holds more than 800 EM stocks, posted its ninth consecutive daily gain—the longest streak since the fund's inception in 2016—reaching levels last seen before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'As an investor, I want to operate under the assumption that... the dollar is going to be devaluing," Otavio Costa, macro analyst at Crescat Capital, said in an exclusive interview with Benzinga. "You want to buy natural resources, you want to buy hard assets, but you also want to buy emerging markets in a big way,' he added. Trending: Let your money work smarter: . No hidden fees, no commitment. At the core of Costa's view is the widening gap in interest payments between the U.S. and its developed peers. The U.S. spends about 5% of its gross domestic product on interest—when combining federal and local levels—far exceeding developed peers like Germany, Japan, and Canada, where interest costs are about 1%. Because the U.S. has far less fiscal flexibility, Costa believes it will be forced to cut rates more aggressively than other economies. For Costa, the implication is clear: 'That's going to translate into interest rates differentials contracting and causing the dollar to fall."Costa emphasized the valuation gap between U.S. and emerging market equities. "The Cyclically Adjusted Price-to-Earnings (CAPE) ratio of the U.S. is about 35, one of the highest in history. You look at Brazil, and it's about 12." he said. "Why would you not deploy capital there?' Costa sees emerging markets, hard assets and undervalued foreign equities as the likely beneficiaries of this rotation. He sees particular value in Brazil, not just in equities but in fixed income as well. "In Brazil, the equity market looks attractive, the bond market looks very attractive," Costa said. Among developed markets, Costa is particularly bullish on Canada. He sees the Canadian dollar—historically linked to oil and natural gas—on the verge of a breakout, fueled by its commodity exposure and underweight positioning in global portfolios. "The Canadian dollar is a contrarian play that could benefit from U.S. weakness and commodity strength," he said, adding that Canadian mining companies could also enjoy capital inflows. He added that capital markets are already signaling a shift. "Argentina starts doing well all of a sudden after politics changes... India is doing quite well. Japanese equities doing better than the U.S. Now you're seeing European equities outperform U.S. equities." "These things are just starting to occur," he said. "They're big moves." Read Next: Level up your portfolio tracking with Snowball Analytics: see all your investments in one dashboard with real-time stock and dividend tracking for free today. Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney. This article The Dollar Is Crumbling, And Hedge Fund Analyst Says A New Global Trade Is Brewing originally appeared on Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Champlain Area Trails seeks land conservation manager
WESTPORT — Champlain Area Trails recently announced a $100,000 grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund to establish a new permanent position of land conservation manager. This role will spearhead land protection efforts throughout New York's Champlain Valley, advancing CATS's mission to maintain trails to connect people with nature and ensure long-term access to outdoor recreation, all promoting economic vitality in New York's Champlain Valley. 'This role strengthens our commitment to protecting critical lands, building partnerships with private landowners, and creating lasting connections for future generations,' Arin Burdo, executive director of CATS, said. 'The land conservation manager will be pivotal in expanding our ability to preserve the natural beauty of our region.' In addition to general land conservation initiatives, the land conservation manager will focus on implementing critical current projects, including: — A New York State Smart Growth grant focused on converting temporary trail agreements into permanent trail easements, ensuring lasting public access to these natural spaces. — The acquisition of the Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center, which will expand public opportunities for outdoor education, community engagement and environmental stewardship. 'This new position allows us to take bold steps in advancing our conservation mission,' Burdo said. 'We're excited to grow our team and strengthen our efforts to protect and share the beautiful landscapes of the Champlain Valley with everyone.' This new position, funded through a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will focus on major ongoing conservation projects, identify future opportunities and collaborate with local landowners, communities and conservation partners. The land conservation manager will also play a role in securing grants and donations to support future projects. 'We are grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Land Trust Alliance for their support,' Burdo said. 'Their commitment helps ensure that everyone has the chance to experience the beauty and wonder of the Champlain Valley.' The Land Conservation project is supported with funding from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program and New York's Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Visit for more information about the land conservation manager position or to apply by the July 6 deadline.
