MBTA Management Union Local453 www.opeiu453.org

Chartered by OPEIU on May 1, 1973, Local 453’s mission is to protect the rights, economic well-being and general welfare of the professional, office and clerical employees at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. ??According to the Local 453 Constitution and Bylaws, the Union declares to organize all unorganized monthly payroll employees of the MBTA; to secure terms and conditions of employment for its members consistent with American ideals of fair wages; to encourage harmonious relations between ourselves and our employer; to render assistance to our fellow AFL/CIO members where needed and in general, promote the same goals and purposes as those of the International (OPEIU) as provided in their Constitution in the interest of all of our members.

A Brief History of the MBTA ?www.mbta.com

On August 3, 1964 the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, having been voted into law in June of 1964 by the General Court (Acts of 1964, Chapter 563/M.G.L.A. Chapter 161A), became a political entity charged with the implementation of a new, bold concept of mass transportation. It was to have an extraordinary impact on Boston and 77 other total cities and towns. The "T", as it immediately came to be known, was one of the first combined regional transportation planning and operating agencies to be established in the United States.

This newly created Authority, like its predecessor the MTA, a body politic, and a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, greatly expanded its services from the original 14 cities and towns to encompass 78 municipalities. Immediately the "T" undertook a very aggressive advertising and marketing campaign to enhance its new image, to recapture lost ridership, build new customer usage, and expand its services with new equipment.In terms of daily ridership, the MBTA remains the nation's 5th largest mass transit system. It serves a population of 4,667,555 (2000 census) in 175 cities and towns with an area of 3,244 square miles. To carry out its mission it maintains 183 bus routes, 2 of which are Bus Rapid Transit lines, 3 rapid transit lines, 5 streetcar (Central Subway/Green Line) routes, 4 trackless trolley lines and 13 commuter rail routes. Its roster of equipment consists of 927 diesel and CNG buses, 32 dual mode buses, 28 electric buses, 408 heavy rail vehicles, 200 light rail vehicles, 10 PCC's streetcars, 83 commuter rail locomotives, 410 commuter rail coaches and 298 MBTA-owned specially equipped vans and sedans, and an additional 235 contractor-supplied specially equipped vans and sedans. The average weekday ridership for the entire system is approximately 1.1 million passenger trips.The MBTA can look back on a tradition of three hundred years of continuous mass transportation services. From the earliest beginnings to the present, the MBTA can be proud of its long tradition of innovation and progress. While claiming to be America's oldest subway, it still remains the vibrant life stream of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts.

 Office and Professional Employees International Union

www.opeiu.org

Office and Professional Employees International Union is devoted and dedicated to promoting, protecting and championing the struggles of professional, technical, and office employees throughout the United States and Canada. OPEIU was chartered in 1945 and represents over 125,000 employees in both the private and public sectors; we’re one of the larger unions of the AFL-CIO. OPEIU members win better jobs, better pay and better benefits every day.