Who Are We Page

Who Are We?

We are the United Transportation Union (UTU), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. We are a broad-based, transportation labor union representing about 125,000 active and retired railroad, bus and mass transit workers in the United States and Canada.

With offices in Ottawa, Ontario and Washington, D.C., the UTU is the largest railroad operating union in the rail industry. It includes more than 700 locals in North America, representing railroad, bus and mass transit employees on every Class 1 railroad, many regional and shortline railroads, and approximately 45 bus and transit systems.

Membership is drawn primarily from the operating crafts in the railroad industry and includes conductors, brakemen, switchmen, ground service personnel, locomotive engineers, hostlers and workers in associated crafts. More than 1,800 railroad yardmasters also are represented by the Yardmasters' Department of the UTU. The UTU's 8,000 bus and transit members include drivers, mechanics and workers in related occupations.

Widely recognized as the leader among transportation labor unions, the UTU sets the pace in national and state legislative activity, collective bargaining, and in efforts to improve safety and working conditions on the railroads and in the bus and transit industries. Through experienced representation and its legislative strength, the UTU has been instrumental in the creation of Amtrak (the national rail passenger system), the formation and success of Conrail, the enactment of numerous safety laws and the promotion of employee assistance programs.

The UTU has been successful in the past and continues to strive for progressive and innovative contracts that insure excellent wages and benefits and a healthy pension system for the railroad, bus and mass transit employees who have devoted their lives to service to the industry.

The UTU also continues to lead in efforts to combat drug and alcohol abuse among its members, in the promotion of mass transit and an efficient rail passenger service, and in protecting its members and the public from the unsafe shipment of hazardous materials.

History of the UTU
History of the UTU and the American Labor Movement