The Digital Age: Empowering Workers Through Inclusion – attended by Chief Steward of Operations: Nathan Lewis.

The conference was well attended with more than 300 Black ATU Members and colleagues from all across North America meeting to discuss critical issues facing Black transit workers.
International President, John Costa, International Vice President Yvette Trujillo, ATU Canada President, John Di Nino and Northwest Conference President, Robert Bean were all in attendance along with various International Vice Presidents.

There were multiple speakers who guided us through the history of the Black Caucus, the birth of Black unions and origins going all the way back to slavery (which was abolished in the US in 1865).

There was discussion on the current state of immigration in the States and how that directly affects and is in fact an attack on, the labour movement. The majority of undocumented workers being targeted are Black or other ethnic minorities.

Another topic was AI and its rapid growth. In 2024 $10B was invested in AI and that number continues to increase.

Waymo introduced robo-taxis in 2024 and is leading the way in autonomous transportation. It is owned by Google and utilizes Google mapping.

There has been rapid growth with 100,000 in 2023 and over 500,000 in 2025.

Waymo also spent $3.9 million lobbying US congress in 2025. The Federal Government is fast tracking developments as “micro-transit” is here to stay.

Today’s AI technology is clearly here to stay, which means we must be proactive in how we use it. Rather than allowing AI to take over our work, we should focus on using it to complement and enhance what we do. Its greatest potential lies in working alongside us, supporting human creativity, decision-making, and productivity, not replacing them.

Overall, it was a very interesting and educational conference that left attendees with a lot to think about and a lot to share with our fellow transit workers.