Fair Fares for a Full Recovery Coalition Press Release, 12/22/23

On the evening of December 21, 2023, Allegheny County Office of the County Executive Fitzgerald announced a commitment to a long-term 50% discounted transit fare program for SNAP households in the region, funded by the County Department of Human Services (DHS). The Fair Fares for a Full Recovery Coalition, consisting of more than 40 organizations advocating for zero fare public transit for low-income households, recognizes that this is one step in the right direction. However, a zero-fare program is still what is desperately needed by people in the community; imposing a still significant financial burden on very low income families is not good policy. We are eager to move expeditiously in the New Year towards a zero fare program for all SNAP households. Providing that level of benefit, funded by DHS, has proven overwhelmingly beneficial- for riders, DHS, Pittsburgh Regional Transit and our region as a whole.

Pilot-program participant and mother of four Tameeka Jones Cuff says, “I have chronic health issues, and being a beneficiary of the yearlong DHS zero fare pilot program has ensured that I can make my doctors’ appointments and be healthier, get groceries, to work and meet my family’s needs. It’s been a life-saver. I’ve watched the tears fall when other families like mine have to make tough decisions about which trips and essential needs to prioritize because transit fares are unaffordable. 

We know that County Executive Innamorato has been a champion for public transit and the full needs of low-income riders, and look forward to seeing a fully-realized program come to fruition under her leadership.”

Central and important elements about how this fare program will be implemented have not been made available yet, and without that information, low-income people remain in the dark about how beneficial and effective the newly-announced commitment might be. 

Transit riders, social service organizations, and employers have long recognized that our region needs a zero-fare program for all SNAP households, in an arrangement funded by the County Department of Human Services. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to sign the Coalition’s public letter calling for the user-friendly implementation of a permanent, accessible, zero fare program for all County households receiving SNAP/EBT. Sign-ons to the letter will be collected until early January, at fairfaresnow.com. 

Casa San Jose and Pittsburghers for Public Transit Celebrate Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Steps Toward Language Equity!

You may have noticed that starting the week of December 10th, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) began playing bilingual announcements in English and Spanish at select train stations along the Red Line! PRT also added Spanish language access on its Customer Service line (412-422-2000), and Spanish language information has been added to LED info boards along the Red Line.

Casa San Jose and Pittsburghers for Public Transit applaud these important steps toward a more accessible transit system for Latino residents. The changes bring us closer to a Pittsburgh region that celebrates culture, welcomes immigrants, and embraces inclusion, dignity, and respect. Spanish language announcements on public transit provide essential information for transit riders and send a city-wide message that non-native English speakers are welcome in our city. 

But this victory does not come easy. We have organized with Latino transit riders for years toward this win – congratulations to all!

Public transit is critical for Latino residents and the entire community. Latino transit riders have long been advocating to the Pittsburgh Regional Transit Board of Directors to improve language access along the T and throughout the rest of the system. Already, the Spanish-language announcements are making it easier for riders to use PRT. This will expand ridership and build a stronger transit system.

Casa San Jose has already received feedback of good customer service in Spanish. Once a Spanish interpreter was requested, the attendant said “Un momento, por favor.” The interpretation was good, and the PRT attendant seemed well-trained in using an interpreter. Casa San Jose is excited to share this customer service number with the community we serve, and we appreciate all the efforts PRT has undertaken to make this resource available to our community. 

The week of December 11^th, 2023, PRT began playing the following announcement over the speakers and on the LED scroll boards in a number of T stations in downtown Pittsburgh: 

<< ¿Sabía que la información del Servicio de Atención al Cliente de PRT está disponible 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana? Llame al cuatro-uno-dos, cuatro-cuatro-dos, dos mil y pulse dos para la traducción al español. O, durante el horario comercial normal, solicite un traductor cuando hable con un agente en vivo. >>

On Wednesday, December 14^th at 8:30am, two Spanish-speakers were waiting in the Steel Plaza Station for their Red Line train to Beechview. Upon hearing the auditory announcement in Spanish, one of them jumped up and, speechless, pointed at their ear. The other recognized their native language over the loudspeaker and a big grin spread across their face. Another community member told Casa San Jose, “Lo escuché ayer y me sorprendí! Es muy excelente lo que están haciendo para nuestra comunidad, de saber que podemos llamar a ellos en español.” (I heard it yesterday and I was surprised! It’s excellent what they’re doing for our community, to know that we can call them in Spanish.) 

Casa San Jose welcomes hundreds of Spanish-speaking community members in our office each month. Most of our people do not have access to driver’s licenses and are looking to make Pittsburgh their forever home. We are so grateful to Pittsburgh Regional Transit for setting the example in how to make Pittsburgh a Welcoming City, and we look forward to working with them in the future.

Get involved in a PPT Working Committee to help make more wins like this possible for better public transit!!

Sweet victory! It was an all-out celebration at our year-end victoy party last week.

YET AGAIN! We were overjoyed to close out another year of organizing with a tremendous victory party with all of our members. This one was probably our biggest yet! with more than 100 people coming from all parts of the county. The blow-out gathering of PPT Member-love was certainly a fitting finale to our year.

It has been a difficult year for the PPT family, as many of our members struggled with health issues, and we lost two core members to complications. So we started our party with their spirits centered in our hearts, holding a moment of silence for PPT Members Lisa Gonzalez and Jon Robison and a moment of solidarity with PPT Members Paul O’Hanlon and Molly Nichols. These people have all shaped our work in their own ways and built our family. Each of their legacies will always be a part of our organizing.

We then transitioned on to a recap of our year! There was A LOT of work done by PPT Members in 2023 and we have victories to show for it. For one, we are still celebrating the election of a champion for public transit as the next Allegheny County Executive and eagerly awaiting her inauguration on January 2nd. The work that PPT did during the Primary and General election cycles in collaboration with transit workers paid off big time. Sara brings both a big vision and a core belief that transit riders and workers need to play a huge part in shaping our transit system.

We also made some more big steps forward on the other campaign goals of our 2023 Strategic Plan. On Fair Fares, we were able to continue organizing to enroll 14,000 people into the Department of Human Services Discount Fares Pilot Program, that tested the impact of free fares for Allegheny County families who receive SNAP/EBT benefits. We were also able to secure the indefinite extension of the pilot program, giving these families support as we push to make a fully free and permanent program for all. Big victories on the other areas of that plan will be pushed on an upcoming blog!

Member Voting Continued on the 2024 Strategic Plan! Don’t forget to vote before January 1st!

Our 2024 Strategic Plan is called We Ride Together! And it has been crafted over the last 5 months with input from more than 150 PPT Members at 3 big events. Its been edited and workshopped by our staff and board and the final draft is up for a ratification vote before January 1st.

If you’re an active PPT Member, you’re eligible to vote on this plan! See more of the plan’s details and cast our ballot below.

Thanks to all the members, staff, and volunteers who made this year a success. Also, thanks to County Executive-Elect Sara Innamorato and Councilwoman Barb Warwick for stopping by!

We need to give so many thanks to all of the members who came to celebrate. Thank you for donating your time and resources and believing in the work that we’re doing together. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to make the event a success, and helped us with all of our phone banks to invite people!

Thanks to PRT Bus Operator Khristian Sheard for providing the catering (you can book her by sending an email or Facebook Message) and to DJ Frank Nitte for spinning A+ tunes all night (send DJ Frank an email djfranknitte412@gmail.com or check out his facebook to book him).

In another 2023 first, we gave 20 awards to 20 different and utterly incredible PPT Members! All of our members play a vital role in moving our campaigns forward, but these folks went above and beyond this past year. Below are the names and awards that each received!

Contact Name	Award Name
Gabriel McMorland	Badass Bass Builder Who AMPS Us Up
Bill McDowell	Sidewalk Superhero
Damitra “Penny” Harris	Capitol Steps Speech Slayer
Gina Anderson	Deploys Planner Powers for Good
Teaira Collins	Just Fabulous. Wherever she is, you wanna be
Fred Mergner	Best Hidden Historian
Mona Mezcar	Rogue-ish, Most Chaotic Good
Rahul Amruthapuri	Dynamo Data Digging Dad
Amy Zaiss	PRT Board-Dogger Award
Spike Lewis	Transit for All PA! One Man Army
Brian Hatgalakas	Phonebank Phenom
Andrew Hussein	Serving the Inside Scoop since PRT was PAT
Jessica Benner	Cartographer and Scribe Most Wise
Clair Hopper	Chief Strategist of Strategy
Lorena Pena	La mera, mera guerrera de transito
Morgan Cikowski	B(adass) R(ebel) of T(ransit)
Antonia Guzman	Campeona de Tarifas Libres Para Todas
Ross Nicotero	The People’s Transit Boss
Joy Dore	GODMOTHER OF ACCESSIBILITY REBEL FOR THE CAUSE
Sue Scanlon	PPT’s Drive or Die

These victories are only won when we have folks invested in this movement. Become a PPT member today and join our fight for transportation that all can access.

AND OF COURSE, HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS! See the full album here on Flickr.

image description: below are photos from PPT’s Victory Party & Year-End Celebration. There are lots of people in these shots. Photos of colorful food. Colorful outfits. Many smiles. Dancing. Wonderful transit-themed artwork. Feather boas, and crowns. Delicious food, balloons, shiny tinsel wall decorations, and all-round fun times with loving community.

PPT is successful because we organize with love and vision. We organize as a family. Be a new member of our family, and join as a PPT Member today!

Help push for more funding for more service in our systems! Ask your Representatives and Senators to support the “Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act” today!

Pittsburghers for Public Transit went to Washington DC to talk about how public transit, like trains and buses, and accessible walking and bike routes, give us a healthy, clean, and affordable way for everyone to get around. We meet with our Senators, Congressional Representatives, and their staff to ask them to support Congressmember Johnson’s “Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act”, as well as the Senate version of the bill led by Senator Ossoff.

These bills would create a new federal formula grant program available to all transit agencies, rural and urban, to increase service frequency so that people don’t have to wait so long for the bus; to provide additional hours of service so that those who don’t work regular hours can still get to their jobs; and to add new, frequent service in the region.

Contact your representatives in the US House and Senate to co-sponsor the “Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act.” to increase transit service, frequency, & reliability.

Image description: illustration from PPT artist Neve Monroe-Anderson shows 5 people standing together on top of a bus holding signs. One of them is a transit worker. One is wearing a PPT t-shirt. One is in a wheelchair.

Calling all PPT Members: The time has come to vote on our 2024 Strategic Plan!

Your vote is a critical step in making sure our organizing is on point, on track, and directed towards the best outcomes in the following year. Please read the text of the strategic plan below, then cast your vote using the form at the bottom of the page. (Note: In-person voting will be available at our Victory Party on December 15th!)

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See the beautiful visual version of the 2024 Strategic Plan (created by artist and friend of PPT Emily Simons) by clicking the image below:

“We Ride Together!”: PPT’s 2024 Strategic Plan

Who we are and why we organize

Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) is a grassroots union of transit riders, workers and neighbors who organize for more equitable, affordable, and accessible public transit that meets all needs, with no communities left behind. We uphold the PPT Transit Bill of Rights, which identifies transit as a public good, and as essential to the economic, social and environmental well-being of our region. 

Recap of 2023

PPT is growing the movement for Transit Justice, by developing our collective power and by sharing the expertise of transit riders and workers to win affordable fares, expanded and reliable transit service, equitable infrastructure, and sustainable transit funding. 

An organizing highlight was PPT’s work in supporting the enrollment and participation of eligible immigrants, people with disabilities and families into the Department of Human Services-funded discounted fare pilot program with 14,000 enrollees. Winning this pilot program was a critical milestone in the campaign for zero fares for all SNAP households in Allegheny County. 

Transit riders and workers also had a powerful impact on County Executive race, both in educating County Executive candidates on community transit demands, and in organizing residents to #VoteTransit. PPT centered the low-income fare demand in the County Executive race, which led all the candidates who participated in the PPT bus ride-alongs and PPT transit questionnaires to commit to an expanded zero fare program as part of their campaign platforms. Because of PPT’s organizing, transit riders and transit workers have now been elevated to crucial positions in the incoming County Executive transition Policy Committee for Reliable, Modern Transportation and Infrastructure.  

Over 2023, PPT has led the call for the City of Pittsburgh to invest in accessible, equitable infrastructure over private transportation technology. We published “Representing our Routes,” a report laying out the challenges and opportunities for City leaders to both improve and advocate for better public transit. And PPT has continued to elevate the harm of unreliable transit schedules and service reductions on transit riders and workers, and on the region at large.

Our 2024 Strategic Plan 

This year, we will lead with the slogan “We Ride Together”.

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots, democratic union, committed to transparent and collaborative governance of our staff and organization. Our annual Strategic Plan is both an important process and product to ensure that our organization has clear goals and accountability mechanisms that can be referenced throughout the course of the year. Our 2024 Strategic Plan builds on the opportunities and successes of campaigns advanced throughout 2023, but also on the feedback and ideas of our members and Board Leadership. 

We began the process at PPT’s Summer Party, soliciting ideas for 2024 PPT organizational and campaign goals, then drafted a Strategic Plan document that was workshopped both with our democratically-elected Coordinating Committee and membership in meetings and online forms. Feedback solicited from September through November were analyzed to find members’ key questions, critiques, and ideas. Those takeaways are reflected in this, the final draft of our Strategic Plan, which has been voted upon by PPT’s democratically-elected Board of Directors, and is now brought to the membership for ratification.

The following are Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Organizational Development Goals and Campaign Goals for 2024:

PPT Organizational Development Goals:

• PPT Membership Growth: we will grow to have 400 full, active members by the end of 2024.
• PPT Membership Voting Engagement: we will have a minimum of 50% of the membership vote on the annual Strategic Plan and on the annual Board of Directors elections.
• PPT Relationship Building with Targeted Communities: we will put extra resources and focus on building relationships with transit workers, transit riders who are Spanish-speaking, those who live in the Mon Valley and South Hills, riders who utilize ASL interpretation, and youth.

• PPT will run monthly transit tours alongside Casa San Jose in order to build community relationships, support utilization of our transit system, and understand specific community transit barriers and priorities. These tours will be expanded to incorporate teaching and engaging youth around the transit system. 
• PPT will develop standing geographically-based transit committees in both the Mon Valley and the South Hills.
• PPT will train members to do presentations about our work and hold listening sessions with allied issue organizations and community-based organizations.

2024 Key Campaign Goals

#Fair Fares Goals:

• Department of Human Service-Funded Permanent Zero Fare program for All SNAP Households in the County: PPT will ensure its successful implementation and full eligible rider adoption in 2024.
• Employer/Developer-Paid Bulk Discount Fare Program: PPT will organize for PRT to implement a bulk discount fare program for corporations, municipalities, agencies and developers to purchase.
  • PPT will organize the City of Pittsburgh to budget for transit passes for all City employees in 2025.
  • PPT will research best practices and organize for Allegheny County to pass legislation to require or incentivize companies, municipalities, agencies and developers to purchase these bulk transit passes for workers, constituents or residents.
  • PPT will develop research and organize around model legislation for Allegheny County, that would compel corporations, developers and other large employers or landlords to purchase transit passes for their employees, constituents, and renters.

Transit Service Goals: 

• Universal Baseline Quality Service: PPT will publish a report about the cost and equity impact of establishing Countywide quality baseline transit service. This plan would expand the PRT service footprint to match the 2009 Transit Development Plan recommendations, would create minimum service frequencies and service spans to accommodate all types of workers and uses.
  • We will use this demand as a basis for organizing the County Executive to set goals around service restoration and expansion.
  • We will use this to ground our demands for transit funding at a County, State and Federal level.
• Defend our Service! PPT will organize affected riders on routes impacted by cuts, including the 71A, 71C, 71D, 61D and 15 to stop and reverse those cuts.
• Schedule Reliability: PPT will organize for PRT to publish realistic schedules with multiple timepoints that are able to be met by transit workers, and track the on-time performance and instances of ghost buses in 2024. To do so, PPT will organize for an expanded role for transit workers in scheduling decisions. 
• Worker Recruitment and Retention: PPT will organize for PRT to set and meet targets for transit worker recruitment and retention, using recommendations from ATU Local 85 including eliminating the wage tiers. We will identify other strategies for hiring and retention by calling for an audit of current PRT staffing practices.

Equitable Infrastructure Goals: 

• “Complete Streets”: PPT will organize for the development, maintenance and enforcement of accessible and dignified sidewalks and bus shelters.
  • Through the Complete Streets Committee, we will hold the City accountable to meeting reasonable benchmarks towards its goal of completing 80% of the City sidewalk network by 2026.
  • PPT will call on DOMI and City Council to enforce its bus stop shelter contract, to include relocating vacant shelters to existing bus stops, and placing new shelters and benches. 
• Beyond the East Busway: PPT will organize with riders in the original Beyond the East Busway tool’s geographic region to activate local transit committees.
  • Beginning in the Mon Valley, PPT will accelerate equitable access to rapid transit, economic and housing opportunities in the County. 
• Housing/Transit Land Use Goals: PPT will identify opportunities to maximize affordable housing in high-quality transit corridors.
  • Local: PPT will organize with tenants and Pittsburgh Housing Justice orgs to pass inclusionary zoning legislation for high minimum standards of affordable housing as part of every new housing development.
  • County: PPT will organize for PRT to pass mandates around equitable transit-oriented development around its best transit infrastructure assets, to  include a minimum percentage of affordability and connected and accessible first-last mile pedestrian infrastructure.

Transit Funding Goals: 

• Organizing for a More Just Allocation of the PA Sales Tax, by Giving More of Existing Money to Transit Riders Statewide. PPT will organize for increasing PRT operating funding (to support more transit workers and expanded transit service) by expanding the share of the existing PA sales tax allocated to the Public Transportation Trust Fund.
• Allow Local Referenda For Local Taxes for Infrastructure Improvements: PPT will continue to organize to allow PA counties to decide to raise money for transit infrastructure improvements (ie. bus-only lanes, nice bus shelters, a new bus garage) to have matching funds to access federal infrastructure bill dollars.

#VoteTransit Goals:

• Accountability: Develop and implement tactics that hold the new Allegheny County Executive accountable to the transit demands that riders developed in 2023, including ensuring the appointment of a minimum of 1 transit rider and 1 transit worker to the PRT Board.
• Identify Positions of Power for Transit: PPT will identify legislative seats and legislators at different levels that are important to target for transit education, voter education and voter mobilization.
• Educate and mobilize our existing #VoteTransit base: PPT will organize riders to participate in elections at all levels, and educate riders on candidate positions that are relevant to transit.

“At PPT, Transit riders and transit workers roll together. We’re not letting the system divide us and we’re building power.” – Sascha Craig, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 Member and PPT Member

Your PPT membership or donation will help our advocacy with transit workers like Sascha to build an equitable transit system for all.

Here at PPT, transit riders and transit workers ride together.

Together, we are laying out a vision – and developing the plan – for a transit service that truly serves us and meets all our region’s needs. With a new County Executive taking the helm, there has never been a greater opportunity to turn this bus around, but to win, we need you.

Hello!

I’m Sascha Craig and I’m proud to have worked at Pittsburgh Regional Transit now for almost 33 years. But transit is not just important to me; my family and community are full of both transit workers and transit riders who need our system to succeed. That’s why, during this year’s election for our next Allegheny County Executive, the stakes were too high for us to sit on the sidelines. 

The County Exec is the single most powerful elected official when it comes to our region’s transit. The County Exec controls appointments to PRT’s Board of Directors, they set policy and direct a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars meant to keep Allegheny County moving. With so much power on the ballot for Election Day, it was clear we had to organize, educate and elect a true transit champion as our next leader.

This year, PPT invited the County Exec candidates to ride the bus with transit riders and transit workers like me to hear firsthand the issues we face. We sent each of the candidates a questionnaire about their transit priorities and mailed out those answers to thousands of County residents. We mobilized riders and workers in every corner of Allegheny County to #VoteTransit on Election Day – and our efforts paid off. 

But the hardest work is yet to come! And that’s why I’m asking you to take action and become an active member of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. The opportunity to shape the future of transit in Allegheny County is truly at hand, but we’re going to need everyone to achieve the transit justice we deserve. Here at PPT, we ride together, and that means with you.

In Solidarity,

Sascha Craig

Your PPT Membership dues and involvement are critical as our new County Executive takes office.

Can you join the network of transit riders and transit workers who are moving our County forward by becoming a member or renewing your membership today?

PPT knows how to party! Join our Transit Justice Victory Party on 12/15, 7-11pm at East End Cooperative Ministries. Free dinner and dancing. Bring your people.

Its the most wonderful time of the year! Volunteer for one of PPT’s year-end phone banks to help us connect with members.

Every year PPT volunteers make hundreds of phone calls to connect to members. We talk about people’s experiences on transit throughout the year; we invite them to our year-end celebration; and we ask them for their continued support of our work. This year, we’re also going to talk to members about our new strategic plan, get their feedback, and invite them to vote to approve it. These conversations with members are important to our organizing, and you can help PPT strengthen our work by volunteering below.

Our phonebanks are virtual events.

Reach out to PPT Communications Director, Dan, with questions or accommodation needs: 551-206-3320, or dan@pittsburghforpublictransit.org

The schedule for our phone banks is below. Use the weekly forms at the bottom of the blog to sign up!

Sign up for one of the phonebanks below! (Note that each of the drop-downs includes a separate form that will need to be completed for each week that you want to volunteer. Also note that the shifts on each form do not display in order. Apologies for the confusion! We’ll work to fix it for next time.)

• Week 4 & 5: 12/18 – 12/29
  • Monday, 12/18, 6-8p
  • Tuesday, 12/19, 6-8pm
  • Thursday, 12/21, 5-7pm
  • Wednesday, 12/27, 5-7pm
  • Thursday, 12/28, 5-7pm

You’re invited! Get your ticket today to join PPT’s Year-End Transit Justice Victory Party!

2023 was a big year for our organizing: We topped 250 dues-paying members! We elected a transit champion into the critical County Executive seat! We organized with state legislators and rallied at the Harrisburg Rotunda steps for new transit funding for Transit for All PA! And our members are driving transit and pedestrian-first policies in the City of Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley!

This year’s party will be held at the East End Cooperative Ministries in East Liberty, in their Great Room at 6165 Harvard Street. We’ll have delicious food catered by one our favorite PRT transit workers, Khristian’s Katering. We’ll have fun tunes DJ’d by another of our favorite PRT transit workers, DJ Frank. A NEW PPT T-SHIRT will be available ($20 suggested donation), and we’ll have incredible artwork and stickers to share from our 2023 year-end campaign artist Névé Monroe-Anderson!

Get your tickets below to celebrate the big year behind us and bring that fire energy into 2024!

Accessibility information

What to expect: The celebration will be one to remember. We’ll be inside at the East End Cooperative Ministries. The entrance is at 6165 Harvard St. The party will go from 7pm-11pm. The tickets are pay what you can, $20 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away! There will be a full dinner served free to all people who RSVP. Music will be provided by our friend DJ Frank and dancing will most certainly happen. PPT members will host transit-themed games, and PPT members from different campaigns will talk about what it takes to win and what it means for their families and our communities. Attendees should not feel obligated to attend the entire event, so feel free to arrive and leave at whatever times work best for you.

Menu:

• Mini Grazing Table: fruit, cheese, meat and veggies
• Dinner rolls
• Tossed salad with ranch and Italian dressing options (GF)
• Baked ziti (vegetarian)
• Baked chicken (GF)
• Red beans and rice (vegan)
• Kung Pao cauliflower (GF)
• Roasted potatoes
• Greens with smoked turkey (GF)

Accessibility: The East End Cooperative Ministries building is an accessible space. There is a ramp into the building from the sidewalk and there is an accessible bathroom. The space has an upper and a lower area that are very close together and connected by a slightly inclined ramp. You enter the space into the upper area where attendees can mingle and play games. The lighting will be good and consistent in this room throughout the night. The lower area will have music, dancing, speeches, and food. Lighting may be turned down for dancing and speeches. There will be interpretation in both ASL and Spanish.

Getting there: The party is accessible through the East End Cooperative Ministries’ Enterence B, at 6165 Harvard St. There are no stairs in any of the party spaces. There is great transit access in East Liberty. Penn Ave is just two blocks away. And the East Busway stop is .3 miles, or about a 10-minute walk. There is bike parking and car parking in the parking lot. If any of these transportation modes are cost-prohibitive for you, contact PPT to discuss options, 551-206-3320 or info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org.

COVID procedures: Masks are encouraged indoors. We also encourage everyone to take an at-home COVID rapid test before arriving. Please stay home if you are feeling sick or have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. There is outdoor space available on the sidewalk in front of the building and in the courtyard.

PPT Member Morgan Cikowski had an opportunity to work full-time as a PPT Community Organizing Intern. Read what she learned about beginning organizing best practices.

Hello World! My name is Morgan and I am the Activism Team Lead at Patagonia Pittsburgh. I was excited to work with a grassroots organization like Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) because I have been a public transit rider for almost ten years and have deep relationships with other community based organizations, like Grow Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Prison Book Project, who are making change in Allegheny County. 

While with PPT, I was directly involved in many projects and pieces of current campaigns including:

• Inviting and preparing for PPT Monthly Meetings, both in-person and virtually.

• PPT Transit Service Campaign – I went out with PPT members and staff to speak with and listen to riders who were affected by the service cuts on the 61A, 71A, 71C, and 71D under Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. 

• Public Testimony – I helped contact riders we spoke to after the canvasses and helped them to prepare to share how the service cuts would affect their lives in front of the PRT Board.

• 2024 Strategic Planning and Transit Service Vision – I lead a breakout group in October asking PPT members what we want to work towards in 2024. 

New to organizing? So was I! Here are three things I learned about how to organize your community.

Number 1 – It’s okay to not know!

When I first started, I was worried about my lack of knowledge. I didn’t know the “ins and outs” of PRT’s system. I didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh and was unfamiliar with many routes. The reality is, you’re going to encounter a lot of people who know more than you. Don’t be intimidated – embrace it!

So much of organizing is actually just listening. Organizers provide a space for people to share their stories, and find a way to make those stories heard by the community, and ultimately, the people in power.

Number 2 – Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Looking back, I definitely have a small list of mistakes! Missed follow ups, awkward conversations, disorganization. Don’t sweat the small stuff! Being honest about what you know and need help with is the key to building trust with your team. Other folks can fill in the gaps of knowledge for you. The whole “practice makes perfect” thing is actually true. It’s going to get easier!

Number 3 – Jump in! You have no idea how much your help is appreciated!

Grassroots movements need YOU! Many local community organizations are small in size, and get a lot of their momentum from volunteers and active members. Things like handing out fliers, calling fellow members, or creating artwork are so incredibly helpful. Those may sound simple, but taking tasks off of a staffers plate does not go unnoticed. Much more is possible when there are more hands on deck.

So what now?

Get involved in organizing with PPT!

https://bit.ly/pptgetinvolved

Job Posting: Digital Organizer at Pittsburghers for Public Transit
All applications received by 1/10/24 are guaranteed to be reviewed

.pdf available here

About Pittsburghers for Public Transit

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots union of transit riders, workers and neighbors. Together we organize for an expanded, affordable and accessible public transit system that meets all needs, with no communities left behind.

We are a member-led grassroots union. Our members vote annually for fellow members to join our Board of Directors, which manages our staff and finances. They create and vote to approve our yearly campaign plans. And they put in the volunteer work on our committees to win those campaigns.

We are creating a better transit system for everybody, for our city and our region, by organizing together as poor and working-class people in a multi-racial movement for transit justice – and we need you with us in this fight.

Digital Organizer Position Summary

The PPT Digital Organizer will work with the Digital Organizing Director, the rest of the PPT staff, and the PPT Membership to grow our base and win our campaigns by building out digital infrastructure, online-to-offline organizing funnels, and strategic communications.

This is not an entry-level position; we require applicants to have experience in digital infrastructure-building, systems development, strategic communications, campaign planning, community organizing, and facilitating meetings, trainings, and events. It’s a big broad job, and we work together to support each other so we can win.

PPT has a small paid staff team, and close collaboration is required between all staff positions and our 260 active members. The full-time Digital Organizer will start in mid-February 2024 and work out of our Garfield office, but may work part of their schedule remotely.  The Digital Organizer will report to the Digital Organizing Director.

Primary Job Responsibilities

1. Membership Program Management: Cultivate a PPT Membership program that builds strong, caring, personal relationships that move people to action. We are a family. We fight for each other and our community. That means we will need you to:
   • Grow the number of members – build systems with the team to increase the number of people active in our membership
   • Increase engagement – deepen the membership’s involvement in our organizing; including participation in our Board elections, strategic planning, committees, petition drives, rallies, actions and events by implementing tools and systems.
   • Develop leadership –  bring members up our leadership ladder to take a bigger role in leading our work; including telling their story, public speaking, event facilitation, media relations, running for our board of directors, and other organizing/advocacy/leadership skills
   • Revenue – Work with the team to increase the amount of funding that we bring in through our membership program. Strong income from our membership program gives us the autonomy we need to take on rich and powerful interests.
2. Digital infrastructure-building: co-create systems to maximize the efficacy of the digital and ‘ol-fashioned community organizing tactics.
   • EveryAction! Grow an organizational culture committed to building a powerful EveryAction database and advocacy/communications toolset to win our campaigns
   • Email! Help strengthen an email program that builds on our newsletter list (one of our strongest organizational assets) by leveraging timely, tailored, and persuasive personal and bulk emails to share news and drive engagement.
   • SMS! Improve our SMS communications strategy to build relationships with existing and potential/future members and contacts by co-developing strategy that makes text outreach easy, engaging, and as personal as possible.
   • Leadership ladder! Build digital and person-to-person organizing systems that operationalize our Leadership ladder to bring more and more contacts to higher levels of leadership within the organization
   • Website! Assist the Communications Director with turning the PPT website into an organizing powerhouse that brings on new members, drives participation in campaigns, and broadcasts news about our important campaigns.
   • Social media! Work with the staff team and membership to establish a social media strategy that incorporates online tactics to build real-life offline engagement.
3. Strategic Communications: co-develop and execute communications plans that change the narrative and uplift the power of transit riders and transit workers. Use media outlets of all shapes and forms to spread the good word about PPT locally, statewide, and nationally.
   • Tell the story of PPT’s work and transit rider/worker successes in the media that we directly control – our blogs, videos, photos, websites, reports, mailings, online communities, and social media pages.
   • Help design a visual brand that is synonymous with transit rider power and has so much love that it’s irresistible for people to join in.  Design engaging digital and print pieces for our communications tools, resources, and campaigns.
   • Work with reporters at various local, statewide, and national news media outlets to leverage their reach and promote PPT’s organizing. Help manage news media relations, communications, and press strategy 
   • Develop leaders from PPT campaigns and member-led Communications Committee to take an active role in all aspects of our strategic communications and build more leaders – from writing to speaking, to interviewing, to graphic design, to managing comms tools and strategy.

Qualities We Are Looking For

Versed in Strategic Infrastructure. You have experience building and managing digital infrastructure to strengthen organizations. Systems and tools should be clear, intuitive, and accessible for staff and volunteers to utilize.

Accountability Focused. You are a rigorous systems thinker who can create digital infrastructure to accurately assess our current engagement capacity, identify opportunities for growth, and demonstrate the efficacy of different organizing and communications strategies.

Visionary and Committed. You are an organizer at heart, working towards justice for our communities. You are caring, invested, and accountable to your fellow staff, PPT’s democratically-elected board leadership, and membership.

A Swiss Army Knife. You are resourceful and creative, willing to do what it takes to make a project succeed. You can handle a lot in a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment

In(ter)dependent. Can work independently, self-managing your time, while maintaining close communication with remote teams. You are flexible and know that changing the world doesn’t always happen between 9 am and 5 pm.

Required Qualifications

• Support Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s mission, vision, and theory of change
• Deep personal investment in the intersectional struggle for transit justice, housing justice, disability justice, racial justice and environmental justice.
• Experience in multi-racial, multicultural settings
• Spreadsheet prowess and admin-level proficiency in 21st-century office tools: Google Suite, Zoom, Asana etc
• 2-3 years of managing digital systems and infrastructure for an organization like CRMs, websites, and tools for digital activism 
• 2-3 years of community organizing experience, preferably with grassroots member-led base-building organizations or unions, moving people to volunteer, donate, attend events, or take action for social change
• 2-3 years of experience with strategic communications, creating content that moves people from passive participation to active leadership
• Access to reliable internet, phone, and remote office arrangements. PPT provides a stipend for setting up a home office

Preferred Qualifications

• 1+ years experience in PPT membership, and familiarity with Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s community and organizational culture. 
• 1+ years experience in creating training materials and training organizational staff. 
• Experience managing an organization’s Every Action CRM and toolset
• Ability to write and speak a second language, preferably Spanish

Location and  Travel

Our staff must be willing to work a flexible schedule, including nights and weekends.

The PPT Digital Organizer will work out of our Garfield office but may work part-time remotely. Staff must be willing to travel throughout Allegheny County, and occasionally throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

Although PPT is a public transit advocacy organization, we often work in neighborhoods and with residents who have limited or no access to public transit, so we prefer applicants to have reliable access to a car.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full non-exempt position. Salary is $52,500 a year, and includes high quality, fully-paid family health care, bus pass, 401k retirement contributions, and generous paid leave time. PPT is committed to an access-focused culture centered around Disability Justice principles and believes in a workplace culture with a healthy work-life balance.

How To Apply & Hiring timeline

Please send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Dan Yablonsky, PPT’s Digital Organizing Director, at dan@pittsburghforpublictransit.org. To ensure prompt attention make sure to put “PPT Digital Organizer” in the subject line. References will be asked for candidates who advance in the process.  Candidates will only be contacted if our hiring team chooses to pursue an interview.

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, ability, age, or veteran status.

All applications received by January 10th, 2024 are guaranteed to be reviewed, but the position will be open until filled. PPT’s target start date for the new hire is February 14th.❤️