History

HISTORY OF 
TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA 
LOCAL 223

Local 223 of the Transport Workers Union of America was chartered on September 08, 1941. This was only after a long hard battle to organize the Omaha Council Bluffs Street Railway company. There were attempts to organize the company, some of which resulted in the most violent Labor riots in the history of Omaha and saw the burning of streetcars owned by Omaha, Council Bluffs Street Railway. Since that time we have made many improvements to our working conditions and wages.

Omaha Council Bluffs Street Railway was sold and became Metro Area Transit (MAT)
 and is now operated under the Transit Authority of Omaha.
 The company name was changed to METRO in 2011

We now are a Public Employees Union and work under the rules of a state governing body and are prohibited under state law to strike. TWUA Local 223 was one of the first Unions to move a contract to the Commission of Industrial Relations in 1975. From this day in court we obtained our present pension plan and several other benefits including a sizable wage increase.

Local 223 continues to this day to further the cause of Organized Labor in Nebraska (a right to work state) by being involved in the political process and community affairs. Today as many Public Employees are being cut on all levels, our numbers are growing. We are proud to be affiliated with the Transport Workers Union of America and heartily embrace the idea of organizing all workers without any restrictions. We have fought and won many battles to that end and realize there are many more to be fought. During all these battles we have clung to the International motto of

 UNITED-INVINCIBLE