Statement by Elcosie Gresham, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241 (the union representing bus drivers in Chicago) in support of 18 people who were arrested on March 18 protesting the South African consulate in Chicago. Gresham says that the demonstrators aimed to expose apartheid and to challenge the idea that the South African consulate represents the people of South Africa. Our members understand the need for a good contract and the right to fight for better working conditions, and they also understand what it is like for black South Africans who lack even have basic human rights. Our members expect their union leaders to stand up against oppression wherever it may exist.
