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A series of planned rallies launched this week with a gathering of over 500 Amalgamated Transit Union workers in Chicago. The rallies are being planned for the coming weeks by Operation PUSH, a group of bus and rail workers looking for increased federal funding for public transit. PUSH supports a bill proposed by Democratic Representative Russ Carnahan that would allow public transit companies to use federal funding in part for operation costs. As the law currently stands, companies in cities with over 200,000 people are not permitted to use federal funds to cover operating costs. A spokesperson for the Amalgamated Transit Union says that the rallies will be used to raise public awareness about the problems facing public transit - 1,000 workers were laid off in Chicago last month to cope with a budget deficit of almost $100 million. Rallies are also planned in Portland, Oregon and New York City this week, and more are expected throughout the month of April.