Never Quit winner’s public service grew out of a childhood fascination with buses

When Michael Tillman was a child, his family didn’t own a car. So he and his mother and sisters relied heavily on public transportation — specifically, public buses. 

“It was our only means of transportation to get around town,” Tillman recalls. “I became fascinated with buses.” 

Today, Tillman is a transit operation supervisor for L.A. Metro, the transportation agency for the largest, most populous county in the nation, Los Angeles. But to Tillman, his job isn’t just a job — it’s his way of giving back to his community. 

“If anyone’s going to be there, to help the community, to help our bus operators, to help the public, I want that person to be me,” he says. 

Tillman supervises the overall operations of L.A. Metro involving buses. That includes service adherence, answering bus calls by radio and phone, assisting bus operators encountering emergencies or mechanical failures, and more. 

Jonathan Marmolejo, who has been working alongside Tillman for several years, says Tillman is passionate about his service and often goes out of his way to help others. 

“As a supervisor and as a co-worker he’s an important asset to the team,” Marmolejo says. “He’s always willing to help out another controller or another employee. If he wasn’t here, then it’d be a lot more for his co-workers to carry on their shoulders.” 

For his service to his community, Tillman, a member of AFSCME Local 3634 (District Council 36) is the latest winner of our union’s Never Quit Service Award. The award recognizes public service workers who go above and beyond the call of duty to make their communities better. 

To Tillman, the service he provides his community is personal. 

“When a bus operator is running ahead of schedule, and that person misses that bus, now that citizen has to wait two hours for a bus,” he says. “Like, that could be my mom, my grandmother, my sisters. Those are the things that I think about when, you know, I’m making decisions because I care for the community, I care for people.” 

In a way, his childhood fascination with buses continues to inspire him. 

“I just love what I do,” Tillman says. “I’m passionate about it. I love helping people, and that’s something that has brought purpose to my life.”