The Teamsters Local 104 has said no to Sun Tran’s latest offer, and even called it a “worse proposal” than the one originally rejected by the 530 bus drivers and mechanics, who are now entering a fourth week on strike.
This new offer was presented to the Teamsters Wednesday by the federal mediator on behalf of Sun Tran. The union says it still doesn’t address mold contamination issues or safety concerns—and the wage and benefits proposal went from bad to terrible.
From the Teamsters:
The total money being offered in year 1 has been reduced from $0.54, which was divided between Pension, Health & Welfare, an additional Holiday, and a $0.50 raise to new hires, to $0.42, which is in the form of an hourly pay increase for each employee.The total money being offered in year 2 has been reduced from $0.39, which was divided between Pension, Health & Welfare, an additional Holiday, and a $0.50 raise to new hires, to $0.24, which is in the form of an hourly pay increase for each employee.The total money being offered in year 3 has been reduced from $0.39, which was divided between Pension, Health & Welfare, an additional Holiday, and a $0.50 raise to new hires, to $0.24, which is in the form of an hourly pay increase for each employee.
Throughout these 22 days of strike, the union says Sun Tran, as well as the city of Tucson, have saved more than $2 million in wages and pension, as well as $750,000 in fuel costs. Merely nine out of 43 bus routes are running in a very limited schedule, and none of the employees picketing are getting paid while they’re out there.
“It is unconscionable and unacceptable that the City of Tucson and SunTran are refusing to utilize every penny of the $2.75 million in savings that have been realized on the backs of the striking employees and the stranded passengers, to help settle this strike,” a press release from the Teamsters says.
They’re left to wonder, when is the city going to intervene? They’re not buying the, “by law, we cannot get involved” excuse they’ve been hearing throughout.
The City of Tucson hired Professional Transit Management (a branch off of Transdev, which is based in France) to oversee Sun Tran. In the Teamsters’ words: PTM works for the Tucson Department of Transportation; that department works for, and is directed by, the city manager; the city manager works for, and is directed by, the mayor and the Tucson City Council. And who elects the mayor and council? The citizens of Tucson do.
“It doesn’t get any clearer than that. Council members Cunningham, Uhlich, Romero and Fimbres have all expressed their opinion that they are hopeful that a fair settlement can be reached between Sun Tran and the Teamsters, however, that is the extent of their involvement,” the press release says. “The Mayor and Council have repeatedly stated that they are prohibited by law from getting involved in the negotiations and cite a legal opinion that has been issued in the past by the City Attorney. That legal opinion is just that, an opinion, and frankly it is an opinion that is open to dispute.”
To the union, despite any “legal opinion,” Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and the City Council “bear the responsibility” to direct City Manager Michael Ortega and the transportation department to do what it takes to ensure that PTM negotiates in “good faith,” and reaches “a fair and equitable settlement of the Sun Tran strike.”
Also, Sun Tran’s Aug. 26 proposal was accompanied by a letter from General Manager Kate Riley…in which “she proposes discussing a revenue sharing opportunity with the union negotiating committee. That proposal would share a maximum of 25 percent of any farebox revenue over the last three years average of approximately $12 million annually,” the Teamsters say. “Ms. Riley states that one way to increase revenue is to increase ridership. Yet Ms. Riley has clearly demonstrated that her preferred methods of increasing revenue are to raise fares while at the same time reducing service.”
The Teamsters, alongside the Tucson Bus Riders Union, have been in an ongoing fight to keep Sun Tran’s fares at their current rates, while also saving all bus routes and schedules. They argue that scratching bus routes and spiking fares will only harm those who rely on Sun Tran the most—people who don’t make much money.
“Year after year, residents of the Tucson metro area are forced to deal with the fact that Sun Tran management claims that they don’t have enough money to operate the bus system without eliminating service on selected routes and raising fares and that they don’t have enough money to offer Sun Tran employees a fair contract, one that they can vote to accept rather than reject by a margin of 363 no to 4 yes votes,” the union says in the press release.
Meanwhile, as of Saturday, Aug. 29, Sun Tran is going to provide limited Saturday service from about 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on three routes:
Route 8 – Serving Broadway, connecting passengers to Park Place Mall, Reid Park, St. Joseph’s Hospital, El Con and Downtown
Route 16 – Serving Oracle/Ina, connecting passengers to Tucson Mall, Casas Adobes Plaza, Foothills Mall, Nanini Library and Downtown
Route 18 – Serving South 6th Avenue, connecting passengers to El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, Veteran’s Hospital, South Tucson and Downtown
“We are pleased to announce that Saturday service will now be available to passengers as we continue to work with the federal mediator to set up a meeting with Teamsters Local Union 104 representatives to return to the negotiating table,” said a statement to the media by Riley. “Sun Tran continues to strive to provide as much service as we can, with the resources we have available.”
More than 60,000 rely on Sun Tran to get to work or school, and they’ve been left scrambling for other transportation options.
(For a full recap on the strike’s background, check out my article from last week.)
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2015.
People of Tucson do not care about the bus drivers anymore at this point, they get paid and get treated better than the majority of the country and the world. If they don’t come back now then please just fire them, and hire all new drivers and give them the original suntran offer that the union rejected just as a screw you to these greedy suntran bus drivers that are striking.
Do you even ride the bus?
“…the city of Tucson, have saved more than $2 million in wages and pension, as well as $750,000 in fuel costs”
Dang, keep on striking! At this rate we might have money to fix the roads.
Please find a common ground local 104 I need to get to places this weather doesn’t help please!!
By, “fair and equitable”, the Teamsters mean, “give us everything we’re asking for now and prepare to give more next time around”.
If I were Suntran I would take this opportunity to hire as many new mechanics and drivers as possible. With a concerted effort they could have Suntran back at full force within a month, adding 2-3 routes back per week all while eliminating some of the chaff that is already being paid too much.
Half of SunTran drivers are making $19.22 an hour. When we adjust this for cost of living these guys are making much more money than Los Angeles MTA drivers who only can make a max of $22.
The teamsters are being selfish and it is time to dump them.
According to a number of cost of living calculators online, you would have to make 36% more to have the same lifestyle in LA as you would in Tucson. Or 26% less if moving from LA to Tucson. A bus driver earning the highest possible wage, moving from LA to Tucson, would only need to make $16.50 an hour to have the same buying power here as he/she does at $22 an hour in LA.
This should be the basis for negotiations. Are Suntran drivers being paid more or less than other major cities bus drivers when we adjust for cost of living? It seems they are already being paid more.
SunTran drivers are already making too much money and it is time the public knows about it. Tucson is a super cheap place to live and at $19 an hour these guys are making close to $40k a year with benefits and retirement. They get paid more than most of our teachers do!
Dump the Teamsters!.
At the same time City of Tucson can afford to pay a completely new set of administers for The modern street car. Originally the modem street car was to fall under SunTran saving tax payer dollars. City of Tucson Transportation has given tons of their work to RTA , Tucson Park or Park Tucson, Sun Link plus a bond to fix roads. Bus Driver to me do as much or more than Police In an average hour by hour to help the public.
It’s a bitch being dependent on government services, especially when that slop stops flowin’.
Soooooeeeeyyyyyyy!
So even if they are powerless, shame on the Tucson city council for being so quiet about the bus strike. You could at least be vocal, but your love of unions has you between a rock and a hard place.
Tucson needs a cheap public transit system that pays it’s drivers and employees a fair wage, but is also fair to the taxpayers and citizens of Tucson.
If you have never taken the bus, or don’t need to, try it one day. It is full of senior citizens, the disabled (wheelchairs and all), students – especially college students, and low wage earners – you will see lots of chain restaurant workers and average people just taking transportation to their jobs.
Look at the Light rail in Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa – it actually works! It goes to the airport and the university! It single-handedly transformed Apache Street that was full of hookers and flop hotels, it beautified it too.
The glorified Trolley here has done nothing but divide our city.
Fire the teamsters and hire new drivers and mechanics. This is what happens when organized unions become involved in working persons’ lives. People are left out of work, others are stranded, and for what? To reap the savings of a few million dollars in one fiscal year. REALLY?! What about next year? Who is going to pay the new wage costs in the next fiscal year when the same amount in savings is NOT realized. Come on Teamsters Local 104, you live in the 5th poorest city in the United States! GO BACK TO WORK!
and this comment: “Half of SunTran drivers are making $19.22 an hour. When we adjust this for cost of living these guys are making much more money than Los Angeles MTA drivers who only can make a max of $22.”
If that is true, the SunTran drivers are making more than most residential construction workers, more than county trades workers, and more than the median income in Tucson! Quit being selfish and go back to work.
The Democrats at the city level are showing their true colors; a party of big business just like the Republicans. What really pisses me off as a rank and file member of the AFL-CIO is witnessing for decades how we in organized labor bust our asses to get these Democrats elected only to see them refuse to support us when the shit hits the fan, such as this strike. We need an Independent Labor /Working people’s Party and Independent candidates that will really fight in the halls of government for the workers and people of Tucson. Shame on Mayor Rothschild and the Tucson City Council for washing their hands of this historic strike courageously led by our brothers and sisters of the Teamsters Union!