Published: Saturday, Aug. 01, 2009
SLO County transit workers threaten strike
Officials say service will continue despite controversy over new union contract
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closeCounty transportation officials say they do not expect a stop in service as drivers and bus washers say they are ready to strike over a dispute with their employer over union membership.
Three-fourths of the about 50 drivers polled voted Thursday to strike, said Lynn Swenson, principal officer of the Teamsters and Warehousemen Union Local 381.
Swenson did not provide the total number of employees who voted. The employees will gather Sunday to decide which day of the week they plan to begin the walkout, he said.
The drivers’ routes include intercity fixed route service for the San Luis Obispo County Regional Transit Authority and the Cambria Trolley.
Those services average about 46,000 riders each month.
The disagreement came when the drivers’ original contract with MV Transportation, the San Luis Obispo Company which had contracted to operate the service for the past five years, was changed to bring the employees under the Regional Transit Authority.
The new contract begins today. Union leaders say they are concerned that negotiations have not gone through the union, while executives with RTA say such discussions cannot occur until the contract change occurs.
“We are not asking for more money or added pension benefits because the county is not bargaining with us,” Swenson said. “The real issue is recognition. The county refuses to acknowledge the union.”
“The only action we can take is to walk out and get their attention and then sit down and bargain,” Swenson added.
RTA Executive Director Ed King said the agency is not against the employees wanting to be unionized but that the process cannot begin until the new contract begins.
“We will also have additional operations personnel on duty and on call that day,” King said. “We have not been notified directly by the union of any action. In an effort to be proactive, our attorney is attempting to contact the union attorney to confirm the vote, and if it is affirmed that they did authorize a strike vote, why. Since we are providing better pay and better benefits than their previous employer, we would like to know why they would want to strike.”
King added that despite the drivers’ willingness to strike, he was not concerned that drivers would not show up for work.
“We anticipate all of the employees will come on board (today), and we will run the service just like we always do,” King said.
John Shoals, president of the board of directors, said the decision to bring the employees in house was made in the employees’ best interest.
“We’ve gone through great pains to get the RTA agency up to acceptable standards,” he said. “We feel this is an opportunity to find better wages for our bus drivers, and this transitional period is a critical point in the process.”
Shoals added that he was committed to resolving the issue.
“As the board president, I will do whatever I need to do, including calling a special meeting, to get this resolved,” Shoals said.
Reach AnnMarie Cornejo at 781-7939.
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