CCTA and Union Narrowly Avoid Strike

Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA), and the Teamsters Local No. 597 reached a settlement last Sunday, narrowly avoiding a strike that would have shut down Vermont’s largest bus service. The nineteen-hour-long negotiation session occurred in the CCTA headquarters and was mediated by the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service.

The union cited wages, part time drivers and burdensome ‘split-shifts’ as critical issues that CCTA needs to resolve. Teamsters Local No. 597 agreed not to strike until it has reviewed CCTA’s most recent offer.

CCTA buses buses serve approximately 9,500 residents across the state, including local schools and many LINK bus routes. Over 2,000 students of Burlington Public Schools, or roughly 60 percent of those enrolled, rely on CCTA buses.

On March 5, voters rejected 35 school budgets, the largest defeat for education in Vermont in over a decade. The agreement came on the heels of this defeat, relieving many districts already facing budgetary dilemmas.

The agreement allowed Burlington Public Schools, whose budget was defeated just two days before the negotiations, to avert a weekly expense of roughly $10,000. The district had considered shuttling students to school on Green Mountain buses.

“I’ll have to find maybe a carpool, or maybe bike, I guess,” reflected student Natalie Kenney of Burlington High School before agreement was reached. “But I usually have a lot of stuff with me so that’s kind of a difficult route to take.”

With the buses back in service, Natalie and her classmates won’t have to find that new route.

In March of 2013, the Union voted 53 to 4 to reject CCTA’s contract offer, and negotiations throughout the summer produced no results. Talks finally collapsed when contract negotiations broke down in September of last year.

New CCTA drivers earn approximately $42,000, and veteran drivers can earn upwards of $70,000, including overtime and benefits. Although this is the second-highest rate of compensation in northern New England, both parties expect wages to increase in an acceptable settlement.

According to Union members, ‘split-shifts,’ or morning and evening shifts divided by a break, result in driver fatigue and unsafe riding conditions. More drivers are necessary to accommodate the increased number of commuters during these times, but hiring part-time drivers could reduce full-time positions. Bill Watterson, CEO of CCTA, says the drivers are compensated appropriately for these shifts.

“To increase the number of full-time Union jobs, CCTA has agreed to a Union proposal to change the maximum span of a split shift to 13.5 hours,” states the CCTA website.

Onboard cameras are another contentious issue, which drivers cite as proof of the CCTA’s mistrust.

“We drive these buses every day, with cameras pointed in our faces,” said driver Mike Walker at a rally last Thursday. “All responsibility rests with the drivers and all authority rests within the management. You delegate authority, never responsibility.”

Before the meeting, CCTA General Manager Bill Watterson stated, “Our focus is on sitting down together with the driver’s union and reaching an agreement, and having another 3 year contract.”

CCTA officials remains optimistic that the union will soon accept their offer.