Striking CCTA bus drivers meeting to plan next move

by Tom Brown, vtdigger.org Striking CCTA bus drivers may consider a vote on the latest management proposal Monday, CCTA officials said.
The Chittenden County Transportation Authority’s board of commissioners heard from about 45 people at a public hearing Monday morning, most of those speaking in support of the drivers, CCTA General Manager Bill Watterson said Monday.
Watterson said that he believed that workers were meeting at midday Monday to decide whether to vote on CCTA’s latest contract proposal. Seven Days reported Monday that the major stumbling block is the maximum number of hours covered by drivers who work a split shift. CCTA wants that time to span 13.5 hours, the drivers want it capped at 12.5 hours.
The strike, which affects about 10,000 passengers a day, entered its third week Monday after a more than 17-hour weekend negotiation session failed to resolve the issues.
After the public hearing Monday, the CCTA board went into executive session to discuss its options, Watterson said. He declined to say whether the possibility of hiring replacement drivers was considered.
“They discussed options consistent with our promise to restore service,” Watterson said.
Watterson said the board kept its session open today and would be ready to respond to any move by the drivers. He also said the board’s offer of binding arbitration, rejected by drivers, still stands.
Calls to representatives of the drivers were not returned as of 2 p.m.