Strike over, CCTA bus drivers ratify new deal

Related Company:Chittenden County Transportation Authorityby Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Chittenden County Transit Authority bus drivers, members of Teamsters Local 597, who have been on strike since St Patrick's Day, voted Thursday to accept a contract in a vote of 53-6, according to the Local's Web site. Buses will be back on the road Friday morning.
A tentative agreement was reached this morning between the CCTA and striking drivers. Drivers then needed to ratify the contract. Negotiations over the last couple of days between the two sides in the nearly three-week-old strike were in part brokered by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).
Commuters, non-drivers and schoolchildren have been hard hit by the work stoppage. Terms of the new agreement were not released. A previous settlement was unanimously rejected by the unionized drivers. The primary issues have been over working conditions, the number of part-time workers and security cameras on the buses.
Senator Sanders issued the following statement this morning on the tentative agreement between striking bus drivers and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority: “I was very pleased to learn from both parties that an agreement was reached early this morning between the bargaining teams of CCTA management and Teamsters Local 597. The full union membership and CCTA board of directors will vote on the contract today.
“I know this has been a very difficult time for bus commuters in Chittenden County. It was clear from my discussions on Tuesday night with both parties that they were close to an agreement and, from what I understand, they have now negotiated a sensible resolution to the part-time and scheduling issues that were outstanding.
“Long-term, I urge CCTA management to focus on efforts to improve the culture and work environment at CCTA which clearly had reached a low point.
“I hope and expect that both parties will ratify the tentative agreement today and that the buses will be rolling tomorrow morning.”
“We won this fair contract because of our unity and the tremendous support from our community. This strike was hard on us and on the community, there was a great deal of self-sacrifice from many people. This contract meets our core concerns, including those that relate to public safety,” said Rob Slingerland, CCTA bus driver and spokesperson for the drivers.
According to James Haslam, director of the Vermont Workers Center, which supported the drivers, “In the current context of the attack on public transit, the public sector and the labor movement nationally, this is a tremendous victory for work with dignity that benefits all working people in the long haul. It was an amazing example of the community rallying behind workers. There was no doubt this was hard on the riders, but the level of solidarity was tremendous.”
The union will be holding a "victory celebration" Thursday evening at 5 pm at Church and Cherry Streets, Burlington.
Not letting bygones be bygones, at 4 pm, immediately before the rally, a community delegation will be attending a special meeting of the CCTA Board of Commissioners to deliver a petition signed by over 500 community members calling for new management at CCTA. This meeting is at Shelburne Town Hall on 5420 Shelburne Road.
Governor Shumlin said in a statement: “It is great news that CCTA buses will back on the road tomorrow. I know that it took hard work and compromise to get to this agreement. These past few weeks have been very challenging for the Vermonters who count on CCTA every day to get to appointments, to work, and to school. I want to thank everyone involved, including Senator Sanders and Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, for their efforts to help the drivers and management put aside their differences and find common ground to ensure that the buses will be there tomorrow to serve those who rely on them."
Mayor Miro Weinberger released this statement in response to the agreement: “It is a great relief for the community that our buses will be rolling again tomorrow morning. The end of the strike is welcome news for our schoolchildren, families, patients, and neighboring community members, who have suffered these past three weeks. These long days without our buses running served as a reminder of the important role bus service plays in this community. I look forward to helping make our bus service even stronger by working to ensure that the CCTA workplace culture improves and to continue the remarkable growth of CCTA bus service over the last decade. I thank Senator Sanders and the Burlington City Council, with special thanks to Councilors Karen Paul and Dave Hartnett, for their contributions toward resolving this situation and Governor Shumlin for the leadership he displayed yesterday in bringing the parties together.”