RTA
Bus Drivers, Mechanics Declare
Strike, Forcing Closure of 20
Routes
RTA riders urged to plan
for alternate transportation after
union rejects a 12% compensation
increase.
Nearly
half of Riverside Transit Agency
bus routes will be temporarily
shut down May 16th after the Agency’s
Bus Drivers and Mechanics rejected
a 3-year, 12% compensation package
and announced they will go on
strike.
The
Agency is urging riders of the
20 suspended routes to make alternate
arrangements for transportation
to and from their daily destinations.
RTA’s Dial-ARide serving the communities
senior and disabled populations,
Commuter Link routes and contracted
fi xed-routes will not be affected
by the strike because those services
are not staffed by union employees.
The
strike comes after eight months
of negotiations between RTA and
the Amalgamated Transit Union
(ATU), representing roughly 266
bus drivers and mechanics, regarding
the terms of a new three-year
contract, which ended August 31,
2005. Despite good faith bargaining
by RTA, the two parties were unable
to come to an agreement.
The
Agency’s latest offer refl ects
RTA’s determination to provide
a reasonable wage increase that
allows RTA coach operators and
maintenance employees to be the
highest paid among transit agencies
in the Inland Empire without jeopardizing
RTA’s customer service.
RTA’s
last offer included a 12% compensation
package over a three-year contract.
Currently RTA’s top pay for bus
drivers is $19.06 an hour, which
without the pay increase is already
above Omnitrans’ pay of $18.78
an hour and SunLine’s pay of $16.63
an hour. When the offer is broken
down, RTA employees would receive
a 3% wage increase in the fi rst
year, which is higher than the
average U.S. Transit System increase
of 2.46% as well as the average
for all U.S. Private Sector Employers
of 2.20%.
Bus
riders can get additional information
by calling (800) 800-7821 or by
visiting RTA’s website www.riversidetransit.com.
The
following is a list of routes
that will be shut down as well
as those that will remain open:
Discontinued
Routes: 1 10 12 13 14 15 16 16E
17 18 18A 19 20 21 22 25 27 29
49 149
Routes
Remaining In-Service: 3 7 8 23
24 30 31 32 33 35 36 38 40 41
42 50 61 74 79
CommuterLink
(In-Service) 202 204 206 208
All
Dial-A-Ride will remain available
to our senior and disabled populations.
The
Riverside Transit Agency provides
public transportation for Western
Riverside County, operating 38
fi xed routes, 5 commuter routes
and 15 demand response services.
RTA’s service area spans 2,500
square miles, the second-largest
in the nation. For bus route and
schedule information contact RTA
at (800) 800-7821 or log on to
our Web site at www.RiversideTransit.com. |
