Pittsburgh ATU 85 Transit Workers Vote Down Contract

Pittsburgh ATU 85 Transit Workers Vote Down Contract
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2016/09/12/Transit-workers-vote...
Transit workers vote down proposed contract
September 12, 2016 11:30 PM
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Dominique Hildebrand/Post-Gazett
Transit employees have rejected a proposed contract recently brokered by union negotiators and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.
By Andrew Goldstein / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Transit employees have rejected a proposed contract recently brokered by union negotiators and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

Members of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents more than 2,200 Port Authority bus and light-rail operators, maintenance and service personnel, administrative employees and supervisors, voted against the agreement Monday afternoon, according to the union and the authority.

The Port Authority announced Wednesday that it had come to an agreement with the union on a four-year contract, but officials declined to discuss details of the deal until the authority board and union members voted on it.

The authority and the union remained mum on the subject Monday shortly after the agreement was rejected.

“We are aware of the vote and plan to meet with the union to discuss in more detail,” Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said in an email. “We won't comment beyond that at this time.”

Local 85 president Steve Palonis declined comment, saying that because the vote was taken late Monday afternoon and the results had just been released, he wanted to speak with union members before talking to the media.

In a news release, Local 85 said it would invite the Port Authority to resume negotiations and ask the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board to appoint an neutral fact-finder.

Port Authority bus drivers and other union employees have been working under a contract extension since June 30, when their last four-year contract expired. Earlier this summer the authority and the union both appeared optimistic that a deal would be reached without serious issues.

It was a contrast to four years ago, when Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and former Gov. Tom Corbett helped to broker a deal. That contract had a two-year wage freeze and required more guaranteed funding from the county and state to go to the financially strapped Port Authority to avoid a 35 percent transit service cut and 560-employee layoffs.

Andrew Goldstein: agoldstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1352.