ATU 1443 Phoenix Bus drivers begin strike in some Phoenix suburbs against First Transit "We Are One"

ATU 1443 Phoenix Bus drivers begin strike in some Phoenix suburbs against First Transit "We Are One"
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/aug/01/us-arizona-bus-strike/
The Associated Press

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 | 6:48 a.m.

Hundreds of bus drivers went on strike Thursday in several Phoenix suburbs, shutting down service that serves some 57,000 riders daily in the affected suburbs and on routes to other cities.

The Valley Metropolitan regional Transit Authority said the strike affects service in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe, as well as express routes from those cities to Phoenix and Scottsdale.

The strike by a union that represents nearly 400 drivers doesn't affect bus service in Phoenix and other suburbs or Valley Metro's light train system.

The strike is a result of a labor dispute between the Amalgamated Transit Union and First Transit, a company that operates part of Valley Metro's system.

The union said drivers overwhelmingly rejected the company's proposal because it would increase their health care contribution and weaken contract provisions on job security. Dozens of drivers carried signs saying "We Are One" as they picketed at a First Transit operations center.

"We are fighting to keep our jobs," driver Regina Davis said.

First Transit said it regrets the strike's inconvenience for passengers and said it made several offers that were fair and equitable "especially considering current economic conditions."

Company spokeswoman Jen Biddinger said the company will contact a federal mediator to determine why the union rejected a last-minute proposal by the company.

Scott Somers, a Mesa City Council member and Valley Metro's board chairman, called the strike unacceptable and "devastating" to riders who use bus service to get to work, school and medical appointments. "It's especially distressing in this economic condition," he said.

The routes shut down by the strike represent approximately 40 percent of Valley Metro's route system.

Valley Metro said riders should seek out carpools, telecommute if their jobs allow it, and ask friends and family members for rides. It wasn't feasible to offer reduced service in the affected areas, Valley Metro said.

After negotiations unraveled over the past month, bus drivers on June 19 overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.

The mayors of Phoenix and Tempe called on the sides to quickly resolve their dispute.

A strike in March 2012 crippled bus service in metropolitan Phoenix for six days before it was settled. That labor dispute involved more than 600 Phoenix drivers and another 310 in Tempe who work for Veolia Transportation Services. It affected 50 routes on the combined Valley Metro regional bus service.