SAN MATEO COUNTY — Two months after the union representing SamTrans bus operators voted to reject a new contract proposal, negotiators from the transit agency and the union have set a date for mediation to try to reach an agreement.
The mediation has been set for Nov. 15, said Ernie Solero, president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1574, and will be supported by a third-party mediator.
The union’s contract expired July 1. In August, the union voted down a contract proposal supported by union leadership that would have given bus operators an 18.3% raise over the course of three years, as well as a 21.9% raise for mechanics and utility workers and an 11.4% raise for customer service representatives, also over three years.
Bus operators for SamTrans make $5 less per hour than drivers for Santa Clara County’s Valley Transit Authority and San Francisco’s Muni, Solero said. He added that drivers must work 10 hours to be paid for 8 hours due to a mandatory two-hour break, making the overall pay rate lower when factoring in those hours.
“We’re really way behind,” Solero said.
The union and mediator had initially offered dates for mediation in October, which were turned down by SamTrans negotiators, Solero said. In response, SamTrans offered a date in early December.
“Our members are not willing to wait that far,” Solero said. “(Agency leaders) were delaying it.”
Both parties then came to an agreement to meet in November, Solero added.
“SamTrans is committed to resolving the current contract stalemate with ATU Local 1574 and reaching a fair and balanced agreement for both parties,” agency officials said in a statement. “As we approach mediation next month, we expect constructive dialogue to ensure that SamTrans, as a taxpayer-funded agency, remains focused on delivering safe and reliable transportation throughout San Mateo County.”
Union members voted to authorize a strike — if an agreement is not reached — when they unanimously voted down the contract offer, Solero said. There is no set date that a strike would begin.
In early September, bus operators participated in a “sick-out” related to the contract in which many operators called out from work. On Sept. 6, about 60 drivers, or 30%, participated. That number rose to 70 drivers on Sept. 7.
SamTrans had to rearrange bus schedules across those two days to minimize disruptions.
Solero had recommended that the union accept the contract, he said, but the vote failed unanimously.
“The only reason I recommended (passage),” Solero said, is because getting a better offer is “going to take a while and it’s going to take a lot of activity.”
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The operators are seeking pay that better aligns with other Bay Area transportation agencies, as well as backpay for the time elapsed since the expiration of the old contract on July 1, Solero said.
The contract that expired in July was negotiated during the COVID-19 pandemic through 19 months of talks.
“What our operators are really seeking is that they come close to what we’re asking,” Solero said.