(The Center Square) – Union leaders representing Milwaukee’s bus drivers are heading back to the bargaining table to negotiate for a new contract with the county’s transit system today.
The negotiations are set to continue despite 91% of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 members voting against MCTS’ most recent proposal Friday, which would have offered drivers a one-year contract, according to union vice president Michael Brown.
Rather, union members are seeking the standard three-year contract offer and higher pay raises, as well as stronger bus fare enforcement.
“We’ll go back to the table and try to talk and see if they want to talk, you know, and then, if not, then we make other arrangements,” Brown told Urban Milwaukee. “So we’ll try to go back for a full three-year contract.”
While negotiations have been underway since January, MCTS has recently cited its $10.9 million budget deficit as a constraint on what it can offer, stating that “excessive” overtime is a major factor in the deficit.
However, Brown rejected that notion, saying, “They want to attack all the overtime for all operators, for all the hours that they work, and we weren’t gonna allow that.”
ATU has been asking for stronger enforcement and security around bus fares, as fare evasions have contributed to nearly $4 million annually in lost revenues that have directly contributed to the deficit, according to MCTS.
Although MCTS is planning to cut a total of 20,000 bus service hours by August 24, Milwaukee County’s board of supervisors has signaled its desire to plug revenue leaks before resorting to cutting bus service hours.
MCTS said in a statement that they are open to resuming talks with ATU to avoid a strike.
“We’re disappointed that a contract has not been reached, but we respect the rights of our employees,” MCTS said. “Our goal hasn’t changed – we want a fair, sustainable agreement for our bus operators, mechanics, and cleaners/tankers that allows us to keep MCTS running smoothly for the riders who depend on us.”
Previously, 98% of union members voted to authorize a strike that could occur anytime until the current contract ends July 31. This means leaders could legally strike at any time as soon as August.
The last strike ATU members went on lasted for three days in 2015, stopping about 150,000 daily rides.
