Bus-strike vote deadline is today

If drivers reject contract, all SE Valley service will halt

By late this afternoon, the last of about 400 bus drivers are expected to have voted on whether to reject a transit company’s final contract offer, pav- ing the way for a strike that would shut down all southeast Valley municipal bus service Thursday.

Michael Cornelius, a lead negotiator for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433, which represents the bus drivers, said that many of them have cast ballots since voting opened Monday.

The thousands of Valley residents who depend on bus service to get to work and appointments should know before they go to sleep tonight whether they said it expects to have ballots counted by about 6 p.m. The temporary operating agreement between Amalgamated Transit and First Transit expires at 11:59 tonight.

On Friday, union leadership said that bus company First Transit, which is part of First

Group, a United Kingdombased corporation, ended talks by offering drivers the company’s best and final offer.

“The members are being told by their employer to take it or go out and strike,” Cornelius told The Arizona Republic on Tuesday.

First Transit spokeswoman Jen Biddinger told The Repub

lic on Friday that the company laments the roller coaster that public-transit users have been on as union and company officials have failed to reach an agreement.

“We certainly apologize for the uncertainty this is causing residents,” Biddinger said.

The voting follows more than a month of contentious labor negotiations that included allegations of union-busting and complaints filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board against First Transit.

Biddinger and Cornelius said the parties have not met since Friday’s talks and do not have any plans to meet again in the near future.

“We’re just waiting for the outcome of the vote,” Biddinger said.

Last Friday, union leaders said the company’s move to end talks earlier than today’s deadline with a final contract offer, which they believe is not equitable for workers, triggered their decision not to endorse the contract and allow drivers to vote on the contract.

First Transit officials have stressed that they are offering existing wages and comparable health insurance.

“We believe the offer we presented is fair and equitable, especially given the current economy,” Biddinger said.

Cornelius has said that wages are not a major issue in the contract negotiations and that the union has proposed accepting existing wages in a oneyear contract.

However, he said that First Transit has asked drivers to accept significant hikes in their health-care contributions. A major sticking point is a company proposal that would give Valley Metro RPTA greater rights to fire union members, which Cornelius has said is a deal breaker.

The main difference between the pending strike and last year’s strike, which crippled the Valley’s transit system for six days in March, is that Valley Metro RPTA and Tempe accepted a First Transit contract earlier this year that did not mandate a “minimum-service” requirement.

Although service during last year’s strike slowed to a crawl, if a strike hits Thursday, there will be no bus service in Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert or from the southeast Valley to Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Phoenix transit officials warned Tuesday that as of busservice changes effective July 22, a strike would now affect nine local routes in Phoenix and nine express routes.

The shutdown would halt 40 of Valley Metro’s 101 Phoenixarea bus lines.

Biddinger confirmed that the company has no alternative transit plans for Valley residents, adding that “passengers will need to consider other travel arrangements.”

Light rail would not be affected by a strike, and Valley Metro officials have said that if demand calls for it, train service could be increased.