Bus company, drivers reach tentative deal

SHELTON — The city and the union representing the bus drivers and monitors have reached a tentative agreement, according to Mayor Mark Lauretti.

Lauretti said the agreement on the three-year deal requires ratification from the entire membership. But Lauretti said many of the 80 union members were present at the last negotiation meeting earlier this month when the tentative deal was reached.

“I’m happy that the city and the union has come to an agreement,” Shelton Student Transportation Service (SSTS) Director Ken Nappi said about the tentative deal. “This was not an adversarial process. Both sides – the city and the union – worked hard to produce a fair contract.”

Lauretti would not comment on specifics of the deal until the union members officially vote. No timetable was given on that vote.

“I cannot be more pleased with our drivers. They are such a dedicated group of people who take their jobs seriously and responsibly,” Nappi said. “They could have gone to work somewhere else, but they stayed here. They are the biggest part of this company’s success, now and in the future.”

Word of the deal comes as the city-owned bus company announced it will be implementing updated technology and software. Training on the upgraded technology begins Tuesday, and the service is expected to be implemented in January, Nappi said.