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Long Beach Transit and Union Seal Deal

Posted on: Thursday, 22 December 2005, 18:00 CST

By Don Jergler, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

Dec. 22--LONG BEACH -- Long Beach Transit and its drivers and mechanics union ratified a contract that the two parties had been negotiating since June 2004, ending one of the longest negotiations in the bus company's 44-year history.

"We have a completed, ratified contract with the (Amalgamated Transit Union Local) 1589 and Long Beach Transit," said Transit chief Larry Jackson. "It's been a long time coming."

The five-year contract gives bus drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers raises of 2.5 percent per year for three years, followed by 3 percent and 3.25 percent hikes. The agreement is retroactive to Oct. 1, 2004, and runs through Sept. 30, 2009.

Jackson called the contract "fiscally responsible," and said it would not require a reduction in services or fare increases.

The union requested 3 percent raises across the board, with pay retroactive to when the last contract ended.

"The pay increases are acceptable," said Barbara Gales, president of the local.

With the contract settled, Jackson lifted a hiring freeze imposed during talks and is looking to hire 40 drivers.

The two parties reached a tentative agreement last week, and union members voted in favor of the contract 212 to 63 on Monday night, Gales said.

LBT and the union entered into negotiations in June 2004, and the union contract expired at the end of September 2004. That makes it one of the longest negotiations in LBT history.

"We had one back in the late 70s that was nearly two years," Jackson said.

The biggest hurdle in negotiations was narrowly cleared in August. The two parties reached a last-minute compromise on a new state law that changed meal and rest breaks requirements just one day before state-imposed deadline that transit officials said would have forced them to lay off about 50 drivers and reduce bus service.

Drivers are to be given 50 minutes worth of breaks taken sporadically throughout the day so as not to interrupt bus service as would have occurred if LBT was forced into strict compliance to the new law requiring mid-day breaks and 80 minutes of break time for shifts longer than 10 hours.

Because the deal is retroactive, union employees will receive lump sum paychecks this week for back pay owed, and they will receive a 5 percent raise to bring them up to date with the first two years of pay increases, Jackson said.

Gales was pleased with most of the contract, but she was not happy over the pension plan in the new contract, which upped the pension workers receive from 1.08 percent to 1.15 percent. That will eventually result in an additional $98 per month for retired workers, giving, for example, someone who retires at age 64 with 25 years service a sum of $1,612 monthly.

"We weren't asking for much," Gales said, adding that the union also gave up some ground in healthcare.

Members' co-payments will rise to $10 for generic drugs, $20 for name-brand drugs, and a $20 co-pay for doctor visits. That's up from $7, $9, and $10 respectively.

"Neither side is (completely) happy, but it's fair to all parties," Jackson said of the contract, noting "it's one that is fiscally responsible and that we can afford to pay."

The transit company's annual budget is nearly $70 million. About two-thirds of the company's expenses are paid for by subsidies, including gasoline tax, with the remainder coming from fares.

The bus company increased fares for the first time in 10 years in July.

The top wage for drivers is $21.05 an hour. Senior mechanics are paid $22.96 per hour.

The ATU is a national union. Its local represents more than 500 bus drivers, mechanics and maintenance personnel.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

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Source: Press-Telegram

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