Westmoreland transit authority, union strike new 3-year labor deal
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Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members last week ratified a three-year labor deal with the union that represents nearly 50 bus drivers and mechanics.
The deal ends what had been contentious negotiations over the past five months that had seen one proposed deal scuttled by a vote of rank-and-file members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1738 and an unfair labor claim leveled against the union by the authority.
Terms of the new deal call for drivers and mechanics to receive 6.5% raises during the first year of the new contract, retroactive to July 1. Members will see 4% raises in each of the next two years and a 5% cut to their health insurance costs. Signing bonuses of $1,500 for full-time employees and $750 for part-timers will be paid out to existing staff.
“Anytime you are into negotiations a labor contract is more difficult to secure. It was important we think about what is realistic to provide safe and reliable transportation,” authority Vice Chairman Dan DeBone said.
Union officials said drivers and mechanics overwhelmingly supported the new contract during a vote this month.
“Overall, it’s not a bad deal, but we didn’t get everything we were asking for,” union President Jeremy Morgan said.
Union members operate the authority’s fixed route bus fleet that provides service throughout Westmoreland County and daily commuter travel to Pittsburgh.
Morgan said negotiations grew tense after rank-and-file members in May rejected the authority’s initial proposal that included a four-year contract with bigger raises attached. He said his members wanted a shorter deal that included language that protected jobs should the authority reduce its bus service as part of an overall redevelopment of public transportation in Westmoreland County that includes new micro-transit options.
Authority officials said the unfair labor claim filed against the union has been withdrawn.
The authority this year unveiled a new service development plan that includes installation of pilot programs to create small zones within its service area where buses would be replaced with smaller vehicles that operate similarly to popular ride-sharing models such as Uber and Lyft.
The initial pilot project was tentatively set to be implemented in the New Kensington area next year.
Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said planning has not started on the new micro-transit program.
“We’ve not worked on it yet. We’ve asked for consulting help from PennDOT to help implement it. We’ve done some small route revisions but there’s been no movement yet on micro transit,” Blahovec said.
The authority’s overall service plan called for revised routes and new service models to deal with changing public transportation needs following the coronavirus pandemic that drastically reduced ridership on the once flourishing system.
Ridership fell off more than 80% during the height of the pandemic. It has rebounded over the past two years and saw about 5.8% growth along the authority’s fixed-route bus routes over the last 12 months.