LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Bus drivers, mechanics and other members of the transit union voted to authorize a strike as they seek better pay and more safeguards in a new contract with their employer.
Union members were able to vote through 6 a.m. on Friday.
We've now learned the majority of those union members voted to strike rather than accept the latest contract offer from Transdev, which runs our public bus system for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
In a social media post, ATU Local 1637 — the union representing local transit workers — said 597 union members voted to reject the contract, with just four votes in favor.
Contract negotiations have been ongoing since July 2023, bus driver and union member Dennis Hennessey told Channel 13. Though he says the process has been professional, many Transdev employees view the pay raise they've been offered as inadequate.
Hennessey explained what they've been offered:
"For drivers and mechanics: no pay raise, no pay increase until next year, after they've been here for a year. And it's a two percent across-the-board raise. For those of us drivers that are at the top of the pay scale, it's an 11-cent-an-hour raise — which is nothing," he said.
Money is not the only issue for local bus drivers. Hennessey says safety has become a major concern for many drivers.
Between March and September of last year, 17 violent incidents on RTC buses were reported. Hennessey says violent incidents are on the rise.
"We've got drivers out there being spit on, punched, assaulted — driver had a gun shot at his window last week — only to have the RTC do nothing effective," Hennessey said.
The bottom line: Local bus drivers say they're in danger daily, and they're simply not being paid enough to put up with it.
In a statement on the ongoing negotiations, Transdev argued bus drivers and mechanics already saw a "significant wage increase" in summer 2023:
"Both Transdev and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1637 came together in June 2023 to ensure continued safe and reliable operations through a temporary Transition Agreement, which is still in place until a long-term contract is finalized. We're engaged in regular negotiations with the ATU bargaining committee to reach mutually beneficial terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, with a joint commitment to continue discussions until at least late February. This follows Transdev's significant wage increase for Operators and Mechanics in summer 2023, amounting to over $6 million in annual investment and guaranteeing raises of at least 8% for both groups.
The negotiation process has been productive, professional, and conducted in good faith by all parties. Transdev remains hopeful for a swift resolution alongside our partners at the ATU."
