The board may also consider allowing the agency to hire short-term replacements for the strikers so that the buses can once again roll, CCTA General Manager Bill Watterson said in an interview this morning. Before the strike, the agency was providing 10,000 rides a day to commuters who include students, workers and people traveling to medical and social service appointments.
“It’s too early to say what kind of options the board would give preference to, but you have identified a couple of approaches,” Watterson said in an interview with Seven Days. He stressed that the board has not yet set a meeting date and its members would be the ones to make a final choice. “I’m not authorized to unilaterally take those steps. There’s a chance it may come to a resolution by the time they schedule a meeting. (But) the responsible thing for them to do is assess what the potential ways forward are. It’s what we need to do.”
Watterson stressed that the agency has given only preliminary thought to any of those measures, which outside experts said would be unprecedented in recent Vermont history, and declined to discuss them in detail. CCTA remains focused on reaching an agreement on a new drivers’ contract at the bargaining table, he said.
Watterson said he saw three paths to a deal. The union could bring CCTA’s latest contract offer — which union representatives rejected on Saturday — to a vote of their 71-driver membership. They could accept CCTA’s offer to resolve their differences in binding arbitration, a step that Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has urged but drivers have rejected. Or the drivers can come forward with a new offer.
“The challenge is, it’s the drivers’ choice, and based on their public comments they’re not interested in taking one of these paths,” said Watterson, who has been at the helm of CCTA for two years. “Perhaps they need time to reflect that there are options. CCTA is focused on trying to find a way so we can resolve the remaining differences.”
Watterson’s comments came a day after drivers held a press conference on Church Street pinning blame for the failure to reach an agreement over the weekend on management “stonewalling.”
Standing on a picket line outside CCTA’s offices yesterday, drivers’ union steward Mike Walker said leaders in the Teamsters affiliate are mulling their next move, but have no current plans to take any of Watterson’s recommended steps.
“As far as I know, they got our final offer last time,” Walker said. The strike is in its ninth day.
Vermont Transportation Secretary Brian Searles has told Seven Days that his agency, which provides CCTA with roughly $6 million of its $13.5 million budget, would consider breaking its contract with CCTA and finding alternative transportation providers in the county if the administration and drivers fail to reach an agreement.
In response to questions from Seven Days, Gov. Peter Shumlin’s office provided the following statement: “The Governor is very concerned about the on-going impact of the strike on families and the many Vermonters who rely upon public transit in our largest county for getting to work, school, doctor’s appointments, and more. He has been in touch with Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, as well as the state Agency of Transportation. He wants to see this strike end and urges the parties to come together to get that done as soon as possible. Gov. Shumlin continues to watch this situation closely and to look for ways to help move this to resolution.”
In the interview, Watterson also elaborated on CCTA’s views of the failed negotiation session on Saturday. While drivers have publicly maintained they are concerned about working conditions and shifts, and not compensation, Watterson said union negotiators refused to agree to a provision that called for them to receive two percent annual raises in the coming years. They wanted 3.5 percent hikes, he said.
“We didn’t reach an agreement on that,” Watterson said. “That leaves open that this is about money. That suggests to me it is about wages.”
And, while drivers have asserted that they are focused on issues of driver fatigue and passenger safety, Watterson stressed that drivers had previously signed off on increasing the spread time — the time between the beginning of a driver’s morning route and the end of his or her evening route — from 12.5 hours to 13.5 hours. (The drivers work a split shift, taking time off between the morning and afternoon commuter rushes.) Drivers now say they will not accept an increase to 13.5 hours.
“Why would they make that offer if they were concerned about driver fatigue?” Watterson said. “Is this more about negotiating tactics than driver fatigue?”
Walker said that drivers only offered 13.5 hours as a compromise, and that CCTA failed to meet them halfway during their many negotiations. The agency, Walker said, is trying to alter drivers’ schedule in an effort to bring in more part-time drivers and weaken the union.
“This 13.5 hour spread time is a bunch of baloney,” Walker said. “It’s working now with 12.5 hours. Negotiation is a give and take. We’ve been giving. Enough is enough. They need to take our proposal.”
With drivers picketing on the nearby sidewalk, the parking lot of CCTA’s Industrial Parkway headquarters has been barricaded and is being manned by a private security guard who demands identification of all visitors, including a reporter arriving for an interview.
“This is the kind of respect we get — treated like criminals,” Walker said.
Watterson said the security measures were standard for a strike environment. There have been no security problems at the building, Watterson said.
Meanwhile, some supporters of the drivers have begun circulating a petition calling for Watterson and other CCTA leaders to be replaced.
“A contract is a contract. Even after we have a contract, working under the same management and methods of thinking, things are never going to change,” Walker said. “Until they change, it’s going to continue to be abusive management, bullying, threatening, predatory management, micromanagement.”
Not all CCTA employees are on strike. The 17-person maintenance staff, which, like the drivers, is represented by a Teamsters unit, is working under a contract that expires in June. Maintenance workers been spending their days catching up on backlog projects, Watterson said.
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Go ahead and hire part time workers. What exactly are the poor working conditions that the drivers are talking about? Until I hear concrete information about what the poor conditions are, I am not going to believe that is the biggest factor for their striking. Why are they asking for a pay raise too, when the poor conditions are their main concern?
Personally, I rely on the CCTA bus services because I have no car. I think the drivers should compromise more to avoid having the CCTA break the contract and hire workers outside of the union . . . unless the drivers want to be on strike permanently.
I have been a ccta customer for over 25 years going back and forth to work each weekday. I am so glad to see that Vermont officals are concerned about the situation. The two parties seem to be at deadlock and unwilling to come to any kind of agreement. Doesn’t seem like this is about hours or pay ect . Seems like this is about power and control on both sides. The public is stuck in the middle, forced to walk in freezing temps long distances or pay high prices for cabs that have a 2 hour or more wait time due to the demand. The ccta and the drivers are valued by the public. Just ask any one of us thats been waiting for a bus in below 0 temps. when that bus pulls up we are so grateful. Please Ccta and, Drivers consider your role in serving the public and just how important it is. Compromise sounds logical doesn’t it?
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why the board governing the Chittenden County Transportation Authority considers filing actions filing actions with Vermont Superior Court or the Vermont Labor Relations Board as “dramatic steps”. We’ve a small number of renegade drivers holding the community hostage who are unyielding to submit to binding arbitration and now have included compensation in their demands when it heretofore, according to the drivers, was NOT an issue.
This strike needs dramatic action like those offered by the Vermont Superior Court and Vermont Labor Relations board to end this strike today, not a week from know. Mr. Watterson needs a backbone to immediately take action against these drivers and get buses back in service to solve this community emergency created by these selfish drivers. Hire short-term replacements? H**l no! Fire the drivers and hire long-term replacements today! Strong and effective leadership is needed here, enough idle talk and tiptoeing around. If Mr. Waternson and his board won’t take effective measures, then Governor Shumlin and Mayor Weinberger need to provide executive action to end this foolishness!
This video (at 5:00) seems to be saying bus drivers moonlight by driving taxis. Is this true? If so, how can they possibly be complaining about fatigue, if they are voluntarily working a 2nd job? http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/ccta…
Until a few years ago, I had to depend regularly on the Chittenden County bus service. Some drivers I was impressed with, but they were exceptions. Among the complaints I had were about drivers, usually on inbound routes, who, once they were nearing the terminal, routinely ignored the bell that means stop at the next bus stop. Instead they would keep going, pretending they didn’t hear the bell, until they reached Cherry St. Another complaint I had was drivers who ignored the riders who were flouting rules like no pets, no loud headsets, no food or drink, etc. Yet another complaint I had was drivers refusing to provide more heat upon request, while they sat in total comfort within their heated space. Likewise in summer, the AC would be wasted because all the bus windows were wide open most of the time. I found the drivers generally inattentive toward passengers, like they couldn’t be bothered with such trivial things as rules, enough heat/AC, or stopping when requested to. Then there was the actual driving skill itself, which for me as a passenger was often like being on a hay wagon behind a tractor out in a field somewhere.
I find the comments above to be (for the most part) completely and totally the opposite of my experience riding CCTA buses for over twenty years–every day to work, shop and to events around Burlington. I have ridden every bus line in the Winooski-Essex, Burlington-Williston nexus. I have never experienced anything but courtesy and professionalism from the drivers. I truly feel that the drivers care about the riders, even the ones who treat them like dirt, argue with them and ignore their reasonable requests. On the other hand, the threats above from Mr. Watterson and his board indicate to me the lack of concern CCTA management has for its customers. After all, it is CCTA management that refuses to bargain in good faith here. They have submitted what is essentially the same contract three times to the drivers and ALL THREE TIMES it has been voted down. As a working person, this makes it clear to me that management does not care about the company and would rather ruin the reputation of the bus system than help engineer a disciplinary system where drivers felt they could truly defend themselves when accused of company rules violations. As a bus rider, Watterson’s comments and management’s actions tell me that riders are secondary to management’s desire to control their workers. If this isn’t the case, then why hasn’t management come to the table genuinely ready to bargain on the issues holding up the drivers’ ratification of a contract? As for Seven Days, their coverage of this situation has been appalling in its lack of fairness. I hope they will remedy this with an interview telling the drivers side of the story. CCTA management got themselves into this mess and now they are trying to get out of it by blaming their workers. Don’t help them out. By the way, the real word for temporary driver is scab.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/17/why…
They are going to hire part-time workers while the strike is still on? That should be fun, I have never heard the term scab used frequently in public discourse.
I am an everyday CCTA passenger. I don’t like the strike, right now i’m Biking to work which makes me super tired. But, I support the CCTA drivers on their fight. Why? Watch this…..http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/ccta-bus-driver-solidarity-panel-uvm
The Mayor needs to get a professional mediator, not binding arbitration into a meeting and hammer this out.
Do Not hire scabs. This doesn’t work for anyone.
The base pay is $42,000.00 per year how many of the riders on the bus make that? I would fire the lot of them and hire new drivers! At this present time in this country they should be thankful they have a job. IN my job I have not had an increase in my pay in over three years but indeed blessed to have a job. Greed have taken over everything in this country it’s always me, me, me. Well, what do you bring to the table other then demanding things for yourself and in the process causing pain for your riders not just by the fact the buses are not running but by the fact on money added to CCTA’s budget comes from where? The taxpayer.
So, I say, you don’t like your job move on there are a line of people who would be very happy to take your job.
And for youo riders that support these pinheads educate yourself because, in the end you pay for everything.
SEVEN DAYS continues with abysmal coverage of the real issues of this strike. Is this reporter in fact hired by CCTA Management? I can think of no other reason why this reporting could be so skewed in favor of ignoring the atrocities committed against these drivers and ALSO against public safety.
I find Bill Watterson’s representations of reality to be manipulative lies. What he is perpetuating at this bus station is a crime. It is CCTA Management who has caused and who is continuing this strike.
My family relies on the bus. We have trusted CCTA, but it’s slick marketing image is now full of holes. The Board of Commissioners should fire the current management and clean up the company. We are all at risk.
If you want to hear about the real issues, go to this video link of a panel held earlier this week at UVM. Prepare to be outraged not only at how CCTA treats its drivers, but at how it callously risks public safety every day.
The drivers speak at the beginning of the panel. http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/ccta-bus-driver-solidarity-panel-uvm
There are several things the drivers deal with that definitely seem to be fair and reasonable points of contention. Take, for example, stopping for a restroom break. If this is done at a location other than The Cherry Street Station or the CCTA headquarters – word is that it’s considered going ‘off route’. CCTA management, for some reason, according to union statements, made it more difficult for drivers to access a parking spot outside the Cherry Street station to access the rest room. A comment mentions drivers not stopping when someone is ringing a bell, I would question if this might also be considered ‘off route’ if it is not a designated stop. From what I gather, going off route (for anything other than a traffic detour) is a fire-able ‘offense’ – even if it’s just to use a restroom for an urgent need, with an empty bus and even when on/ahead of schedule.
One other point of contention is the ‘anonymous complaint’ issue. It’s not that the drivers think an anonymous complaint that is the issue – it’s the handling on the complaint. If there is such a complaint – the union is simply asking that a union rep be present to review the complaint and evidence (typically a video) along with management to insure it’s substantiated. The Union claims to have several examples of firings resulting from anonymous complaints, and even supervisors complaints, and firing drivers for ‘offenses’ that video footage later proved never occurred. Management chalked it up to ‘a mistake’ that should be forgiven. However, when a driver makes a mistake, or is simply accused of making a mistake, they are fired.