February 21, 2025 - American Public News

ITHACA, N.Y. — The union that represents bus drivers and mechanics of Tompkins County Area Transit (TCAT) protested outside the transit system’s headquarters at noon Friday. Since December, union leaders and TCAT management have been in the process of negotiating a new contract for 81 union employees at the transit system.United Auto Workers Local 2300 president Christine Johnson said she felt there hadn’t been much movement on financial matters in recent bargaining sessions.Johnson said the union wants to see changes to the tiered wage raise system so that it doesn’t take as long for workers to reach their maximum pay rate. Currently, it takes a decade to hit top wage, which in 2024, amounted to $28.60 an hour for bus drivers and $32.32 for mechanics.Johnson also said that she wants to see a more favorable yearly cost of living wage adjustment for workers, but TCAT management has cited state and federal funding uncertainty as a potential sticking point.Johnson said workers also want the transit system to do more to address staffing shortages and issues arising from an aging and too-small bus fleet. “The drivers are having to deal with things like panels falling off the buses,” Johnson said. “The fleet is old and it’s really being overrun.”Johnson said she expects more protests in the future. She said that while the union does not currently have concrete plans to hold a strike authorization vote yet, it’s not off the table. A strike authorization vote is the first step in calling a work stoppage.“We’re working up to educating the members on what a strike authorization vote is, and potentially taking the strike authorization vote,” Johnson said. “We’re not there yet, but there’s a very real possibility that that’s on the horizon.”One bus driver who spoke to The Ithaca Voice said he wasn’t involved in negotiations but felt optimistic about the progress.“I think this is the first year that as drivers, we’re getting more information, whereas in the past, it’s been very hush hush,” the driver said. “I think it shows we’re heading in a good direction, but we’re not going to know [for sure] until probably sometime just before everything settles up.”The union announced last month that for the first time, any union member would be welcome to participate at any point in the negotiations process.The driver, who has worked for TCAT for eight years, said he feels like the transit system’s management has improved, but there are still plenty of issues with staffing shortages and bus shortages.“I’m trying to stay hopeful,” he said before leaving for his next route. “There’s been some good signs.”TCAT’s recently appointed general manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones said he felt the bargaining sessions have so far been productive. “We’ve learned a lot about the UAW and some of their member experiences,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “I think the UAW negotiating team has learned a lot about TCAT and public transit and some of the challenges facing public transit funding moving forward.”Rosenbloom-Jones said the most recent offer from TCAT management would allow workers to hit the maximum wage in three years rather than the current 10.He said the proposed starting and maximum wages for bus operators and mechanics would be some of the highest in upstate New York. First year of contract (2025)Final year of contract (2027)PositionProposed starting wageProposed wage for 3+ years of serviceProposed starting wage Proposed wage for 3+ years of serviceBus operator$26.94$29.38$28.65$32.47Mechanic (with CDL)$28.25$33.05$30.04$36.61Rosenbloom-Jones echoed the concerns about the aging fleet. He said TCAT had purchased five used hybrid buses in late 2024 “to get them through the year.” Rosenbloom-Jones said he hopes to have them on the road soon, pending approval from the Department of Transportation. He said TCAT also has plans to purchase a total of 11 buses in 2025, the first of which should be delivered in the summer. The transit agency has struggled to meet fleet demands after manufacturing malfunctions rendered all seven of its electric buses unusable. The fleet currently consists solely of diesel buses.Rosenbloom-Jones said the primary limiting factor is the stability of future state and federal funding. He said the largest portion of TCAT’s operating budget comes from a state fund and is largely allocated based on ridership and mileage.“[State funding] over the years has not kept up with our operating expenses because of inflation,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “Fuel, tires, oil, labor, all of those things have gotten really expensive.”Rosenbloom-Jones said he and other transit leaders are lobbying state lawmakers to increase funding for a particular pot of state aid known as the State Mass Transit Operating Assistance program. An initial 2026 state budget proposal from Governor Kathy Hochul prescribes a 3.4% increase to the program’s funding for upstate transit systems. Rosenbloom-Jones said he would like to see a 15% increase to the fund, which would allow transit agencies across the state to grow to meet demand.Rosenbloom-Jones said he supported the workers’ right to protest but added that he hopes to avoid a strike. “It would be very contrary to the shared goals of TCAT and the UAW. It would cause a loss in ridership, which would cause a loss of revenue,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “You’re talking about making it very difficult for people to get to jobs, grocery stores, dialysis appointments. […] It would really hurt the people in the community who are the most marginalized.”The post TCAT workers union holds rally amid contract negotiations appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.First published by The Ithaca Voice.

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