Bus service will resume Friday throughout Chittenden County, ending an 18-day drivers’ strike.
Drivers with Teamsters Local 597 approved a negotiated contract settlement Thursday afternoon and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority board of commissioners ratified the agreement soon after.
Service will resume Friday morning and passengers will ride free through April 13, the Burlington Free Press reported.
The strike has affected nearly 10,000 passengers a day.
“We won this fair contract because of our unity and the tremendous support from our community. This strike was hard on us and on the community, there was a great deal of self-sacrifice from many people. This contract meets our core concerns, including those that relate to public safety,” Rob Slingerland, CCTA bus driver and spokesperson for the drivers, said in a statement.
Gov. Peter Shumlin issued the following statement on the settlement:
“It is great news that CCTA buses will back on the road tomorrow. I know that it took hard work and compromise to get to this agreement. These past few weeks have been very challenging for the Vermonters who count on CCTA every day to get to appointments, to work, and to school. I want to thank everyone involved, including Senator Sanders and Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, for their efforts to help the drivers and management put aside their differences and find common ground to ensure that the buses will be there tomorrow to serve those who rely on them.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office participated in some of the negotiations and issued the following statement earlier Thursday:
“I was very pleased to learn from both parties that an agreement was reached early this morning between the bargaining teams of CCTA management and Teamsters Local 597. The full union membership and CCTA board of directors will vote on the contract today,” Sanders said in the statement.
“I know this has been a very difficult time for bus commuters in Chittenden County. It was clear from my discussions on Tuesday night with both parties that they were close to an agreement and, from what I understand, they have now negotiated a sensible resolution to the part-time and scheduling issues that were outstanding. Long-term, I urge CCTA management to focus on efforts to improve the culture and work environment at CCTA which clearly had reached a low point. I hope and expect that both parties will ratify the tentative agreement today and that the buses will be rolling tomorrow morning.”
The settlement decreased the spread for split-shift drivers from 13.5 hours to 12.5 hours, but CCTA won the right to hire 15 part-time drivers, the Free Press reported.
