LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Most drivers returned to work Thursday morning after a one-day strike forced labor negotiations into overdrive. The walkout came after more than a year and a half without a pay raise, as contract talks dragged on between the Teamsters union and RTC contractor Transdev.
The union says it secured a significant wage and pension increase, blowing past the $1-an-hour raise Transdev had offered for nearly a year.
Darcy Spears explains what happened and what the new contract secured for workers:
The new agreement also:
- Extends performance bonuses to more employee groups
- Increases premium pay for professional certification
- Guarantees a reliable 40-hour work week
- Boosts the company's health insurance contribution
Still, the union says rising health insurance costs remain a concern. A new committee has been formed to tackle the issue.
The agreement is tentative until union members vote on it this weekend. The new three-year contract covers drivers, maintenance and operations staff. If ratified, the raises will be retroactive to January 1.
As for riders, service is returning to normal, but the RTC warns there could still be some delays.
The strike ended just one day after it began, in part due to pressure to protect riders like Bill Halford, whose daily life depends on paratransit. Bill, who is blind, works at Nellis Air Force Base and relies on paratransit's door-to-door service. He's been advocating for better conditions for both riders and the drivers they depend on.
"We just need a little bit more caring. We try to do it. We're independent. We try to get out there and do things just like anybody else," Bill said.
He was also direct about how Transdev treats its drivers.
"They're underpaid and overworked. They do a lot more work than the city bus drivers because they have to take wheelchair patients on and off the lift. They deal with mentally challenged patients. They don't just drive around in a circle, they have to go into the neighborhoods," Bill said.
Non-union workers and even some riders joined the picket lines during the walkout.
One comment on the Teamsters Local 631 Facebook page summed it up, "We get things done when we all stand strong together."
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