1 week Ago
Passengers attempt to stay cool while waiting in the shade for their respective buses, Monday, August 12, 2024, at the Florida Boulevard CATS Bus terminal in Baton Rouge, La. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Negotiations between Baton Rouge’s bus system and the local transit union have hit a wall again. Leaders for the Capital Area Transit System say they are committed to a fair contract, but union employees say the company has been unresponsive to their call for higher wages.
CATS and union members agreed to extend their current contract through Jan. 31. But communication over the new contract has since deteriorated, union leaders say.
On Friday, union members voted 91% in favor of approving a possible future job action. This means the union is now authorized to take actions, including a strike or walk-off-the-job, to pressure CATS into returning to the bargaining table. According to Garland, an organizing committee made up of employees from the international-level offices of the Amalgamated Transit Union will travel to Baton Rouge to decide what comes next.
That process will take two weeks or more and won't necessarily result in a strike or stoppage in service. “It’s a shame, because the riding public is gonna suffer from this,” said Anthony Garland, international vice president for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1546. “We’ve bent over backwards to try to get a contract with CATS.
” He added that the union is happy with Friday's vote, which members hope will allow them to combat what they see as anti-union bargaining tactics. A CATS spokesperson could not be reached for comment following the vote Friday night. The union alleges CATS pays substandard wages compared to other transit systems around the state, and has failed to address “unsafe working conditions and workplace violence,” according to a release.
CATS CEO Theo Richards said he cannot comment on ongoing negotiations, but the company intends to work toward a solution to keep the buses running. “Our commitment is to come to a resolution on a fair and equitable contract that meets the needs of our agency and our employees, and most importantly, we continue to provide service for our customers,” Richards said. Garland said CATS wages are $4 to $5 behind what transit systems in Jefferson Parish, Shreveport and New Orleans pay their workers.
The current wages are “unacceptable,” he said, given the fact that CATS receives funding through property taxes. “CATS is the only transit system in the state of Louisiana that has a millage,” Garland said. “They have a means to pay.
” The union has threatened to strike over contract negotiations in the past, including in 2022, when the parties eventually agreed on a wage increase, changes to the vacation time policy and greater protections for bus operators during crash investigations. During negotiations earlier this month, Garland said, CATS informed the union through a mediator that the company did not have sufficient funds to meet the wage increase. That is when talks soured, making Friday’s vote the union's only recourse, he said.
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