The Orange County Transportation Authority has reached a tentative agreement with Teamsters Local 952 that will avert a bus drivers strike and keep the buses running.
Bus drivers have been working on a contract that expired a year ago.
The agreement was hammered out during 21 hours of negotiations that began Monday, and lasted into today. The Teamsters leadership had threatened to call a strike at midnight on Tuesday, but pulled back that brink during the marathon bargaining session.
The agreement is still subject to ratification by Local 952 members and the OCTA Board of Directors.
Despite media focus on the topic of bathroom breaks for bus drivers, the negotiating session was almost entirely about wages and compensation, according to sources.
Under the current contract, OCTA bus drivers are paid between $19.50 and $29.42 an hour, depending on years of experience. According to TransparentCalifornia.com, OCTA’s highest paid driver made $114,080 in total pay in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.
OCTA employs about 600 bus drivers (known internally as coach operators) who provide about 60 percent of overall bus service. They are represented by Teamsters Local 952. Contracted service constitutes the remaining 40 percent of OCTA’s overall bus service.
“We are very happy that both sides worked together in good faith to find resolution and avoid any disruption for those who rely upon OC Bus,” said OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy in a statement.
85% of its bus system riders rely on it as their primary mode of transportation, according to the OCTA.
“We still have to seek final approvals, but I’m happy to say that our buses, driven by our outstanding coach operators, will continue to run, helping get our passengers to the places they need to be throughout Orange County,” said Murphy, who is also mayor of Orange. “We believe this tentative agreement rewards the excellent work of our coach operators while remaining responsible to taxpayers.”
OCTA and Teamsters negotiators met approximately 40 times during the past year to work out a new contract. The OCTA says it offered numerous enhancements to the union in an effort to achieve agreement on issues such as break times and wages.
