Thousands of people who ride Milwaukee County Transit System buses could soon find themselves stranded, if bus drivers walk off the job.
Transit Union members have been working without a contract since April, and voted last week to strike if necessary. Another round of contract negotiations with the county is scheduled for Friday.
Talk of a strike occurs as Milwaukee’s 11-day music festival Summerfest opens Wednesday at the lakefront. It’s a time when bus ridership is especially strong.
The two sides have been meeting regularly since February, according to Milwaukee County Transit System spokesman Brendan Conway. He says negotiations have taken place in front of a federal mediator and much of the discussion has centered on pay. Conway thinks the county has offered a generous benefits package.
“The average bus driver with overtime makes about $62,000 per year. They also have a pension, generous health care benefits and the contract offer that has been put forward keeps all that. It includes a pay raise over the two-year contract. It includes no change in pension increases and a small increase in out-of pocket for health care,” Conway says.
Conway says he’s optimistic the two sides will reach an agreement on Friday, and avoid a strike. But, he says if transit workers do walk off at some point during the weekend, they would inconvenience many people.
“The people who would be most hurt if there were to be a strike would be the people who rely on transit to get to work, to get to school, to get around and if it were to happen over the weekend, it would impact the people who rely on it for Summerfest. 300,000 people over the eleven day run is a lot of people, 150,000 people a day that we serve is a lot of people,” Conway says.
“All we want is a fair contract. Give me a fair contract. We’re not trying to paralyze our passengers, that’s not our intent,” James Macon says.
James Macon says workers would only strike as a last resort. Macon is president of the local Amalgamated Transit Union. It represents 750 Milwaukee County bus drivers and mechanics. He calls the contract impasse frustrating.
“Over the years, we’ve been giving and giving and giving. We’re paying more money into our pension than what the governor even asked us to pay. Last year we gave in and this year they tried to come after our pension again,” Macon says.
Macon says the two sides are not too far apart on issues, and is pretty sure Friday’s meeting will result in a tentative agreement he can take to his members for ratification.
