Amalgamated Transit Union division 757 has agreed to enter a 35-day cooling off period in its contract negotiations with Lane Transit District, averting a driver strike that would have left busses immobile and thousands of people who depend on their service seeking alternative transportation.
A committee consisting of citizens from Eugene and Springfield formed last week to intervene in the negotiation process and persuade both sides to enter a cooling-off period, allowing time for an independent auditor to examine the contract and see where the negotiations have broken down. The union voted unanimously Sunday night to accept the committee’s offer.
“A strike will not happen for the next 35 days, or until the committee comes forward with their recommendation,” ATU Vice President Jonathan Hunt said.
ATU officials had announced at a rally Saturday their intentions to strike Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. if Sunday’s mediation session did not produce changes in LTD’s proposed contract, which they say is inadequate in areas ranging from health care coverage to the amount of time allotted to inspect the safety of the busses.
Committee co-organizer Claire Syrett spoke at the ATU rally Saturday, asking for both sides to continue seeking alternatives to a driver strike “because it would be wrong for both parties not to try to find another way.”
Syrett said she will deliver an official request on Monday to LTD and ATU, accompanied by letters from Rep. Bob Ackerman, D-Eugene, Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, Rep. Debi Farr, R-Eugene, Rep. Elizabeth Terry Beyer, D-Springfield, and Sen. Floyd Prozanksi, D-Eugene, asking for a continuation of the negotiation process.
LTD officials still have to accept the committee’s offer and agree to pay for half of the auditor’s fees, Hunt said.
LTD officials said last week that the contract they proposed on Jan. 27 may be the best LTD would be able to offer.
“I don’t know that LTD is going to be coming back with any ability to stretch beyond what we’ve already offered,” Vobora said on Friday.
Syrett said she and the other committee members are hopeful a strike can be avoided and were encouraged by the welcoming response ATU officials gave her at Saturday’s rally.
“I was pleased with the
reaction not only of the ATU leadership but some of the general membership,” Syrett said. “They seemed relieved that some other members in the community were stepping up to try to find another solution to the problem.”
Al Zullo, president of ATU division 757, spoke after Syrett and said the committee’s offer of outside expertise was appreciated.
“We need to find out who’s right and who’s wrong here and your committee can do that,” Zullo said.
Union officials spoke to a crowd of about 150 people in a meeting room at the Eugene Public Library on Saturday before rallying at the LTD station chanting a series of pro-union chants with signs denouncing LTD General Manager Ken Hamm and the LTD Board of Directors.
“The employees of LTD haven’t failed,” ATU executive board
officer for division 757 Carol Allred said. “It’s the leaders of LTD that have failed.”
Allred was joined by Zullo, Hunt and numerous union supporters and community members who spoke in support of the pending strike, emphasizing the importance of supporting labor movements that maintain a standard of family-wage jobs throughout the state.
“We feel like we set the standard in this community and we’re not willing to join the downward spiral,” Allred told the crowd. “We’re fighting for all of you.”
Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson spoke in support of ATU, calling for the public to be educated about the need to obtain and maintain family-wage jobs in Oregon.
“Anytime we see the threat to
family-wage jobs our state, elected officials have to come forward,” Sorenson said.
Sorenson denounced the LTD management for its handling of the contract negotiations.
Sorenson, who recently declared his candidacy for the 2006 Democratic nomination for governor, said it is important to educate everyone about the importance of a good labor community, adding that negotiation is the only way to obtain and maintain fair labor practices.
“Benefits and wages do not come unilaterally, they come through negotiation,” Sorenson said.
Between speeches, LTD driver Carl Faddis performed a number of songs that he had written about the ongoing contract negotiations between LTD and the union, which have been going on since May.
Faddis said what many others had already said: that the last thing the union wanted to do was harm the community, but agreeing to a contract they say is inadequate would harm the community more in the long run.
“We make our living with you, and not off of you,” Faddis said.
ASUO officials are working to help coordinate carpools and plan a reimbursement process for the incidental fees that would normally go to LTD should a strike occur, ASUO Community and Housing Coordinator Scott Lu said.
The University is set to release a packet of information about additional parking around the University and alternative ride services offered, but nothing can be confirmed until the packet is released, Lu said.
University officials have said the parking lot at Autzen Stadium will be open during the day free of charge and security will
be monitoring the lot and the walkway between campus and the stadium.
The 2004-05 service contract between
LTD and the University allots $583,250 in student fees to be used to provide unlimited bus service to University students.
“LTD has agreed to reimburse all money that would have been paid for that day,” Lu said.
The University pays for the service every term, so the money that will be reimbursed will go toward spring term’s balance and the remaining funds will go the ASUO Student Senate surplus, Lu said.
Lu said details cannot be confirmed on any type of reimbursement process or alternative transportation plan until he has more information.
The agreement to reimburse student fees was reached between LTD Service Planning and Marketing Manager Andy Vobora and Ravassipour. Ravassipour said the details of the arrangement haven’t been figured out yet but plans are in the works.
“We haven’t nailed down all the details, but we know we want to make sure kids can get to campus,” Ravassipour said.

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