By Daily Press staff
It appears the MTA bus strike is on the verge of being settled. Negotiators for Teamsters Local 572 have finalized a tentative, three-year agreement between First Transit, Inc., and 250 bus operators who service 12 MTA city routes.
The agreement was reached at about 10 p.m. on Thursday with the help of federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez. Commissioner Gonzalez had been brought in to help broker an agreement between the two sides after nearly five months of impasse.
“We have reached an agreement that we feel we can take back to our members,” said Rick Middleton, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 572. “Although we are recommending passage, it is our members who will have a final say on whether it is accepted.”
The operators went on strike on Oct. 15 over substandard wages and proper health benefits contributions. If the contract is approved by the membership on Sunday, 12 MTA routes could be up and running by Monday.
Teamster negotiators and representatives for First Transit have mutually agreed to refrain from divulging specific details of the contract. In the meantime, strike captains and Teamster business agents will assist in contacting bus operators with specific details on the tentative agreement.
The negotiating committee for the 250 drivers is recommending passage of the tentative agreement, but the final decision will rest with the membership during Sunday’s vote at Local 572’s headquarters in Carson.
Teamsters Local 572 represents more than 11,500 men and women throughout Southern California.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 1, 2003. Read the original PDF.