Local 952 Members in the Driver's Seat

Local 952 Members in the Driver's Seat

December 19, 2004

Members of Local 952, who drive buses for the Orange County Transportation Authority, recently ratified a three-year contract which improves the workers' wages and working conditions.

The 1,200 bus operators approved the new agreement by more than a 2-1 margin. The ballots were counted December 12.

The top hourly wage is now $19.92, the top drivers will now earn $20.52, retroactive to May 1, 2004. The bus drivers will also earn a 50-cent-an-hour wage increase on May 1, 2005, and a 40-cent per hour increase on May 1, 2006.

“We were able to make substantial improvements over the current agreement with respect to wages and working conditions,” said Patrick Kelly, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 952 in Orange County.

Drivers had been working under the old contract, which expired in April.

Kelly said Paula Machello of the Teamsters Office of Strategic Initiatives and Donna Metcalfe, Local 952's recording secretary and business agent, were instrumental in the contract campaign.

“Now we’re concentrating on getting strong contracts for the maintenance workers at the transportation authority and for our new paratransit drivers at Laidlaw,” Kelly said.