RTC workers reject tentative contract agreement
A tentative contract negotiated over several months has been rejected by Regional Transportation Commission bus drivers and mechanics.
Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1637 voted Friday against ratifying an agreement presented by Transdev, the fixed route operations contractor for the RTC of Southern Nevada, Transdev spokesman Bill Marion told the Las Vegas Review-Journal via email. The tentative contract had been negotiated by RTC, Transdev and union officials.
However, rank-and-file union members disagreed at the ballot box. Vote totals, contract details and issues have not been made public.
The ATU represents an estimated 1,200 drivers and mechanics at RTC/Transdev. The starting wage for a bus driver is $21 an hour.
A possible return to the bargaining table is anticipated by RTC/Transdev officials.
Terry Richards, president/business agent for ATU 167, declined to comment.
“While we are disappointed by the outcome, Transdev remains committed to working with the ATU bargaining committee on a mutually beneficial agreement,” Transdev said in an email. “The tentative agreement included across-the-board wage increases for all employees, on top of the significant wage increases implemented last summer. We hope to meet with the ATU bargaining committee again quickly to determine next steps.”
On Feb. 2, ATU 1637 officials, the RTC and Transdev agreed on a tentative new contract, Marion said.
The union and Transdev had been working under a temporary agreement for several months while negotiations were ongoing.
Late last month, about 600 union members voted to reject the most recent offer from Trasndev and authorized a strike, but negotiations continued until the supposed agreement on Feb. 2.
Safety issues have become an issue for drivers and riders, alike. It is unknown if any improved safety measures were involved in contract talks.
A passenger was accused of fatally stabbing Dominique Lucas, 30, inside a bus in February, Las Vegas police allege.
A union that represents transit workers told local officials in mid-April about two other stabbings and a shooting that had occurred within a two-week period.
Then later that month, a transit system supervisor suffered life-threatening injuries when he was stabbed at a downtown Las Vegas bus station, police said.
“How many lives are gonna be lost?” Dennis Hennessey, a bus driver, asked during an interview with the Review-Journal. The 65-year-old man is part of a safety committee that also comprises RTC staff and representatives from Transdev and security firms the RTC contracts.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VegasMarvRJ on X.