Akron’s METRO bus drivers, in a 294-2 vote, rejected a fact-finder’s report that would have given them $3,500 and a 4 percent raise, but not retroactive raises for the two years they worked without a contract.
“It sends a big statement,” said Wayne Cole, president of Transport Workers Union Local 1. “There’s a lot of anger. We feel insulted.”
The bus drivers’ vote comes a day after METRO’s board of directors voted 11-1 to accept the report. The one no vote came from David Prentice, who said “I wasn’t happy with the fact-finder’s report” as he walked onto an elevator.
Board members who voted in favor of the report, including president Mark Derrig, declined to comment Monday. In a statement Tuesday, METRO said that, while the report “did not provide resolution on each proposal advanced by METRO, we believe that this report represents the conclusion of a fair process that acknowledges the complexities of the collective bargaining process.”
Cole said the parties could return to the bargaining table or TWU members could vote to strike, a decision he expected would be made in the coming days.
Healthcare benefits, wages at issue
The overwhelming “no” vote, out of a membership of 309, which includes vehicle servicers and customer care representatives, came after the fact-finder’s non-binding report recommended a lump-sum payment in lieu of retroactive raises for 2024 and 2025.
At the same time, it recommended that TWU members pay a larger share of healthcare costs.
The METRO board’s statement said it agreed with the fact-finder’s reasoning for raising the healthcare contributions to 2.4 percent for single coverage and 4 percent for family coverage. That equates to $63 per biweekly pay period for single coverage and about $106 per biweekly pay period for family coverage for employees at the top wage rate, up from $25.59 per pay period for both single and family members at the top wage rate.
In the report, the fact-finder, Michelle Miller-Kotula, said she thought it was reasonable for union members to pay more to maintain their benefits.
“This should be seen as being preferable to reducing coverage, increasing deductibles or eliminating benefits,” she wrote.
But union members said it would have the effect of erasing any pay increases that bus drivers would receive.
“The health insurance eats that up,” said April Adams, the vice president of TWU Local 1. “You’re not going to bully us out of our money. You’re not going to bully us out of our retro pay. We fight back.”
Members blamed Dawn Distler, METRO’s CEO and a former bus operator, for their inability to agree to a contract. Cole said her continued bonuses, while drivers worked without raises, was a frustration for members.
Union has backing of national TWU in case of strike
Molly Becker, a spokesperson for METRO, said Monday that she expected the parties to return to negotiations if union members didn’t vote to accept the contract. The public METRO board vote came following nearly a 90-minute discussion in executive session, where the public was not present.
At the union members’ announcement of their two-day vote, in a press conference in a downtown Akron parking lot, Cole said the parties have been negotiating for two years and all members want is a fair contract. He said he doesn’t yet know if a strike vote will be called, but, based on the vote on the fact-finder’s report, he expects it will pass if it is. A statement sent out later in the afternoon by the TWU said the group will now plan for a strike authorization vote.
The bus drivers have the support of national TWU, and Willie Brown, the TWU’s director of transit, said that organization will back their fight for a wage increase.
“We’re going to spend every damn dollar we have for those members to fight,” he said, promising a food bank for workers if necessary. “METRO needs to understand we’re in it for the long run.”
Still, said Angelo Cucuzza, the director of organizing for national TWU, a strike is not the goal.
“If they knew better, they didn’t want this,” he said.
Board ‘recognizes and appreciates’ METRO employees
Cole said members don’t want to inconvenience the community, but he thinks the members are likely headed to a strike — especially if METRO won’t come to the bargaining table or there’s no movement once they do.
In its statement, METRO said the neutral fact-finder was selected after traditional negotiations, with the assistance of a mediator, were not successful.
“The Board recognizes and appreciates the dedication of METRO’s employees, who provide essential transportation services every day and believes the Fact-Finder’s recommendations demonstrate value to TWU members while helping METRO’s ongoing efforts to remain financially capable of delivering safe, reliable, and accessible transportation services,” they wrote.
Adams, the TWU Local 1 vice president, said she’s particularly disappointed because METRO has the money to pay employees.
Not to offer raises when drivers and others have been working overtime to help fill gaps is disrespectful, she said.
“There’s no bus without us,” Adams said. “If we’re not out there, they’re not moving.”
