Local bus drivers for Intercity Transit (IT) are in the midst of contract negotiations with the Transit Authority to obtain a living wage.
I talked with Reed Ingalls, Adam Shea, Rich Harper and Jeremy Smith, the negotiating team for ATU Local 1765 which represents IT drivers, about the challenges facing its members and their demands in the new contract.
Under the recently expired 3 year contract, new drivers make $24.44/hour and reach a maximum pay of $34.63 after 5 years of employment. The bus, van and Dial-a-Lift drivers and the customer service representatives who constitute the union membership also enjoy the same public employee benefits as other government workers and pay into a pension system.
Though it seems that a 40 hour work week at more than $20 an hour should be adequate to support oneself, a survey conducted by the union showed nearly half of the 339 members spend 50% or more of their income on housing, nearly a third eat two meals or less each day and one out of five eat only once a day. Many face housing instability, having to sleep in their cars or move back in with their parents. Members also mention quality of life issues, such as lack of a child care credit and having to fight for overtime.
IT ’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan describes increases in service in the coming years, and is proud to state that it “broke through challenges to hiring operators…to nearly accomplish our goal of having 325 FTE budgeted operators.” What they neglect to say is that they have a retention problem, and that almost 1/3 of the new hires were needed to compensate for drivers who left, either through retirement or attrition. Union negotiators state that many people who go through the training soon realize they can’t make a living, so they take other commercial driving jobs that pay more.
The union position stresses the benefits of retaining people. A committed workforce results in better service, less accidents and less turnover. They want their jobs to be a career. That would take a significant wage increase, a quicker climb up the pay scale to retain the new younger drivers, and longevity pay for people who have worked for 20-30 years.
The union’s opening offer of a 30% wage increase was promptly rejected. The only offer from IT so far was for a 4% increase for the first year plus 1% for the next 2 years, a 6% raise over all. The union is working on a compromise in the middle.
Intercity Transit, a municipal corporation governed by a board made up of local government officials from Thurston County, Olympia, Tumwater, Lacey and Yelm and community representatives has hired a corporate lawyer who represents transit agencies to run the negotiations, unlike in past years where they engaged in direct negotiations. Union negotiators feel that IT’s lawyer wants to draw out negotiations while members continue working under the same terms as the expired contract on month to month extensions.
The union is asking the community to support them by making public comments in support of the drivers at Transit Authority’s bimonthly board meetings at 510 Pattison Street SE, Olympia. They can also contact the Transit Authority at
pmessmer@intercitytransit.com or by phone at 360-705-5860.
To contact the union, write communications@ATU1765.com
The next meetings are set for January 15 and February 5.
Esther Kronenberg is an editor at and frequent contributor to WIP
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