Greyhound Talks Break Down Amid Violence Charges

Talks between Greyhound and its striking drivers abruptly broke down Sunday when company officials accused union leaders of failing to negotiate and committing new violence.

“The union is stonewalling on the contract,” Greyhound Executive Vice President Anthony Lannie said in a statement. “They had nothing new for us while stepping up the violence.”

Lannie charged that violence continued Saturday even while the two sides were meeting for the first time since 6,300 drivers and an estimated 3,000 other Greyhound workers walked out March 2 over wages, job security and grievance procedures.

In Washington, Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for the Amalgamated Council of Greyhound Local Unions, called Lannie’s statement “the desperate words from a desperate man. We clearly condemn violence and anything we can do to discourage our members we are doing so.”

The union presented a new proposal Saturday, but the company said it was unacceptable, and the talks broke off Sunday after only about an hour.

Greyhound operates the only nationwide inter-city bus service, and the strike has stranded many smaller communities for which buses are the only public transportation.

During the walkout, Greyhound says, there have been at least 14 shooting attacks on Greyhound buses.