Bus Fuss : Shuttle: Drivers for the DASH line delay their runs to protest wages and working conditions. Full service is restored by mid-morning.

Early morning operations of the downtown Los Angeles bus shuttle, DASH, were delayed Thursday as several drivers did lengthy “safety inspections” of buses and demanded better maintenance.

The approximately three-hour delay was related to a labor dispute between DASH’s 32 drivers and their employer, Encore Temps, Inc. over wages and working conditions, according to driver representatives.

But it seemed to have little impact on DASH riders, according to early assessments by city Department of Transportation officials, and bus officials said DASH was in full service by mid-morning.

The DASH line is primarily financed by the city, and has 33 buses that carry about 7,000 passengers daily for 25-cent fares. The line serves downtown, Westwood, and Hollywood as well as Venice Beach during the summer.

The city contracts with Greyhound Lines, Inc. to operate DASH, and the bus company subcontracts with Encore Temps to provide drivers.

Jim Cushing-Murray, president of Amalgamated Transit Union local 1222, said DASH’s drivers were concerned about ongoing maintenance of the vehicles, and added: “They also have lots of grievances they haven’t been able to get top management to discuss with them.”

Drivers believe the line’s $6.25-an-hour starting pay is too low, he said, and that Encore Temps should provide benefits such as holiday, overtime and sick pay. The drivers voted to become unionized six months ago, Cushing-Murray said, but had been unable to obtain a collective bargaining agreement with the company.

Monica Hayden, a 26-year-old los Angeles resident who has been driving DASH buses for a year, complained drivers don’t get time off for lunch. “All of us drive seven to 10 1/2 hours with no lunch break,” she said.

David McAdam, spokesman for both Greyhound and Encore Temps, declined to discuss specific labor issues, but denied Encore management had refused to talk.

“We are in negotiations with the union and have been for six months,” he said. “There is a federal mediator involved. We have talked to them recently and we expect to talk to them again. It’s a labor contract negotiation.”

Chris Hills, speaking for the transportation department, said the city inspected the buses in June, and added that an inspector revisited DASH’s downtown bus yard Thursday because of the slowdown. “We are assured the bus line is safe,” she said, and said officials had no comment on the labor dispute.