MTA Workers Vote to Ratify New 3-Year Labor Agreement

Bus drivers and rail operators of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted overwhelmingly Sunday to ratify a three-year labor agreement that would help preserve their existing health-care benefits while providing modest pay increases.

The workers cast ballots at the Los Angeles Convention Center -- some in uniform, some accompanied by their spouses and children. They had been working without a contract since July 1.

Of the 334 United Transportation Union members who voted, 87% voted in favor of the deal.

“Right now, throughout California, it seems all the employers are taking away health benefits ... treating people like robots rather than people,” said bus driver Peter Bueras Jr., after voting in favor. “We feel the union provided us with the best contract they could muster for us. Because of the economy, we can’t be too greedy.”

A few union members voiced disappointment at the turnout, not quite 7% of the union’s 5,000 members. Others complained that union officials, who unveiled the proposed deal Sunday, didn’t give them much time to think it over before holding the vote.

“Why don’t they give us a couple of days, a week to mull things over?” asked bus driver Pablo Riveros, who voted against the deal. “What’s the purpose of the rush vote, unless they got something to hide?”

The union has always held a vote at the end of a meeting where proposed terms were unveiled, said union spokesman Goldy Norton. He attributed the low turnout to the holidays and the lack of a crisis. When the union was on strike three years ago, more than 1,000 members, or 20%, voted.

The new agreement would freeze hourly wages until July but permit pay raises totaling 5% in the following years. The top hourly rate for an experienced bus driver or train operator, now $22.45, would increase to $23.59 by July 2005.

Medical benefits, a key sticking point during negotiations, would be safeguarded, union officials said. The MTA has agreed to shore up the union’s health-care fund by increasing its contributions by 38% in the first year of the contract, Norton said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the MTA board and a leader in the negotiations, said he believes the deal is “a very good package.”

“It’s fair for the employees; it’s fair for the agency. It’s fair to our drivers, who provide vital services for our transit system,” he said.

The MTA board, which tentatively agreed to the deal Dec. 18, is scheduled to formally approve the contract next month.