Will Charlotte bus drivers strike? Here’s CATS plan with routes, transit service
The Charlotte Area Transit System announced Tuesday morning its contingency plans for a worker strike.
If workers strike, it will “significantly impact bus service,” CATS officials said. For example, according to CATS, if too many workers are out at once, all express routes will be suspended until further notice.
After more than four months of failed contract negotiations, CATS drivers who are part of the SMART Union voted to strike this past weekend.
A strike may not happen immediately, but union leadership must file its strike vote with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services at least 30 days prior to a strike, CATS spokesman Brandon Hunter said in an email to The Charlotte Observer.
CATS will not have a forewarning of how many drivers to expect on shift before the strike happens, officials said in a statement Tuesday.
“Paratransit and rail operators will not be affected by a SMART Union strike because they are city employees.,” officials said. “CATS expects routes that have service may change with little notice based on staffing levels.”
The transit system will communicate real-time service changes based on staffing levels through their website, CATS social, CATS-Pass app, Rider’s Alerts, local media outlets and posted notices at pass sale windows, CATS said.
“Route selection for reduced workforce scenarios will be prioritized based on ridership, service to essential destinations (i.e. healthcare facilities) and staffing levels,” officials said.
CATS said it is currently unaware of immediate plans for workers to go on strike, and said “RATP Dev and SMART Union are continuing to negotiate the terms of their agreement in good faith.”
RATP Dev is the third party company that CATS contracts with to run the public bus service. The company said it was dissapointed by the strike vote.
“We have been, and continue to negotiate in good faith with the union to resolve this as quickly as possible,” the company said in an emailed statement. “RATP Dev USA has submitted a contingency plan to the City and will do all we can to keep buses on the road should a strike occur.”
Councilman Ed Driggs, who chairs the city’s transportation planning committee, said negotiations between CATS bus drivers and RATP Dev have felt similar to the U.S. House of Representatives speaker selection last week, which dragged on longer than any in more than 100 years. Driggs said he hasn’t reviewed the contingency plans yet.
“I’m still hopeful that we can work this out and not get to the point where there’s a strike because a lot of people depend on that system,” Driggs said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 10:22 AM.
