Transit strike off? Charlotte bus driver union reaches tentative contract agreement
Charlotte bus drivers reached a tentative contract agreement with their employer to avoid a strike affecting thousands of commuters.
In a statement Monday, RATP Dev USA, the company that employs Charlotte’s bus drivers, said “good faith negotiations” over the past several weeks resulted in “a strong offer” to SMART Union Local 1715. Bus drivers, represented by SMART Union, are expected to vote to ratify the contract Feb. 4, according to RATP Dev USA.
A SMART Union spokesperson said Monday the group couldn’t provide any additional information.
The tentative contract agreement was first reported by WBTV.
The agreement comes after monthslong negotiations between union members and their employer RATP Dev. Union members voted in January to authorize a strike, but drivers will not strike if an agreement is passed.
RATP Dev, which employs 4,000 drivers across 18 states, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A CATS driver’s starting wage is $18.77 an hour and they are allotted 10 unexcused absences, CATS spokesman Brandon Hunter previously told the Observer.
Light rail, street car and paratransit operators are employed by the city and therefore not represented by SMART Union or included in the tentative contract with RATP Dev.
The most recent ridership report from a November meeting shows Charlotte buses move more than 18,000 Charlotteans on the average weekday. In October, the CATS Metropolitan Transit Commission reported almost 500,000 bus riders for the month.
Driver shortages led CATS to trim the frequency of some bus routes in the summer. Vacant positions, employee absences, scheduled vacations and days off all affected transit system schedules, officials said.
