For a second day in a row, roughly 30% of SamTrans union bus drivers called in sick Friday in protest of the transit agency’s latest pay increase offer.
SamTrans said more than 70 bus drivers participated in the sick-out, which was up from those who called in sick on Thursday.
SamTrans and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1574 are locked in a contentious contract dispute that could lead to a strike, said union president Ernie Solero.
“If they won’t make any more offers, we can declare an impasse and then there could be a full-blown strike,’’ Solero said.
Last month, the transit union overwhelmingly rejected SamTrans’ three-year contract proposal that was supported by union leadership.
SamTrans spokesperson Randol White said the three-year wage increase proposal was the largest of its kind for Bay Area transit operators and mechanics in the last 10 years.
White said the proposal offered an 18.3% raise for bus drivers over three years, a 21.9% pay hike for mechanics and utility workers over three years, and an 11.4% pay increase for customer service representatives over three years.
“SamTrans feels the negotiated offer, supported by union leadership, was fair and equitable by Bay Area standards, while balancing the agency’s obligations to the taxpayers of San Mateo County who help fund SamTrans,” White said.
But Solero said the current offer is still less than what bus drivers for San Francisco’s Muni system and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority earn. Solero said union members would like to see a proposal for a 22% pay hike for bus drivers.
“They are barely able to make ends meet with the salary they are given,’’ he said. “(SamTrans) is really dragging these negotiations at the expense of the public.”
SamTrans buses are critical for many low-income residents in San Mateo County. Based on data from the San Mateo County Affordable Housing Index, 90% of riders are considered low-income and nearly 75% of riders do not have access to a car.
Solero said union members have been working without a contract since July. The previous contract was negotiated during the pandemic after 19 months of talks with SamTrans, he said.
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