Lewiston/Auburn Citylink Drivers Rally for Fair Contract — Friday July 26 at 10am
WHAT: Lewiston-Auburn citylink drivers rally for fair contract
WHERE: Western Maine Transportation Services (WMTS), 76 Merrow Road in Auburn.
WHEN: 10am on Friday, July 26
Fixed route transit drivers at Western Maine Transportation Services’ (WMTS) Lewiston-Auburn citylink bus service will be holding a rally for a fair contract at 10 am on Friday July 26, at Western Maine Transportation Services (WMTS), 76 Merrow Road in Auburn. The WMTS drivers won their union election with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 714 in November after a hard fought struggle. Unfortunately, WMTS has refused to budge on wages, which are below what drivers in similar sized cities receive.
Currently, City Link fixed route operator wages are 25.14/hr. The drivers are demanding wages of $27/hr in year one, $28/hr in year two, and $29/hr in year three.
“It’s been a long process,” said ATU 714 President and Business Agent Joe Thomas. “Despite netting millions of state and federal dollars, the worker wages still do not match the value city link drivers in Lewiston-Auburn provide to the community. We’re at an impasse right now and we need to put as much pressure as we can on management to come to the table with a fair contract offer.”
A federal mediator is currently assisting in negotiations.
“We will once again rely on the mediator to facilitate their understanding of the situation. But at the end of the day, the mediator is an advisor, not a decider,” Thomas said.
One of the primary reasons drivers unionized was to win a grievance process after a well-respected road supervisor was fired for advocating for drivers. Shortly after the drivers won their election, WMTS fired a union-supporting driver Nicole Quick. The union filed an unfair labor practice against the employer over her unjust firing with the National Labor Relations Board, which is expected to rule on the matter in the coming months. With firings and uncompetitive wages, the organization has been struggling with staffing issues.
”There’s been driver fatigue with Six day work weeks, and doubles. Safety is always compromised when you have those two elements in transit,” Thomas added. “They had a great driver with Nicole. She always came to work and volunteered to work Saturdays so others could have the day off. We asked that they reconsider bringing her back, and it was a ‘NO’ by management. The majority of drivers felt if they spoke up, they would be targeted as well. Transit Drivers are the backbone of any transit agency. City Link operators should be treated as such.”