In an overwhelming vote, members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 252 approved a new five-year contract with Veolia Transportation, Inc., the company that took the keys from the MTA to run Nassau County’s new bus system as of Jan. 1.
The tally was 400 “Yes” votes to only 29 “No” votes by fixed-route drivers and mechanics; and 50 “yes” votes to 39 “No” votes by paratransit drivers and mechanics.
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“We all worked very hard under a very tight timeline to reach a new agreement,” said Patricia Bowden, president of the union, representing nearly 800 workers at the new company.
“This contract is a major step forward in protecting jobs, health care and retirement,” Bowden. “It’s a winning scenario for everybody to have TWU members, with years of experience, on the job doing all we can to provide quality service to our passengers.”
Mike Setzer, chief executive officer of the renamed Nassau Inter-County Express bus system—formerly Long Island Bus—was also on board with the positive outcome.
“We’re pleased with the result and believe the contract gives both parties what they wanted,” Setzer said in a statement. “NICE customers are also winners as they are ensured of having a high quality, experienced workforce providing bus service.
“It gives them certainty for the next five years,” he continued. “The discussions that led to this agreement established a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration that has been vital to the success of NICE’s first week of service. The NICE workforce is a great group of transit professionals and we’re proud to be on the same team with them.”
Under the new contract, Veolia will pay 80 percent of the cost of employee health care. It will also contribute to a 401(K) retirement savings plan for eligible employees.
For the NICE workers, the new contract means they’ll get pay raises in every year of the agreement: 3 percent in 2012, 2013 and 2014; 3.5 percent in 2015, and 4 percent in 2016. But the union says that the healthcare and retirement contributions will off-set the pay raises.
For the 100,000 or so daily riders who use the system, the contract ratification means the road ahead is now a little smoother than it was before.
