MARTA's unionized workers approved a new contract Saturday following a week of labor unrest that disrupted scores of bus routes.
MARTA confirmed the vote by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732 in a statement released Sunday. It said 88 percent of union voters approved the new contract.
Nonetheless, bus drivers continued to call in sick Sunday, forcing administrators to drive some buses. The sickout did not affect rail service, a key transportation link for Super Bowl festivities.
“I am pleased with the results of the ATU contract ratification vote, which received overwhelming approval by union employees,” CEO Jeffrey Parker said in the statement Sunday.
“This contract provides important parity pay adjustments for MARTA operators and our skilled technicians that will allow us to retain experienced employees and recruit new ones,” Parker said. “The wage increases are fair and we have continued measures to contain healthcare costs. We will be moving forward together to improve the customer experience and expand transit service.”
The contract approval apparently has not defused some workers’ unhappiness. According to MARTA, 112 drivers had called in sick by 5 p.m Sunday. That’s nearly as many as the 130 who called in last Monday, the first day of the unrest.
In fact, MARTA has seen more than 280 call-ins since a Fulton County judge signed a consent order requiring the ATU to do everything in its power to get employees back to work. Workers could be held in contempt of court if they are found to have called in sick without good cause.
MARTA has launched an investigation of the sick-out and says it will discipline employees found to have committed an illegal job action.
The contract gives workers give workers an across-the-board 3 percent raise for three years. It also would pay a 25-cents-an-hour longevity premium to all employees with 20 or more years of service, give an immediate “parity pay adjustment” of 50 cents an hour to all bus and rail operators and $1 an hour for mechanics and other skilled technicians.
The agreement would provide a $1,000 retro/ratification payment for full-time employees and $500 for part-timers if the agreement is ratified by March 1.
The agreement must still be approved by the MARTA Board of Directors.
MARTA and the union reached the tentative agreement last weekend. But that didn’t stop scores of bus drivers from calling in sick this week, apparently to express their displeasure with the agreement. About 130 drivers called in sick Monday, though the number diminished as the week went on. On a typical day, about 20 drivers call in sick.
MARTA bus drivers currently make $15.40 to $21.99 per hour.
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