The bus drivers' union voted Sunday to end the five-week strike that disrupted routes in parts of San Diego County.
Striking drivers spent their Father’s Day gathered around picnic tables in a park around the corner from the MTS station in Chula Vista. One by one, the men and women dropped ballots into a locked wooden box.
The vote was 143 to pass and 121 to reject. Drivers are expected to return to work on Monday, with all bus routes operating on a normal schedule, according to the Metropolitan Transit System.
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Nobody knew whether the proposal on the table would pass or fail.
“It is really divided,” said Alberto Martinez, an MTS driver with 25 years of experience.
Martinez told NBC 7 he voted for the pact because he worries about customers not having the means to survive without bus service.
One of his passengers on his route was a woman who rode the bus three times a week to get dialysis, Martinez said. When she didn’t have transportation to her dialysis appointment she got sick and wound up in the hospital. Martinez said the woman died.
“It was a real sad story that got me because I used to know this person personally and it’s just a sign of how this is impacting us and the community," Martinez added.
After the votes were counted, driver Erika Lopez was seen doing a happy dance. She said she’s happy to get back to work.
“It was a hard battle, you know and it’s not a lost battle. We’ve won a lot and we’re gonna continue to win a lot so it’s something we’re gonna continue," Lopez said.
“We got their attention. Now we got a dent in the language we wanted,” said the vice-president of Teamsters Local 683, Jose Puga.
“The last movement that MTS made, which was a million dollars, that’s obviously not what we were looking for but it did make a dent in the language that we needed and a forward step by letting us incentivize and limit split time,” Puga added.
He was surprised it took so long to settle the five-week-long labor dispute. “We thought MTS was gonna jump in a lot sooner, “ Puga said.
“First, I’d like to thank our passengers who have experienced major disruptions in their daily lives due to this work stoppage,” MTS Board Chair Stephen Whitburn said in a news release Sunday.
“The top priority is to get bus service back to normal levels so MTS can continue providing the vital services our passengers depend on. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process and anticipate returning to normal service levels tomorrow. I would also like to thank the Teamsters Local 683 for successfully negotiating the new contract with Transdev and reaching an agreement. We know work still needs to be done to address some of the issues for better working conditions. I look forward to working with both the Teamsters and Transdev moving forward,” Whitburn said.
MTS Access and Minibus services still negotiating
MTS Access and Minibus services will still be impacted by a work stoppage as Transdev and Teamsters Local 542 continue negotiating. The routes include the following:
- 14, 18, 25, 83, 84, 833, 838, 944, 945, 946, 964, 965, 985
- Saturdays: 832, 833, 838, 945, 965
- Sundays: 832, 833, 838
The strike started in the South Bay the week of May 15 and, a few days later, impacted East County bus service routes as well. MTS Access and Minibus services -- paratransit services for those with limited mobility -- were also impacted, MTS said. Trolley routes and bus routes operating out of MTS' Kearny Mesa and Imperial Avenue divisions were not affected.
During the strike, driver Francisco Covarrubias told NBC 7 he's been working 13 hours per day, six days per week. Among their biggest wants, according to Covarrubias, are clean and safer break areas. Covarrubias said drivers don't feel safe taking their meal breaks at stops like Iris Avenue Transit Center, and said restrooms at transit centers aren't cleaned regularly and are covered in graffiti.
"We shouldn't be negotiating restroom and meal break areas in the labor agreement," Jose Puga with Teamsters Local 683 said. "That's something that every employer has to have for their employees here in California but it seems that this company and MTS, they've been doing it for the last decade so they think we are just going to take it, and we're not."
Riders can check the MTS Alerts & Detours webpage for the latest route updates, or call (619) 233-3004.
