O.C. Gives Final OK to Bus Drivers’ Contract

Orange County’s transit board on Monday officially ended nearly nine months of contentious labor negotiations by unanimously approving a new contract for the county’s 1,200 bus drivers.

“It’s a fair contract for the authority, for our bus drivers and for the public that utilizes our bus system each day,” said Ted Nguyen, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Under the agreement, effective immediately, the top drivers’ wage of $20.02 per hour will increase to $21.42 over the next 17 months.

Said Art Leahy, the agency’s chief executive: “We’re pleased to have it finally settled. This continues an equitable agreement that makes the OCTA a great place to work. I’ve ridden transit systems all over California, and we have some of the best workers in the state. This allows us to continue attracting and employing them.”

The drivers’ old contract expired in March. In July, they authorized a strike if negotiations broke down. And late in October the two sides reached a tentative agreement, but it was voted down by Teamsters Local 952, representing the drivers, who thought the proposed cost-of-living raise was too low.

The new contract, Nguyen said, represented a compromise on that score. “It meets the expectations of both sides,” he said. The union ratified the contract over the weekend, with 613 members, about 70%, voting yes.

An approved contract, Nguyen said, meant “we will avoid a work stoppage that would have been detrimental to everyone -- the OCTA, the drivers and, mostly, the public.”