New contract for Milwaukee County bus drivers includes raises, signing bonuses

Bus drivers and mechanics voted Friday to approve a deal their union and the Milwaukee County Transit System has struck after nearly two years of contract negotiations.

A majority of members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998, which represents drivers and mechanics, voted in favor of the agreement Friday, according to transit system managing director Dan Boehm.

Union leaders will soon sign the deal to make it official.

The union's contract expired March 31, 2018, and protracted negotiations between the union and transit system leaders have led to multiple rejected contract proposals and threats of strikes.

Negotiations were underway for 21 months. The agreement provides for a three-year contract with salary increases and signing bonuses, Boehm said in a statement.

Matt Sliker, Milwaukee County Transit System spokesman, said drivers would see an 8% increase in pay, including cost-of-living adjustments, over the life of the contract.

The central issues in previous months were back pay and safety for passengers and drivers. Proposed route cuts, though not central to the contract, were also a concern.

"We acknowledge that this has been a long process and we thank our dedicated employees for being patient while we worked out a deal," the statement continues. "We are pleased that we’re now able to move forward and give workers a much-deserved raise."

Union president James Macon told the Journal Sentinel that an agreement was reached — but it's not one that he's happy with.

He said transit system leaders kept saying they couldn't do any more than what they had offered. Union leaders also contend that County Executive Chris Abele has been controlling the negotiations from afar.

Abele's office denies that claim.

Macon said he thinks his members were tired of fighting. 

He said he remains concerned about security on buses and said there are work conditions that still need to be addressed.

In a statement, Abele commended the union and transit system leaders for reaching the agreement. 

"As we continue to face down declining resources and increasing budget gap projections in our annual budget, this contract is a testament to our commitment to the residents and the hardworking MCTS employees who go above and beyond the call of duty every day," he said.

Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.