DENVER — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the union representing over 2,000 RTD workers will enter federal mediation next month after unsuccessful efforts to reach a deal on wages.
Both sides have been negotiating a new contract since last August.
“Basically, the only topic left is wages,” said Ronald Short, recording secretary for Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 100. “The wages that RTD proposed, we feel as though are unacceptable.”
The union wants wages to increase by 7% over each of the next three years.
That would mean workers who spend 4.5 years at RTD would be paid an hourly wage between $35 and $40 over those three years.
But union members say RTD has only offered workers a 5% increase this year, with slightly smaller increases planned for the following years.
“You need to pay them a livable wage,” said Short. “Compared to the wages that they're making now, 90% of our operators couldn't even afford to buy a home here in Denver.”
Short says another reason workers deserve a wage increase is because their jobs have become more unpredictable.
“They face a multitude of situations out there,” Short said. “And it could be drug use. There could be assaults on the bus. Operators are getting assaulted out here on the buses.”
During a sit-down interview last month, Denver7 asked RTD CEO and general manager Debra Johnson about worker safety concerns.
An RTD survey showed only 66% of workers feel safe from crime at work.
Johnson says it's a reflection of what’s going on in the broader community.
“We're interwoven into the fabrics of the communities that we serve,” said Johnson. “So, whatever is happening on the streets of a municipality, you're going to spill over into public transport.”
As for the negotiations RTD said it’s committed to paying workers a fair wage.
“RTD is committed to ensuring all employees are fairly and competitively compensated in a manner that also supports the agency’s long-term fiscal sustainability,” RTD said in a statement on Wednesday.
RTD also said on Feb. 11 the transit agency and ATU Local 1001 reached an impasse and agreed to begin federal mediation in March with the Federal Medication Conciliation Service.
“We're not asking for the moon and stars,” said Short. “We're just asking for the ability to continue to take care of our families and continue to be a part of the Denver metro area.”
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