We are proud to announce that a new Tentative Agreement has been reached with the MTA and is ready for your approval. The new agreement includes a complete overhaul of Article 1 having to do with pay and an elimination of the Two Tier System.
After ratification, the new contract will go into effect starting October 1, 2014 and will end June 30, 2017. In this contract the Two Tier System will be eliminated for good and will be replaced by a Seniority Based Step Progression Schedule. Pay Rate Step Increases will occur on an operator’s 5, 6, 10, 11 and 17 year Full Time anniversary date. If you put in the time and do the job, any operator can reach the top of the pay scale. All operators will be placed in their appropriate progression steps and all operators with 17+ years of Full Time service will be placed in the Top Pay Rate effective October 1, 2014. During the life of the contract all operators will see at least one significant pay increase with the Top Rate receiving a 4.5% pay increase. Trainees, Schedule Checkers and Makers, and some Part Time Operators will also receive rate increases as well.
On top of the complete overhaul of Article 1, your General Committee was able to maintain the rest of the gains that were obtained in the previous Tentative Agreement. The General Committee is extremely proud of the work that was put into crafting the new work rules in Article 27. Other transportation unions have gone on strike to get a fraction of what your General Committee accomplished in terms of work rules. Those rules, once ratified, will serve as a model for other bargaining units in the future. Other gains including the increased contribution to the Health and Welfare Trust, which secures your medical coverage for the life of this contract.
The ratification vote will occur in the divisions on September 18. The votes will be counted that same evening at the SMART Transportation Division offices in Irwindale and will be overseen and certified by the California State Mediation Service which conducted the last vote. The vote timing and procedure is being performed in accordance to all Union constitutions and by laws.
Your General Committee overwhelmingly approves and endorse this Tentative Agreement and recommends your YES vote. In Solidarity we find Strength. In Strength we find Courage. In Courage we find Victory. In Victory we find Solidarity. United as one in Solidarity there is nothing we cannot achieve.