Fresno bus driver strike ‘imminent’ as labor talks break down. Here’s what happens next

The union representing Fresno Area Express bus drivers on Friday notified city leaders that a strike is imminent, and they likely will reject the city’s last and best offer for a new contract.

The two sticking points preventing an agreement include changes to overtime pay and a disagreement about how bus video footage is reviewed.

Leaders and members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1027 held a news conference in front of Fresno City Hall on Friday morning.

The union membership will vote on the city’s latest proposal Sunday, and ATU Local 1027 leadership said they’re recommending members vote to reject it. The union, which serves over 250 bus drivers, is seriously considering a strike. That could affect about 22,000 daily bus riders throughout the city.

“We want to notify the citizens of Fresno that the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1027 has given the city of Fresno a 48-hour notice that the strike is imminent,” said Luis Montoya-Alcazar, president of the ATU Local 1027. “We want to continue to provide our services to all Fresno residents, but we cannot do it without a contract.”

The union’s contract expired in the fall of 2020, but negotiations were paused because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bargaining resumed in late 2021. The ATU Local 1027 contract is the only outstanding city employee labor agreement.

Mayor Jerry Dyer held his own news conference shortly before noon to respond to the union.

The news conferences came the morning after a marathon Fresno Council of Governments meeting Thursday night in which Dyer’s proposed Measure C transportation spending plan was approved. Dyer said the approved plan would avoid significant transit cuts in the city of Fresno, including to FAX.

He said the union conflict was difficult for him because he considers the bus drivers and union leadership his friends.

“I value our bus drivers because they work very, very hard,” Dyer said. “They’re valuable employees, and they truly are deserving of the pay in which they’re compensated and the benefits in which they receive from the city of Fresno.”

Dyer said he remains hopeful the city and union will reach an agreement to avoid a strike.

“I hope and pray that our bus drivers do not go on strike because that is an absolute disservice to the people in our community who rely on public transportation,” he said.

Latest proposal

The city’s latest offer increases drivers’ base wages 15-20% over three years, including raises retroactive to October 2020, when the contract expired. The proposal also offers higher pay for drivers who reach 20,000 hours of driving time.

Those increases would make FAX bus drivers the highest-paid throughout the San Joaquin Valley, Dyer said. It would also put their pay above bus drivers in other cities such as San Diego, Santa Ana, and Santa Monica, he said.

The proposal also added a holiday and increased the driver rest period from eight to nine hours between shifts. The proposal would expand bus drivers’ health reimbursement accounts by providing a one-time deposit of 32 hours into the account and increases value from 40% to 80% if they decide to cash it out.

The city’s offer also addressed the overtime pay and surveillance footage.

The current contract doesn’t include any language that would limit management’s review of surveillance footage, Dyer said.

Union leadership said for decades there’s been a verbal agreement between the union and management that footage 15 minutes before and after a triggering incident — such as a customer complaint or collision — could be reviewed. The union said the city administration wants the ability to view any footage at any time.

Dyer said that’s not true. The city’s latest proposal limits management to review 30 minutes before and after a triggering incident, he said.

Currently, FAX drivers earn overtime pay anytime they work more than eight hours a day. Dyer said this leads to absences and canceled routes.

Initially, the city wanted to switch bus drivers to the federal standard that pays overtime after 40 hours are worked. The city’s latest offer would not change overtime pay for current drivers, but drivers hired after the new contract would work under the federal standard.

“But in the spirit of cooperation and wanting to get this contract result, the administration and the council agreed that it would not apply to any current employees. It would only apply to employees hired after this contract was put in place,” he said. “This contract would not change any overtime rules for existing employees. I don’t think that message has gotten out in the way that it should.”

Transportation director

Union leadership specifically called out the city’s transportation director, Joe Vargas.

“Remember, Joe, we kept the city moving during the pandemic, putting our lives and family at risk while most of the other city employees worked from home. Joe, we need a fair contract now,” Montoya-Alcazar.

Dillon Savory, executive director of the Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Central Labor Council, said the breakdown in negotiations is the result of the transition in mayoral administrations. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer took office in January 2021, succeeding former Mayor Lee Brand, who did not seek re-election.

“We know that the department head, in this case, the people that are negotiating this contract, do not know what it’s like to be on a FAX bus,” Savory said. “They don’t know what it’s like to drive for a living. They don’t know what it’s like to deal with the challenges that these workers deal with.

“It’s a clear example of the mayor being too far up and saying that he supports these workers, essentially getting supported by these workers for his campaign for mayor, but not going far enough into his administration and changing the staff to someone that actually understands what these workers are going through,” Savory said.

Dyer said he stands by Vargas.

“Joe Vargas is a good director. He is a good employee. He’s dedicated, and I stand behind him, as does my city manager,” he said. “He is well aware of how operations occur in FAX, from the routes to the budget, to the personnel issues. I’m confident that he knows exactly what he is doing.”