Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus drivers’ union threatens strike
Ray K. Erku/The Aspen Times
A bus drivers’ union is threatening to go on strike against its employer, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1774 just announced a 40-day notice to strike due to an impasse in contract negotiations with the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. The local bus system is the second largest of its kind in Colorado behind Denver’s Regional Transit District, as well as the largest rural transit agency in the U.S.
The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority currently has about 160 bus drivers. Meanwhile, according to 2023 data, ridership ranged between 4,491-6,412 riders per day depending on the season. Jan. 1 to April 16, 2023, there were 652,571 riders. Between Nov. 20-Dec. 31, 2023, there were 262,036.
ATU President Ed Cortez said that the union has to give 40 days’ notice by law to strike. The notice was submitted to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
“We have reached an impasse and decided that RFTA’s last best offer was not very good,” Cortez told The Aspen Times on Thursday morning. “We are certainly disappointed that the negotiations between ATU and RFTA have come to an impasse and we are moving ahead according to procedure put out by the Colorado Department of Labor.”
New Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus drivers currently make $30.60 per hour. Drivers who work seven years or more are bumped up to $38.76 an hour. The current rates come from a previous 17% pay increase for full-time drivers in 2022 and 2023 under former CEO Dan Blankenship.
New RFTA CEO Kurt Ravenschlag, however, proposed during recent negotiations — the parties convened for formal bargaining in July and September — increasing driver base pay to $31.05 per hour, and the maximum wage rate to $40 per hour. The union rejected the offer, arguing the rates don’t align with cost of living in the valley.
“Yesterday, the company gave us their ‘final’ wage proposal — an across the board increase of under 3% over three years. Since 2021, inflation has raised the cost of living by over 16%, to say nothing of increased housing costs in our communities,” Cortez stated in a Wednesday, Sept. 11 letter to his union obtained by The Aspen Times. “While RFTA sits on over $100 million in cash, it has told us to sit down and be grateful for table scraps.”
Cortez went on to say “we are standing firm in our demand for fair wages that exceed inflation,” with the union calling to increase pay for longtime employees $46.41 per hour, as well as “a housing stipend of $800 a month, more equitable overtime opportunities, a run board bidding system, a fair attendance policy that RFTA can’t change on a whim, more unpaid leave, and an end to Alert Meter,” as well as a requirement that the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority has to negotiate when making future changes to work-related operations.
Also during recent negotiations, the union rejected the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority’s proposed wage increases of up to 9% for the first year of employment, and then 6% wage increases per year, for the remaining two years of the contract.
For drivers at the maximum wage, they would get a bonus equivalent to 2% of their annual base salary, every year for three years and their max base wage would increase by 1% every year for the three years of the contract.
Previous reporting by the Aspen Times stated that the ATU proposed that housing costs should not exceed 30% of drivers’ income and has suggested a housing stipend. Cortez admitted these proposals were intended to spark substantive deliberations, but RFTA’s response has been dismissive.
“RFTA respects the union’s position and is committed to achieving an outcome that minimizes disruption to the vital services our customers rely on,” Ravenschlag said in a prepared statement on Thursday. “We also want to acknowledge and value the contributions of our Bus Operators, while also responsibly managing the community tax dollars that fund our essential services.”
According to the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, it expects a decision from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment within 20 days on whether they will allow the union to strike.
“If denied, the parties will be ordered to arbitrate,” according to the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. “If the strike is approved, RFTA is already working on contingency plans to minimize service disruptions and plans to keep the public updated.”
This is an ongoing story and The Aspen Times will provide updates.
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