Tucson to bring in outside negotiator to help with Sun Tran union talks

Less than a month before the Teamsters Sun Tran bus drivers’ contract is set to expire, the city is bringing in a third-party negotiator to handle talks in the home stretch.

That third party, who a city official said has not yet been hired, will “conduct labor negotiations on behalf of Sun Tran,” according to a June 8 memo from Daryl Cole, the city’s transportation director.

The city and the private Sun Tran manager Transdev Services Inc. have “mutually agreed to” a three-month extension through Aug. 31, according to a contract signed June 8.

In late April, before the previous one-year contract was set to expire, the parties signed a one-month extension through May 31, according to documents available online.

“The city intends to ensure that any successor management contractor retains the existing Sun Tran and Sun Van employees,” the memo reads.

Transdev also manages the Sun Van service, while the Sun Link streetcar is privately managed by the firm RDMT.

The Teamsters Local 104 Sun Tran contract expires June 30. Negotiations between Transdev and Sun Tran drivers, mechanics and service-island attendants started June 5, according to a June 8 memo obtained by the Star through a records request.

The Teamsters have also represented Sun Link workers since an October unionization vote.

The bus system was crippled by a 42-day strike in the summer of 2015 and ridership figures have not recovered to pre-strike levels.

In April, the most recent month for which data is available, passengers took roughly 1.29 million trips on Sun Tran, down from 1.47 million trips the previous April. In April 2015, several months before the strike began, 1.67 million trips were logged, according to monthly Sun Tran ridership reports.

Councilwoman Regina Romero said she was disappointed by those declining figures. As part of the 2016 one-year renewal, the contract was amended to require Transdev to add to their marketing plan “a detailed section that specifically addresses how (Transdev) will significantly increase ridership during the term of May 1, 2016, through April 30, 2017.”

In the event of another strike, “any delay, loss, stoppage, or damage arising ... shall be determined to be a(n) ... event beyond the reasonable control of the contractor,” according to the terms of Transdev’s most recent extension.

The city hopes to soon put out a request for proposals seeking a single private operator of the entire transit system, including Sun Link, Sun Van and Sun Tran.

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In a written comment provided by a Sun Tran spokesman, Transdev Regional Vice President Katrina Heineking said her company “is interested in serving the city of Tucson in the future.”

Sun Link General Manager Steve Bethel said if the city puts out such a request, RDMT “absolutely would be interested.”

Asked how the recent developments could impact ongoing contract negotiations, Local 104 Secretary-Treasurer Karla Schumann said “it looks like our dance partner may be changing, and that’s fine.”

She said it’s “unusual” for such a shift to occur amid ongoing contract negotiations, but the union will “try to remain optimistic” and hopes to be able to win a “fair and equitable contract.”

Schumann echoed city officials in saying that nobody “wants a repeat of 2015. I think everybody is working pretty hard to try and avoid that at this point.”

Councilman Steve Kozachik said one way to avoid another strike is to “put the tools in place so that Transdev or whoever is negotiating can come to the table and put a compelling package on the table.”

While the city is barred from participating in the negotiations, he said he would advocate for “letting our negotiating team know that we will budget for” what he described as a “me-too clause,” which would guarantee that any raise or one-time bonus granted to city workers would also be granted to Sun Tran workers.

“That way Sun Tran workers will be treated exactly the same way from a salary and benefit standpoint that city workers are,” he said, adding that with such a measure the likelihood of another strike “is very low.”

Kozachik clarified that funds raised through the voter-approved Proposition 101 half-cent sales tax are designated exclusively for capital projects, and could not be used for operations costs, like Sun Tran salaries.

With more than $30 million from the general fund budgeted this fiscal year, the city is the largest financial supporter of Sun Tran.

Longer term, Romero has been an advocate of exploring alternative transit-management models, like metropolitan transit authorities.

The city’s legal staff has cast doubt on the viability of such an alternative without legislative changes. In the short term, she hopes the council “has very active communication and participation in the decisions of where we’re going.”

With contracts set to expire soon, “It might not be a bad idea to have a special meeting next week,” she added.