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ATU Members Approve New Metro Call-A-Ride Labor Contract
Metro Call-A-Ride team members represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 788 approved a new labor contract on March 26. The three-year contract provides base pay increases, ratification bonuses and other new benefits that will reinforce Metro Transit’s retention and recruitment efforts, leading to stronger service for customers. The Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners will vote to formally ratify the new labor contract at their next board meeting scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2024.
“We have been working closely with our partners at ATU Local 788 on a labor contract that supports our team members and strengthens our workforce so we can better serve the community.” said Charles Stewart, Chief Operating Officer of Metro Transit. “Through careful negotiations, we have been able to develop a contract that both values the hard work of our team and provides Metro Transit with a strong foundation for the future.”
The new labor contract calls for a base pay increase, and pay increases of 3% in the second and third year. The new starting wage for Metro Call-A-Ride Operators is $21 an hour. The agreement provides a $1,000 to $5,000 ratification bonus, contingent on seniority, with a portion of the bonus being applied as a contribution to the individual employee’s 401K retirement plan. It also has other benefits including regular employer contributions to employee 401K plans, restructuring of paid leave, and new wage differentials that can increase hourly pay.
“I would like to thank Metro’s management team for working with Local 788 and its negotiating team on getting done with Call-A-Ride contract negotiations as quickly as we did,” said Reginald Howard, President of ATU Local 788. “I think we made some very important strides on employee retention by bringing their wages up and starting 401K plans for employees entering the company. I would like to again thank Metro and its management team on working with Local 788 on the completion of the Call-A-Ride, Clerical, MetroLink/MetroBus and Maintenance contracts in the past year.”
With the approval of this contract, Metro Transit has established agreements with all of its team members represented through collective bargaining. In August 2023, a new labor contract was approved with maintenance, clerical workers and MetroLink/MetroBus operators represented by ATU Local 788, and in January 2023, a new contract was approved with electricians represented by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2 and Local 309.
