ATU News
ATU Crimson Ride Operators on Strike, Labor Urged to Call UA President
ATU — TUSCALOOSA, AL (3/1)
ATU NEWS ALERT
Tuscaloosa News Photo Gallery of the Crimson Ride Strike
Today at 6 am the University of Alabama Crimson Ride Shuttle Drivers, members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1208, struck their employer First Transit, shutting down the campus buses. First Transit is a subsidiary of FirstGroup plc, the British multinational corporation contracted by the university to operate the shuttle service.
Labor supporters are urged to call Dr. Witt, the president of the university, at: 205-348-5103.
Urge him to tell First Transit to negotiate in good faith with the Crimson Ride drivers for a just first contract.
The drivers, who voted unanimously in 2009 for union representation, have spent nearly a year at the bargaining table seeking a first time collective bargaining agreement. Main issues in dispute are unsafe busses and equipment, working conditions, wages and benefits.
In recent days drivers have reported intimidating threats of disciplinary action directed against union activists.
Most of the CDL-licensed drivers earn less than $10 per hour and no benefits, substantially below the scale of drivers servicing campuses like University of Texas at Austin (wage scale $11.25-17.16) or University of Florida at Gainesville ($12.50-16.75) with benefits. The contracts with both First Transit at the University of Texas and the University of Alabama are very similar in cost per hour of service provided.
We received this email from the students supporting the drivers at 10:18 am:
Subject: Don't Let UA Try to Break the Crimson Ride Drivers' Strike!
This morning while we were on the picket line, we heard that Dr. Witt is pulling university employees to run buses- and threatening to fire them if they don't break the picket line.
Witt told us and the drivers that the university was not involved at all in the dispute between First Transit and the bus drivers' union, ATU 1208. Now we see who's side he's on.