In Major Victory, Workers Preserve Pension Plan
St. Louis, MO – After six years without a wage increase and three and a half years without a contract, a majority of St. Louis Metro employees represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 788 voted to ratify an agreement that increases pay and, in a major victory for workers, preserves the defined benefit pension plan.
“This is a historic day for all working people in St. Louis,” said ATU Local 788 President Mike Breihan. “By coming together, we stopped yet another attempt to strip workers in this city of the wages and secure retirement that they have earned day in and day out.”
Breihan praised the support of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, SEIU Local 1, Metropolitan Congregations United, Missouri Jobs with Justice, CWA Local 6355, St. Louis Chapter of the NAACP, Paraquad, A Better Family Life, the National AFL-CIO, AFSCME, and the Missouri AFL-CIO. "We thank all the riders, other unions, community partners and allies for their support in our fight. This is a victory for a better St. Louis and we could not have achieved it without them,” he said.
Metro Transit’s Board of Commissioners ratified the agreement on Friday, September 19.
Metro workers and community allies still plan to hold a “Rally for Respect” at Metro headquarters at 9:00 am on Friday, September 26.
They will demand that Metro management be held accountable for a series of incidents in which they attempted to drive a wedge between black and white employees in the midst of a union contract dispute, including implying that the diverse workforce belonged to an "Oreo cookie" union during a July contract bargaining sessions.
“This is a great victory for Metro workers and working families across St. Louis,” said ATU International President Larry Hanley. “However, we will not stand silent and let Metro continue to get away with treating its workers with such disrespect and utter disdain. This is a fight for all working people and we will not stop until those responsible are held accountable for their despicable actions.”