Yearly increases in top earning wages for operators and mechanics, reaching $32.39 per hour and $34.33 per hour, respectively, by contract’s end.2.5% wage increases every six months, retroactive to January 2021.SORTA said the new agreement will mean higher rates of pay, increased benefits and better work-life balance for Metro’s union-member staff, including bus operators and maintenance workers.įor instance, under the old contract, drivers in training would get $18 per hour and then about $19.50 per hour when they started driving full-time. It's not what they used to." New deal hopes to attract new driversĮarlier this month, SORTA reached a new, three-year deal with the ATU Local 627. Working unique shift times and having a potentially evolving work schedule "isn't for everybody," he said. But the major issue is finding people who have the right fit for the job. Miller said the driver numbers have been affected by COVID, adding that they've had their fair share out sick over the months. Jones noted that the number can fluctuate because of several factors ranging from retirements to prolonged sick leave to employees deciding to resign for personal reasons. “We've also been very strategic about the timing of and which service improvements to implement based on factors that include staffing levels and ridership patterns and needs.”Īs of Thursday, there were 475 Metro bus operators. “Because of the nationwide driver shortage, we've had to make adjustments to our current service in an effort to improve service reliability for our customers,” said Brandy Jones with SORTA. SORTA has been in the middle of an aggressive hiring campaign for the last several months. 20, to accommodate those impacted by the canceled route. They also eliminated an express route to Forest Park and modified service on another route, Rt. These primarily involved trip consolidations on some express routes as well as "minor adjustments" to routes serving students, SORTA said at the time. In December, the bus service implemented what it called "improvements" on 22 fixed routes. SORTA, which stated the decision was initially "mutually agreed upon," said the service changes were partially rooted in the fact they're short on drivers right now. Last summer, SORTA had a well-publicized dispute with Cincinnati Public Schools over the decision to cancel special school-centric routes called XTRA routes. The local shortage, SORTA said, has played a role in limiting their ability to implement various service improvements as part of the Reinventing Metro plan, which aims to better connect greater Cincinnati residents to jobs, school and medical services. We haven't done that yet, but we're still really short on operators." And I'll say this: We're fortunate, here in Cincinnati, because we haven't had to cut service yet due to not having enough operators. We're really short operators," said Troy Miller, president and business agent for Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 627, the labor union representing the Metro drivers. Areas, like Butler County and other cities in Ohio, have faced challenges finding drivers for both school and public buses. SORTA said Metro has experienced a "profound and persistent driver shortage” over much of the past two years. Like many industries, transportation providers have struggled with staffing issues since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Driver shortage in Hamilton County and beyond Metro also provides comprehensive health and dental benefits, retirement benefits and discounted transportation passes for a spouse and dependents.
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