Prince William County, Va. -- Labor negotiations are set to begin again today for OmniRide and OmniLink drivers after a 30-day contract extension was signed to keep drivers on the road until April 2.
With the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission sitting on the sidelines, employer First Transit Inc. has been negotiating with the American Federation of State and County Employees over wages. Drivers are hoping to get pay similar to transit bus drivers in Fairfax County.
When labor talks went past the midnight March 2 deadline, a strike seemed imminent. As part of a contingency plan, First Transit managers called in 70 standby drivers, reportedly from as far away as Texas and California, and housed them in a Woodbridge hotel so buses could keep rolling.
First Transit spokeswoman Maureen Richmond would not say how much it cost to house the standby drivers, but said the cost would not be passed along to taxpayers.
"We will not pass along the cost to PRTC. We want to provide our customers with uninterrupted service and we will pay the costs for the measures needed to ensure service remains ongoing," said Richmond.
PRTC has budgeted $15.7 million in fiscal 2011 that will go to First Transit Inc., which since 2003 has been operating and maintaining bus service for PRTC. Prior to First Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority held the contract and PRTC was inundated with complaints as many bus drivers were unfamiliar with PRTC bus routes. After about three months, many Metro bus drivers would opt to drive on bus routes closer to Washington.
Richmond says First Transit is eager to come to an agreement.
"We have been working diligently with the union representatives that is both fair and equitable, especially considering the current economic climate" she said.
AFSCME spokesman Charles Smith said last week that allowing drivers to make wages similar to employees at Fairfax Connector, Fairfax County's municipal transit service, would create an average wage for Northern Virginia transit employees. First Transit drivers at PRTC start at $14.73 per hour, while starting Connector drivers make $16.30 per hour, said Smith. After five years, Smith said, the average PRTC hourly rate is $18.48. Connector drivers are paid on average $21.44 per hour.
The majority of the150 First Transit drivers working at PRTC are full-time drivers, have full health benefits and receive annual pay increases on the anniversary of their start dates, said Richmond.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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