Tucson's Teamsters Union Bus Strike

A few months ago the Tucson Teamsters Local Union 104 went on strike after rejecting Sun Tran's three-year proposal. The union primarily disagreed with the starting pay for new employees, the lack of raises for current employees, and facilities issues such as mold problems and need for better security.

After a 42-day strike, the union and Professional Transit Management (who oversees Sun Tran), came to an agreement. During this time only 13 of the 43 routes were online, with temporary drivers and school buses taking on the majority of the work.

There has been a great divide between community members. Some agree with the union while others shun them. This issue is complicated for all parties involved; the drivers felt they needed a better deal from management, management thought they had offered a good deal, and in the middle of this was the public who struggled to find alternative routes to school, work, etc.

Amongst the majority of the public, those who felt the struggle the most were low-income,  especially school children who primarily take the city bus to/from school. The union commented that Sun Tran returned about $2 million to the city when that money could have been used for raises. I believe this is where transparency should show its face. This is where a lot of the confusion would have been assuaged. In this case, it's a struggle to redistribute income in a fair way while looking out for those most impacted. The balance is delicate.

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