Orange County bus drivers united in front of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) headquarters Valentine’s Day morning for a rally, which was called to show support for bus drivers in their labor dispute against OCTA. 

The drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 952, gathered to incentivize negotiations with OCTA for better working conditions before formally calling a strike at midnight.

“We are in the middle of contract negotiations, and (the OCTA board doesn’t) want to be fair as far as wages, bathroom breaks and other things that will make working in OCTA more tolerable,” said Charles Johnson, who represents drivers in any labor disputes or misunderstandings they have with OCTA. “Mainly, we just want the drivers to be treated with dignity.”

One of the union’s main demands in the negotiations is to have guaranteed bathroom and lunch breaks. Currently, drivers get a period of recovery time (15% of their time en route) between their routes, but they can’t always utilize their break time due to traffic delays or service disruptions. 

In more severe cases, some drivers may be denied breaks for days on end depending on schedule delays, Eric Jimenez, the Secretary-Treasurer for Teamsters Local 952,  told Voice of OC.

The lack of breaks has led bus drivers to take extreme measures to take care of their needs, like urinating right outside the bus or inside of a bottle, wearing padded underwear or holding their urine, which has even caused bladder infections.

According to Johnson, OCTA does allow drivers to stop on their route if they need to, but this provision doesn’t take into account the potential frustration of passengers, who might miss their connections or appointments as a result. This can lead to drivers being verbally or physically assaulted, and if this happens, and the drivers retaliate in any way, they’ll be terminated.

Many elected members of Orange County attended the rally on Monday to support Teamsters Local 952 and the bus drivers in their fight for a fair contract. Among them was John O’Neil, a Garden Grove City Council member.

“To walk into (a) negotiation and have a management team offer you zero in this environment is ridiculous; it is a slap in the face and an embarrassment to all (OCTA) board members,” O’Neil told rally attendees. “(OCTA) should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. So everybody here, stand strong. We’re going to get this done. You‘ve got support from your electives to get this done.”

The drivers have had to work through the pandemic, putting themselves in danger of getting COVID-19 in order to keep the service available for those who need it. During these two years, there has been no wage increase for the drivers. Drivers hoped OCTA would revise their contract, but when negotiations came, they were sorely disappointed.

“This is exactly what we need to do to showcase that we will not stand for disrespect and that we’re fighting for dignity and safety,” Gloria Alvarado, the Orange County Labor Federation executive director, said to rally attendees. “We show our strength in union. We show our strength in numbers, and we will not allow OCTA to disrespect workers.”

OCTA and Teamsters went into negotiations that Monday, which lasted over 21 hours and went into Tuesday morning before a tentative agreement was reached between both parties.

“The tentative agreement is still subject to ratification by members of the coach operators’ union, Teamsters Local 952,” OCTA said in a press release on their website. “That ratification vote is expected later this week. The agreement must also get final approval from the OCTA Board of Directors.”

Details of the agreement will be publicly disclosed once it’s approved by all the parties involved, which will happen in a meeting next week. For the moment, the strike was averted, and OC buses will continue to function as usual. 

To read more about the Feb.14 rally between OCTA and the bus drivers' union, click here.