Bus lines in OC continue to operate as negotiations between OCTA and workers press on

Teamsters Local 952, a local union organization that represents bus maintenance workers, ended their strike Nov. 6 against the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), for the public to be able to utilize bus lines to go out and vote, with more negotiations and meetings to follow, regarding salaries and healthcare benefits. Photo by SIMRAH AHMAD, staff photographer

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) officials and OCTA bus workers are currently in the midst of negotiating a new labor agreement for employees, following the OCTA bus strike that halted all bus lines in the county from Nov. 3 to Nov. 6.

Bus maintenance and mechanic workers who are represented by Teamsters Local 952, a local union organization in Orange, went on strike against OCTA last Thursday, regarding issues related to worker salaries and healthcare benefits. Since then, the 96-hour strike was lifted Nov. 6 to provide public transportation for people to head out to the polls, and will continue to operate as the week continues on. 

This strike comes after a different strike that was averted in February between the bus drivers’ union and OCTA. Another planned strike against OCTA was also averted in October, involving the mechanics union. The Nov. 3 bus strike was the first successful one taken against OCTA officials.

As of Nov. 11, discussions continued on between OCTA officials and over 150 bus maintenance workers — represented by Teamsters Local 952 — in hopes of negotiating a new agreement that would benefit both parties. According to union officials, bus maintenance workers have been without an official labor contract since September. 

“We’ve had productive meetings so far between us at OCTA and the union workers,” OCTA Spokesman Joel Zlotnik said in a statement. “Our main goal now is to continue the negotiations and to have those discussions at the bargaining table.”

No further details about the strike or the discussions were brought up by Zlotnik.

Discussions so far have revolved around issues that union officials have noticed in recent years, including pension and health care cost increases as well as wage and health care disparities with other OCTA departments. 

The union claims OCTA negotiators walked away from the bargaining table Oct. 31. Union workers took it upon themselves to start up the strike on Nov. 3 that halted bus lines around the county. 

“We have done everything in our power to avoid a strike. They have even rejected our proposals that would save them money on members’ health care,” Teamsters Local 952 Secretary-Treasurer Eric Jimenez said in a statement declaring the start of the strike. “But when OCTA walked away from the table, they gave us no other choice.”

Since Nov. 6, when the strike was put on hold so people could utilize the buses to get to and from voting centers around the county, negotiations between both parties have continued to take place, but with no clear agreement as of yet. 

Bus lines have continued to operate since then, with Teamsters Local 952 requesting its members to continue to report to work each day.

“We know that any interruption in bus service hurts the people in our community who have no other way to travel,” OCTA Chairman Mark Murphy — who is currently awaiting results for the Orange mayor midterm election race — said in a statement. “That’s why we are working hard to avoid a strike and we want to continue negotiating.”

In a message displayed on the OCTA website, it stated that the OC Bus service is currently up-and-running for riders in the county to utilize.

“While a deal has yet to be reached, labor negotiations are ongoing between OCTA and the union representing OCTA’s 150 maintenance workers,” the website states. “The union has said it could call a strike again at any time, which would further disrupt bus services for the more than 100,000 daily riders in Orange County.”

According to OCTA officials, the company hopes to reach a resolution with union workers as soon as possible, through further negotiations, noting that, “a strike is unnecessary and unfairly burdens bus passengers.” No agreement between the two parties has been reached yet as of Nov. 19.

For more information and for the latest updates on the OC bus strike, make sure to refer to the OCTA website or call the OCTA Information Center at (714) 636-7433.