The Regional Transportation District has presented transit workers with a new contract proposal that a union spokesman described Wednesday as “somewhat better.”
The executive board of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Local 1001 unanimously voted to recommend the new offer to more than 1,750 Front Range transit workers. Workers will vote Sunday whether to accept the new offer, which includes a new RTD concession on future health care costs.
If they don’t accept the new offer, a strike will begin at 2 a.m. Monday, jeopardizing some RTD services, including light rail and some bus routes.
“The last thing the workers want to do is strike, but RTD has put them in that corner,” said Dave Minshall, a union spokesman. The new proposal includes an offer by RTD to pay half of any health insurance premium increases over the contract period and a $250 signing bonus.
The wage offer remains the same as that in an offer workers rejected last weekend, with raises totaling about $1.80 an hour over the three- year deal. That raises top hourly wages for bus drivers and light-rail operators from the current $18.05 to $19.85 at the end of the contract. Top hourly wages for certain mechanics would go from $23.15 to $25.20.
While RTD continues to make contingency plans in the event of a strike, district officials say they remain hopeful union members will accept their newest offer.
“This is an extremely substantial contract offer, and now that we have addressed concerns over future health care costs, we believe it will be ratified,” said RTD spokesman Scott Reed.
He said RTD has a contingency plan to operate about 45 percent of its fixed-route schedule in case of a strike by Local 1001.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
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