The transit workers union and members of metro Denver’s disabled community sparred with RTD officials Thursday at a hearing over whether a strike by the union would interfere with public peace, health and safety.
The contract between the Regional Transportation District and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 expires Feb. 28. The union has filed a “notice of intent to strike” with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment if it cannot reach agreement with RTD on a new contract and the transit agency refuses to submit unresolved issues to arbitration.
In filings with the labor department, Local 1001 said it believes a strike would threaten public peace, health and safety, and for that reason, it wants state officials to deny strike authorization to the union and instead rely on binding arbitration to resolve any disputes.
Three years ago, Gov. Bill Owens’ administration made it clear that it would not invoke the arbitration provision to forestall a transit strike.
The union did strike, sharply curtailing transit service for a week.
At Thursday’s hearing, Julie Reiskin of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, a disability-rights group, said the 2006 strike showed the loss of bus and train service for many transit-dependent people met the standard of interfering with public peace, health and safety. For that reason, the labor department should reject the strike option, Reiskin said.
In response to Reiskin and testimony from union representatives, RTD general manager Cal Marsella said his agency “is committed to doing whatever it can to avoid” a strike.
But if state labor officials deny Local 1001 the strike option and impose “third party” arbitration on the negotiations, it will “undermine the confidence of both sides” and “put a chilling effect on the ability to negotiate in good faith,” he said.
An RTD official told the panel that if there is a strike, the transit agency would continue to operate 45 percent of its fixed-route bus service using private contractors who now operate those routes. Private companies also would continue to provide access-a- Ride and call-n-Ride service. Light-rail service would most likely halt.
RTD believes that while that would be an “inconvenience” to transit users, it would not meet the standard of disrupting public health and safety.
A decision on whether to allow a strike will be made Tuesday.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
