The Region : RTD Drivers Review Contract Offer

“The offer was far short of being the basis for a quick settlement,” the leader of the union representing 5,000 bus drivers said after a meeting to consider a new contract proposal from the Southern California Rapid Transit District. But Earl Clark, head of the United Transportation Union, said union negotiators will study the new proposal in depth and will meet again today with RTD negotiators. Both sides are in the midst of a 60-day “cooling-off period” that keeps bus drivers from striking until midnight April 21. The new RTD proposal, in part, would guarantee drivers a wage increase and no longer tie it to increased productivity and other criteria, a district spokesman said.