Bus Mechanics May Strike, Stall Orange County Transit System

More than 200 Orange County bus mechanics could strike as early as Thursday if a collective bargaining agreement is not approved by union members this week.

A strike, which could cripple bus service countywide, would mark the first time in 12 years that Orange County transit employees walked off the job.

Transportation officials said they are taking the threat of a strike seriously. Starting Monday night, fliers were distributed to bus riders advising them that as many as half of the county’s 72 bus routes may be out of service in a strike.

At the heart of the dispute is the amount of monthly benefits retirees can use to supplement their health insurance. Currently, those benefits are capped at $150 a month, about half the amount Orange County government retirees are allowed. The Orange County Transportation Authority is an agency separate from Orange County government.

Mike Patton, a business agent for Teamsters Local 952, the union that represents the mechanics, said the union and the transit agency remain far apart on the issue of retirement benefits.

Patton said the gap in payments is significant because transportation workers hired before 1986 do not qualify for Medicare, putting affordable health insurance out of the reach of many OCTA retirees.

“I think people should have the right to retire above the poverty line,” said Patton, who added that the additional money could be paid out of an existing trust fund at no additional cost to the agency. The issue potentially affects an additional 800 or more Teamsters members at OCTA--including bus drivers--whose contracts are coming up for negotiation.

The union contends that increasing payments to retirees from that trust fund would make it easier for them to buy into the Teamsters medical program. Patton said some retired mechanics have been forced to go onto Medicaid--a program restricted to low-income individuals--for their medical care.

“I think that’s a hell of a legacy for working at the fastest-growing transportation agency in the country,” Patton said.

But OCTA officials question the union’s position that increasing retirement benefits would cost the agency nothing, though they vowed to study the matter further.

“Our workers make a good wage and we think our offer is fair and generous,” said John Standiford, an agency spokesman. The proposed contract offers the mechanics a 3% raise over each of the next three years, as well as additional opportunities for bonuses and clothing allowances.

An initial vote on the agreement was narrowly defeated by the mechanics Sunday. Voter turnout was reportedly low.

The last strike by Orange County transportation workers lasted 15 days in December 1986. That strike by bus drivers brought service to a near standstill and ended only after transportation officials threatened to fire the drivers just before the Christmas holiday.

The mechanics are working under a day-to-day contract extension that expires Thursday. Union representatives are scheduled to speak to OCTA officials today, and the union will vote again on the contract Wednesday at Teamsters Local 952 offices in Orange.