Tough luck for us cripples, huh? Thanks a lot UTU.

On August 2, 2005, METRO reached impasse with United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 23 represented employees after two mediation sessions. METRO has provided UTU with a Last, Best & Final Offer to attempt to settle the contract. METRO has offered to, in a time where there is a $1.4 million deficit, in exchange for some work rule changes, and through the use of one time money equal to 2% of their salary, to greatly reduce the impact of medical insurance premiums.

UTU feels that the medical insurance premium issue is one of parity and that they should be provided with all of the funds necessary ($387,000) to pay the full cost of medical insurance. This is in spite of a decision made by UTU five years ago set the medical insurance caps where they are today. The actions being taken by METRO today are to rectify the problem that UTU created for themselves. All monies saved by changing UTU's contract as proposed by METRO will be given to employees to reduce their medical insurance premiums.

The sticking point with UTU is that they are unwilling to make changes to their current contract to reallocate the savings towards their medical insurance premiums.

METRO feels that the offer made to our UTU employees represents the best that we can do in these difficult economic times while also considering the needs of the public and the employees. We are borrowing funds in order to provide the 2% payments to our employees because we feel a need to provide some additional compensation to help with medical insurance costs, but to do any more at this time would not be responsible budgeting.
METRO has asked that UTU sign an agreement to allow ParaCruz, our service for disabled passengers unable to use regular METRO buses, to continue to operate during any job actions. To date UTU has refused.