Auroraadvocate.com - PARTA bus drivers strike; last-minute talks not successful

by Don Jovich

Record-Courier Reporter

After weekend negotiations with a federal mediator failed, the union bus drivers for the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority began a strike at 4 a.m. Aug. 25.

Buses driven by PARTA management were on the road as Kent State University began its first day of classes. Student drivers who drive the campus routes are non-union.

"Our talks broke down completely on Sunday," said Trina Molnar, union negotiator for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 037. OAPSE represents roughly 65 bus drivers.

On Aug. 15, the union filed a 10-day strike notice with the State Employees Relations Board, mainly over the "fair share" contract language in which non-union members would pay the equivalent of union dues.

PARTA representatives argue that "fair share" would make it harder to hire part-time bus drivers when they would have to pay 2 percent of their income to the union.

According to the union, management was unwilling to accept and implement the language, sending the union negotiating committee away from the table with no contract and a refusal to bargain over the "fair share" language.

PARTA director of Marketing Frank Hairston said PARTA continues to oppose any contractual provision that would require employees who choose not to join the union to pay mandatory fees to support OAPSE.

"We will have a strike line actively going throughout this process," Molnar said. "There are other labor unions who also support us and we will have a visible presence through the strike process."

PARTA General Manager John Drew said there is a contingency plan in place and residents who depend on PARTA for their daily transportation can be assured that PARTA will get them where they need to go.

"PARTA will continue to provide transportation to citizens of Portage County, whether or not the drivers decide to strike," he said.

Students at KSU who use the campus bus service will not be affected.

For the past two years, OAPSE and PARTA have been in contract negotiations and have been unable to reach an agreement.

Hairston said they will remain in contact with federal mediator Laura Shepard and would agree to any invitation to meet and bargain with the union.

Molnar said they, too, would be available to come back to bargaining table with the goal of coming to a contract agreement. As of late Sunday night, no new meetings were scheduled.

E-mail: djovich@recordpub.com

Telephone: 330-296-9657