Local 1700 Members to Vote on Merging Work, Seniority Rosters
Solidarity with Carolina, Vermont and TNM&O drivers
“If we were in the other driver’s seat, we would want the same respect and satisfaction
of being treated fairly. Seniority always ruled before. Why stop now? Once all is said
and done, these operators will be Greyhound drivers and Local 1700 members. Let’s
stand together! Let’s stand strong! Let’s make this transition as smooth as possible
because it is going to happen.” Overwhelming approval by Local 1700 members would therefore seem likely, but the choice isn’t that easy. The new routes come with the current drivers, and if members approve the referendum, some Carolina, Vermont and TNM&O operators would have more seniority than some Greyhound drivers. Over the long run, merging work and seniority rosters would benefit the great majority of current and future Local 1700 members. Getting to the long run is the difficult part. It is important to remember that there is no ideal choice being presented to us. It is a choice between merging, which has some negative aspects but leaves us stronger overall, and voting not to merge, which will result in an outcome no one can predict but that is certain to cause long-term division in our ranks, something we cannot afford if we are serious about making real gains in wages and conditions. The following three pages of this supplement are intended to show exactly how merging the seniority rosters with the work will affect each driver. As you can see, most drivers and most locations will not be affected at all by these mergers, except that as a whole we gain clout. Locations that have both Greyhound and subsidiary drivers are shown with seniority merged. The jobs that are shown are the current runs being operated by the subsidiary companies in Greyhound run bid format. Carolina brings 57 jobs. Eight jobs are added to Greyhound’s 19 in Charlotte; three to the 13 in Fayetteville; and nine to the 35 in Richmond. Vermont brings 32 jobs, but none work out of any Greyhound locations. TNM&O has 54 jobs. Albuquerque doubles its work, from seven to 14. Amarillo adds 23 jobs to the existing six. Nine jobs are added to Denver’s 19; 11 to the 20 in El Paso; and four to Greyhound’s five jobs in Grand Junction. Take the new total number of jobs in each location and go down the merged roster to that number and you can see approximately how many drivers in each location should be able to hold regular work in a merged location.
Merging the seniority and work of
the companies that Greyhound is
absorbing is in the long-term best
interest of ATU Local 1700. Across Region 2,
many Carolina Trailways drivers who currently
hold regular runs will only be able to hold the
Extra Board because Greyhound drivers will
have the seniority to outbid them. Additional
jobs create more hold-downs and work for the
Extra Board. Some Carolina drivers now hold runs in
Norfolk with two years seniority. If Greyhound
drivers who work in Richmond and live near
Norfolk could go home, that would open up
regular runs in Richmond for local drivers who currently cannot hold a run. The same is
true for Fayetteville drivers who live closer to
Raleigh. If the seniority and work are not merged,
Greyhound drivers will most likely never be
able to bid on jobs now held by Carolina
drivers. There will be cases, for example, of a
Greyhound driver with eight years seniority on
the Extra Board while a Carolina driver with
two years seniority and prior rights on Carolina
work holds a good paying regular run. Unity will make Local 1700 stronger, and
with that strength we will be able to improve
our wages, benefits and working conditions in
the next contract. Merging the work and seniority rosters is the fairest way to go forward. The alternatives would either be a long, costly dispute when we urgently need to build unity for upcoming organizing, political and bargaining battles, or some form of prior-rights system that would divide the work and our ranks, and reduce the choices for most drivers. As Phoenix Chief Steward Ron Gradozzi put it, “It’s time to get our members together. We don’t need more animosity. We should learn from the past and not let this issue become something that divides us.” Local 1700 members will gain bargaining strength by linking arms with our brothers and sisters at Carolina, Vermont and TNM&O. The reason we have a union is to raise living standards for all over-the-road bus workers. Unifying our workforces will be the ace in our sleeve the next time we face Greyhound across the bargaining table. |
