The union’s executive board opened contract talks with the company today. We held a discussion of the issues that brought us to the table early, and we exchanged proposals.
Issues under discussion ranged from the union’s demand for the return of all the work in the Southwest to our need to be paid for all the time we spend at work. We listened to an expert advisor on the results of a survey on driver engagement, and to updates on the performance of the company. There was talk of dealing with the stiff competition between Greyhound and Megabus. And we began talking again about safety incentives and other ways to improve the lives of Local 1700 members.
A few tentative agreements were reached on contract language that needed to be addressed, but there have been no agreements on any matters of substance yet. We’ll meet with the company again tomorrow, and I’ll report on any progress we might make.