Bolt Drivers Set Sights High in Contract Talks

ATU Local 1700 and Greyhound met in January to negotiate the third supplement to the Greyhound contract for Bolt Bus drivers. The main issues at the table are the same as they have been since Day One: bringing the Bolt drivers up to the same standards as Greyhound drivers.

Labor and management have shown that a reputable bus company could compete with the safety-challenged curbside carriers that have plagued the East Coast since deregulation and still provide union wages and on-the-job protections.

“Now we need to close the gap and place Bolt drivers on equal footing with the nation’s highest-paid drivers,” said President Jimmie McCoy.

Backing up McCoy at the bargaining table are Regional Vice Presidents James Kennedy and Bill Wright.

Greyhound created Bolt in 2008 to take on the “Wal-Marts on Wheels” that were cutting into Greyhound’s ridership.

Today, Bolt drivers are the highest paid in their class. The company offers service out of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle.