Union pickets shout down opponents of bus strike
Rob O’Dell Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Tuesday, August 3, 2010 12:00 am
On the first day of the strike against Sun Tran, picketing city transit workers verbally battled critics of a proposed bus-system transfer to the Regional Transportation Authority during a downtown press conference Monday.
As a coalition of speakers representing low-income riders voiced fears about such a transfer, about 50 Teamsters beat the wooden stakes holding their picket signs on the pavement around the Ronstadt Transit Center and shouted “RTA, RTA!” in an attempt to drown them out.
Although it’s not officially part of the contract negotiations, the biggest issue between the union and the company that manages Sun Tran for the city of Tucson is a proposed transfer of bus service to the RTA. Union representatives said they believe the transfer would protect them from Tucson’s ongoing budget crisis.
The Teamsters Local 104 contract expired Saturday. Workers went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday after the two sides spent all Sunday in negotiations.
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