RTD solves union dispute; light rail service resumes

By Tim Esterdahl
testerda@mscd.edu

Photo by Emily Varisco • varisco@mscd.edu

An unknown rider runs toward the light rail train about to leave the Colfax at Auraria station Tuesday April 11. Normal light rail service resumed Monday April 10.

     The approval of a union contract put the Regional Transportation District back in service April 10, signaling an end to the mass transportation problems of many students.
  Students had received support from the Metro administration concerning missed attendance as regional buses and light rail were shut down.
  @Metro reported in an e-mail April 3, that the Office of Academic Affairs acknowledged the strike would have an impact on class attendance and that faculty should discuss what could be done to accommodate students who were affected.
  Besides attendance, parking became an issue as many lots overflowed. The Auraria Parking and Transportation Service tried to help students by lowering the price of parking in the Tivoli Auraria Parking Structure down to $3.75 per day rather than the usual $5.
  The situation began on April 3 when members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 voted to strike by a margin of 55 percent.
  At issue was a $1.80 per hour pay raise, which was dubbed the largest pay increase in the agency’s history. RTD wanted to phase it in over a three-year period, but the workers wanted it all at once.
  “ It’s very obviously a substantial and fair offer,” said RTD spokesman Scott Reed told the Rocky Mountain News.
  RTD changed the offer on April 7 giving workers $1,040 for the first year, which is up from the previously offered $780. This change will also mean that, at the end of the three years, the total increase will be $6,032, compared to the rejected $6,084. Simply put, the workers approved more money up front, despite getting less money in the end.
  Union workers voted to approve the new contract by 82 percent late April 7 and the 14-member RTD board of directors voted unanimously the next morning.
  Along with the raise, RTD will pay $20 more to each employee’s insurance plan.
  RTD has 1,700 workers and provides 225,000 routes per day.