After three years without a revised contract, SMART-TD Local 1704 ratified a tentative agreement (TA) in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday with First Student. The 66-member local’s refreshed contract secured significant raises, the addition of one paid holiday and made it so that six years of seniority raised their members to the top of the pay scale, rather than the 16 years required in past contracts.
Preparation from SMART-TD bus union empowered Local 1704 leaders
After months of negotiation, Local President Ethel Maze was quick to credit the preparation she and her team, including General Chairperson Darryl Redmon and Trustee Carol Johnson, received from Bus Department Vice President James Sandoval for their success. Maze said that in past negotiations, she had been in the room but wasn’t able to take the lead in getting her people what they needed. This time around, she could rise to meet the moment.
“James (VP Sandoval) spent an entire day with a group of four local officers and taught us things we never knew about how to advocate for our members,” she said. “Not only did this help in negotiating this agreement, but it also made me more effective in representing my members on the property in day-to-day operations.
Know your contract and stand firm
“Through my conversations with James, I found things in our agreement First Student has never honored. It empowered me to go into the office and stand firm, insisting on improvements to which we are contractually entitled. All in all, our team, along with VP Sandoval, put Local 1704 on a better track, and we provided a quality of life for our men and women that is better than our managers wanted us to believe was possible,” Maze continued.
SMART-TD succeeds in tense negotiations
Negotiations came to a head when management called for an all-day closed-door session.
Sandoval attended the meeting and had high praise for the efforts and professionalism of 1704’s local officers.
“Maze, Redmond, and Johnson were an impressive team. It was obvious to everyone in the room that they had done their homework,” he said. “Sister Maze took the lead in the negotiations, and she left no doubt that she knew the contract, the rights of her people, and most importantly, that she had her finger on the pulse of what her brothers and sisters needed to achieve in this agreement.”
Preparation and hard work results in overwhelming support
The proud, 66-member local had not received a significant raise or a revised contract in three years. Their local negotiating team received overwhelming support by their brothers and sisters. The July 20th vote ratified the tentative agreement with a resounding 97% approval.
LACMTA, SEPTA, CATS, Montebello, California, and other properties have won strong agreements, increased member safety, and operators and mechanics were brought back to work. While these large properties get large headlines, SMART-TD believes that, whether a local has 60 or 600 members, every member deserves the same training, representation and resources.
That’s how we fight, and why we win.
