TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of Tucson riders depend on buses and streetcars every day, and now they can expect service to continue uninterrupted after Teamsters Local Union 104 voted Sunday night to accept Sun Tran’s final contract offer.
“I’m pleased to tell you we have passed a three year contract, pretty good ratio of 75%. Had a great turnout from our membership and truly delivered one of the best contracts that we’ve had," said Karla Schumann, Teamsters Local Union 104 Principal Officer.
Teamsters says the safety of its members and the community remains one of its highest priorities. They say this new contract reflects that, but there’s still so much work to do.
“The things we put in place – barriers, new committees, new language, new training, all these great things are in the future. They’re worried about tomorrow and I don't blame them," Schumann said.
In a press release, C. Mikel Oglesby, General Manager for Sun Tran, says Sun Tran it is committed to providing safe, reliable, and dependable transportation every day.
"Sun Tran remains dedicated to responsible financial stewardship, making careful decisions that reflect our values, priorities, and those of the City of Tucson," said Oglesby.
Sun Tran says voters approved the RTA Next Plan which includes $51 million for regional transit safety and security, with Tucson receiving about $2.15 million annually for expanded initiatives.
In a study session June 9, Tucson Mayor and Council reviewed what the funds would cover. Mayor Regina Romero said her priority is making sure that riders and operators are first in this budget.
“Whether that's duress systems, or the additional lights in our bus stops and putting more money in the ambassador program, making sure that we have the barriers, protective barriers, especially in the hot spot areas and those routes is the most important for me," said Mayor Romero.
Schumann says when the union went on strike for 42 days in 2015, it was all about safety and they had no idea how much worse it would get.
"Let me tell you, the things we were putting up back then, the things we had issues with, the concerns — people throwing a coke in my face. People spitting on me. People are, you know, swinging on me. So we ended up with what we now call them a sneeze guard, right?," Schumann said.
"Never in our right mind in 2015 did we think you would be dealing with the things we're dealing with now. Open air drug use, people attacking you, knives, guns, all kinds of crazy things on transit, right? Nobody in their right mind foresaw that happening, but it has been happening for a long time."
She says there's a lot of great things in this new contract going forward that hopefully can help alleviate some of that. Transit operators want to see more police presence.
"They want people that can detain, arrest, and get them out of the equation. They care about the passengers. They care about their safety, and we know this isn't something that happens overnight, but by God, let's move in the right direction on that," Schumann said.
She said the barriers that will be protecting operators won’t be installed until the end of 2027 or 2028 based on availability.
"Much better glass, much better surroundings for them. We're gonna do a trial run with 10 of each, try it out. Nobody wants to run a marathon and not try the shoes on. We're trying them out, see which barriers work better for our people, fit better, provide a better security," Schumann explained.
"I absolutely understand that at the end of the day we got a hellacious contract that is fantastic, but there is more work to be done."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: Sun Tran, Teamsters fail to reach contract agreement
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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