Riders Win Big with New SMART Contract

Photo: Members of ATU, TRU and allied groups rally for a new contract.

After nearly two years of negotiations, SMART bus drivers of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1564 have ratified a new contract that significantly increases pay, an important step towards addressing the SMART system’s driver shortage and the resulting epidemic of no-show buses.

TRU has long advocated for higher wages to help the agency hire and retain drivers and provide reliable service. The new contract includes a 32% pay raise, bringing the starting wage for drivers to $26.95 an hour and hiking the top wage to $32.34. It also shortens the progression to the top wage to two years, instead of six.

This is a major victory for TRU, as we’ve repeatedly called on SMART to settle the contract and increase pay for operators. Although drivers accepted some concessions, like a tighter attendance policy, we’re confident that the new contract will make the job more attractive for potential drivers, helping to resolve the current crisis of canceled runs.

A big thank-you is due to everyone who emailed SMART, gave public comment, and rallied to help make this happen!

The spotlight now shifts to DDOT, which raised driver pay to match SMART’s old wage scale earlier this year. Schetrone Collier, president of the DDOT driver union, ATU Local 26, has told us that the new higher wage for SMART could cause an exodus of DDOT drivers to the other system. Will DDOT once again raise wages to match SMART’s? If you’ll pardon the pun, that strikes us as a “smart” move to hire and retain the people who get riders where they need to go.