Teamsters Local 542 members hold strike after contract talks with Transdev failed

UPDATE (12:07 PM): Transdev has issued the following statement regarding the strike:

"Transdev respects unions and recognizes the important role they have played in improving wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers across this country. We bargain in good faith every day with the unions serving our passengers and communities nationwide, including our partners here in the Imperial Valley, Teamsters Local 542.

This situation, however, is different.

Although the Union has raised additional proposals, the primary unresolved issue remains the Company's refusal to accept language that would allow employees to be required to participate in work stoppages that are unrelated to their employment relationship with us or to their treatment by this Company. That demand fundamentally alters the purpose of the collective bargaining agreement by attempting to hold our local management accountable for decisions made by other employers, in other locations, that have no connection to our compliance with this contract. It would also permit work stoppages driven by union leadership located thousands of miles away, rather than by issues affecting our local workforce.

We believe that decisions impacting local service should be driven by local concerns. Our employees should not be compelled to stop working in support of disputes that have nothing to do with their workplace, particularly when they may not wish to participate.

Unfortunately, the greatest impact of a strike under these circumstances is felt not by the Company, but by the Imperial Valley community - by the passengers who depend on this service to get to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential destinations.

To protect the reliability of transit service in this community and to ensure stability for both employees and riders, we cannot agree to contract language that would allow outside entities to mandate work stoppages unrelated to local working conditions. Our goal remains to reach a fair agreement that respects workers' rights while ensuring dependable service for the community we serve.

We remain ready to continue negotiations and reach a resolution that keeps our community moving."

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - Teamsters Union Local 542 announced they have voted to authorize and initiate a strike in El Centro.

According to a press release, the strike, which started Monday at 4:00 a.m. Pacific, comes after "negotiations for a new successor contract failed to produce an agreement."

Local 542 says their members prefer a fair and equitable resolution at the bargaining table, but said "essential terms and conditions must be addressed" before a tentative agreement is reached.

The union also says the strike will impact Imperial Valley residents who rely on public transportation to get to work, school, medical appointments and essential daily travel, and said the decision was not made lightly.

"Our members want to avoid a work stoppage, but they cannot accept a contract that fails to meet the basic standards required to protect workers and ensure safe, reliable service for the public" the union stated. "We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement and urge Transdev to return to the table with proposals that reflect the vital role our members play in the Imperial Valley's transportation system."

While the strike will continue until a tentative agreement is reached, the union said they are ready to continue negotiations at any time.

The Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) has issued saying they were informed of the strike Sunday evening, and said they wish to avoid "any type of service disruption and has continued to request that the parties continue to engage in good faith negotiations to come to a resolution and a new collective bargaining agreement."

ICTC says to alleviate this, they will offer free fares across all IVT services, such as IVT Fixed Route, IVT Access, IVT Ride Now and IVT MedTrans, during the strike.

They also said Calexico On Demand will not be impacted by the strike, not will it be subject to the free fares.

To read their statement in full, see attached file.