By Tony Perkins and Mariana Dale, AZPM
Agreement has been reached to end Tucson's 42-day-old municipal bus strike, and normal service was scheduled to resume Thursday morning.
The strike crippled the Sun Tran system and left thousands of riders stranded.
Sun Tran said in a Wednesday night press release that Teamsters Union members ratified the contract, and service would resume on all 43 routes Thursday morning.
Andy Marshall, a spokesman for Teamsters Union Local 104, said a tentative deal was reached at 1 a.m. Wednesday between the union and Professional Transit Management, which runs the bus system under contract with city government.
He said the tentative contract is for two years. No other details were released.
Bus riders at the Ronstadt Transit Center agreed: An end to the bus strike was most welcome.
"Wow, that's actually good news and I really hope so because there's been a lot of people without jobs now because of it and maybe we can get back on our feet again," said Cassandra Robinson.
The 23-year-old said she lost her job as a waitress at IHOP because she couldn't get to work on time and couldn't pay for the $18 cab rides to the restaurant.
Annette Bell said the strike put a strain on her family life.
"I haven't seen my mom in 42 days," said Bell, who normally would take the bus to see her 85-year-old mother. "That's way too long."
Bell said her teenage granddaughter has missed up to two weeks of school because of the strike.
Teamsters Local 104 and Professional Transit Management had been negotiating daily with a federal mediator for the last week, after the City Council urged a resolution and authorized management to spend money it has been saving because the strike forced a reduction in operations.
An estimated 530 drivers, mechanics and bus station workers have been off the job since Aug. 5. The Teamsters Union overwhelmingly rejected management's offer a few days before the strike began.
Management officials have said there was $2.7 million on the table to be divided however the union wants. The union two weeks ago proposed a package that would cost the city at least $5.5 million.
In addition, the union has asked for worker safety improvements, including clearing up mold problems at a northwest-side bus center and on some buses and ensuring safety for drivers after nearly two dozen assaults by passengers.
The current city budget includes nearly $30 million to subsidize the bus system, which normally operates 43 routes and carries 66,000 passengers a day. Since the strike began, those numbers have been greatly reduced, and the system this week was running 14 routes Monday through Friday and five on Saturday.
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