Brief Pace bus strike ends -- for now

A Wednesday strike by suburban bus drivers was short-lived, but Northwest Cook County riders have no guarantee they won't get left in the cold again as negotiations continue. "I do not have control over what the (union) does," said Pace Director T.J. Ross.In an agreement to end the walk off late Wednesday morning, Teamsters Local 731 officials made no assurances to Pace that another strike won't occur before a scheduled sit-down with a federal mediator Monday. Authorities advised Pace riders to have a backup transportation plan on hand, if needed. As one part of such a plan, riders can also sign up for an e-mail alert system at Pace's Web site, www.pacebus.com. Wednesday's near seven-hour strike by 215 workers at Pace's Des Plaines garage left hundreds of riders stranded during the morning rush and clearly ruffled feathers at Pace headquarters. "It was a complete and total surprise," Ross said. "I honestly don't know why they chose this course of action."At the time, both sides were in the process of setting dates to begin new negotiations with a federal mediator. However, union officials were not pleased with the pace at which talks were progressing. "Our fight is not with the commuters and we are sympathetic to their needs," said union President Terrence J. Hancock after calling for the strike Wednesday. The union walked off the job at 4 a.m., shutting down 22 routes that carry about 11,000 riders a day in an area stretching from Schaumburg to Chicago. By 10:30 a.m. the union called off the strike after a date was set for new negotiations. Routes were up and running by 3 p.m. Earlier this month, union negotiators agreed on a proposed contract but the membership voted it down and agreed to authorize a strike at the same time. The workers have been without a contract since December of last year. Ross said he considered the vote to strike perfunctory and assumed it would only occur if federal mediation failed. Riders Wednesday morning were also caught off guard. "Oh my God -- what to do?" said Fatou Ndoye of Chicago, while waiting for a bus with about 60 other confused morning commuters at the CTA and Pace interchange in Rosemont. "This is ridiculous," said Annamarie Puente of Chicago, who works for a scaffolding company in Des Plaines. "I watched the news in the morning and I didn't hear anything about this," she said, blaming the transit agencies for not doing more to get the word out. "I'm stranded."Ross said that because the strike was so abrupt, agency officials weren't prepared to get the word out immediately. The director was even unaware of the strike until just minutes before the first buses were to leave the garage. Pace supervisors were sent to spread the word at high-traffic points by 5:30 a.m., he said. Pace and union officials declined to discuss the specifics of the negotiations, but Ross said the sticking points come down to wages, health insurance and retirement benefits. The top pay scale for drivers is about $20 an hour and the workers contribute a "relatively minimal" amount toward health insurance, Ross said. The workers are under a 401K retirement plan and do not receive a pension.The Teamsters took over the Des Plaines garage in February 2006 from the Amalgamated Transit Union during a struggle over representation of Pace employees.The Teamsters also represent garages in Elgin and Joliet. Workers at those sites have signed contracts in the last few years. Other Pace garages remain under the Amalgamated Transit Union. The strike comes with Pace officials on the brink of enacting a doomsday budget that includes raising fares from $1.50 to $2 while canceling about 66 routes and laying off more than 200 employees. Those sweeping changes will come Jan. 20 if lawmakers don't approve more than $300 million in new taxes to fill deficits at Pace as well as the CTA and Metra.