Local 100 Executive Board 'Strongly Recommends' Contract Approval to Union Membership, 33-0; Releases Contract Highlights and Wage Scales

Health Care: Members will pay an additional "non retroactive" contribution of ½ of one percent of payroll on 40 hours base pay, (6 bucks a week on $60,000 ) but in return we won significant and economically valuable new health care benefits, including these groundbreaking gains:

1) For the first time ever in any transportation union labor contract, our members will have two weeks of fully paid maternity or paternity leave on the birth of a child. 

2) We have won first time ever full health care bridge benefit coverage for the spouse of any member who dies in retirement, until Medicare eligibility.  This means that, for example, if a 60 year-old retired member dies, and his wife is 55, she will be fully covered as an active member for health care for until she reaches Medicare eligibility. Upon ratification of the contract, we can rest assured that our spouses will be taken care of in retirement.

3) That’s not all: Dental and Optical benefits have been significantly improved. Upon ratification, TWU Local 100 members will have radically improved dental coverage and top notch optical benefits. The disrespect of an inferior dental plan is over! 

There are more significant economic gains and enhancements in the Agreement:

Death Benefits: The Agreement would raise Line of Duty Death benefits from the current $100,000 to $250,000. Death benefits for active duty members (not in the line of duty) would be raised from $5,000 to $25,000.

Miscellaneous Provisions: The Agreement provides for a longer progression to top pay for new hires. New hires will take five years to get to top scale, rather than three. The progression is weighted to over 90% of top pay in the last three years. The Agreement continues the Union’s apprenticeship training program.

Women's Issues: The Agreement addresses women’s issues and mandates new restroom facilities for female Bus Operators throughout the system.

Bus Operator Security: The Agreement improves security for Bus Operators by expediting the installation of partitions. It also provides that each bus shall carry a DNA kit so that any assault which leaves traces can be tied to a perpetrator.