A Para Transit recognizes union
July 4, 2020
Whenever a new company wins the bid to provide services from a unionized company, it’s never a guarantee that the workers will be rehired and the union contract will be respected. Fortunately, all of that happened when Local 853 signatory employer MV Paratransit lost its contract with the City of Berkeley, and A Para Transit won it.
On June 1, the new company started their operation and offered work to all 22 of the existing MV drivers. Sixteen chose to move to the new company.
The company recognized the union and agreed to honor seniority. “We negotiated some gains in the contract around funeral leave and sick days. The company also kept the Teamster medical benefits and the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension plan,” says Business Agent Efren Alarcon. “There were absolutely no takeaways. Our members lost nothing.”
