Union says few CAT drivers have crossed line

Monday, June 3, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

Striking bus drivers are claiming a limited victory in their battle with ATC, the company that operates Citizens Area Transit.

Few bus drivers have crossed picket lines in the last four days despite company threats to terminate health insurance contributions and delay wage increases for drivers that eventually return to work, union officials said Sunday and Monday.

Frank Opdyke, president of Amalgamated Transit Local 1637, said fewer than 100 drivers have crossed picket lines in the 2-week-old strike. He said that in the last four days only a handful joined those that had already crossed the lines.

On Wednesday, the union rejected by a 492-39 margin a contract offer from ATC. A day later, the company told drivers that they would lose company health insurance and risk wage hikes.

The company said some workers have crossed the picket lines but would not say how many.

"It's a matter of safety for the drivers who have returned to work," ATC spokeswoman Valerie Michael said.

The union is physically and financially threatening returning drivers, she said. Reporting how many are crossing the lines would escalate tensions and lead to further intimidation, Michael said.

Bunk, union officials responded.

"We have absolutely no confirmation of that," union attorney Dennis Kist said.

"They don't want to say because it's insignificant," Opdyke said.

The upshot for riders and would-be riders is that the strike could last a long time, officials said. Although the company has vowed to hire new drivers to join its cadre of replacement drivers from other company systems and supervisors, getting the new drivers on the road will take time.

"The training program for a new drivers takes six weeks," Opdyke said. "They could shorten that time but that creates greater risks of accidents."

Opdyke said the union is calling the replacement drivers names -- "scab" is a common epithet at the main bus lot at Simmons Road and Cheyenne Avenue -- and will begin fining union drivers crossing the picket lines, but is not guilty of physical intimidation.

"There's absolutely no basis for that," he said.

He said it is the company is trying to intimidate striking drivers, but last week's effort was not successful. Opdyke said the threats actually increased the resolve of the pickets.

"We're holding the strikeline," he said. "We can't go back. They've driven us to the point of no return."

Opdyke said fewer than 53 buses pulled out of the Simmons yard this morning, fewer than 25 percent of the number needed for full service.

"The system is collapsing," he said. "The danger is, once the system has collapsed it will be hard to get it back up again."

As it has throughout the strike, the Regional Transporation Commission warned CAT system passengers to expect delays on the routes that are in service. RTC spokeswoman Ingrid Reisman said 10 routes out of 51 were not in service as of 7 a.m.