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Tampa, Transit Union Head Back To Negotiating Table

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2008

TAMPA - City officials return to the negotiating table today with representatives of Tampa's largest union, just two weeks after the union's membership overwhelmingly voted down a proposed contract over demands for higher wages and other issues.

The Amalgamated Transit Union represents more than 2,000 blue-collar, technical and clerical city workers. The union's three-year contract with the city expired Sept. 30.

A major sticking point in the negotiations is the length of the contract. Union officials are pushing for a three-year agreement, but city officials want to go year-by-year because of concerns about continued decreases in property taxes and other funding sources.

"From here out, it's going to be one year at a time," Mayor Pam Iorio said. "We're going though difficult times, and I have to do what is in the best interests of the taxpayers."

Union officials argue that they have always had a three-year contract with the city.

On Sept. 29, the union's membership voted down a proposed one-year contract, 615-84. Union officials had urged their members to vote against the deal.

The proposed contract the union voted down would have given employees a 3 percent merit increase and a 3.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment. The new contract included no reduction in benefits for city workers, such as health coverage, sick pay and longevity pay.

Union officials are pushing for up to a 4.5 percent merit increase for city workers.

If city and union negotiating teams can't resolve the impasse, the proposed contract could be decided by the city council. Council members in August approved a contract with city firefighters after that union and the mayor's office couldn't reach agreement.

At the time, Iorio had warned council members that their vote on the firefighter contract would embolden the transit union and other unions to seek similar double-digit pay raises.

"If they [the union] wants to go before the city council and ask for more money, they can certainly do that," Iorio said. "But the one-year contract, that's not negotiable."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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