TCU members on Los Angeles County MTA have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract covering wages, health and welfare, and rules.
The contract culminated almost three years of tough bargaining, and included major employer contribution increases to the health and welfare fund, as well as wage increases comparable to those achieved by the unions that already settled.
“This contract achieves our negotiating goals,” says Local 1315 Chairperson Olivia Nelson-Richard. “We obtained sufficient employer funding increases to ensure the solvency of our Health and Welfare fund going forward, preserving our excellent benefits and avoiding the need to increase employee contributions. And the wage increases we achieved were the maximum possible under the pattern set by the other unions.”
TCU President Robert Scardelletti commended Nelson-Richard and her negotiating team, saying “At a time when the Agency was demanding unacceptable austerity measures, Olivia and her team persevered and achieved an excellent contract that produced great value to our members not only during the contract period, but going forward as well.”
Assisting the Local 1315 negotiators were National Vice President Joel Parker and National Representative Jack Dinsdale.