MARTA Union Frustrated Over Contract Negotations, CEO’s Lack of Participation

Curtis Howard is president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732, which represents about 3,200 of MARTA’s 4,000 or so workers.

He says negotiations on a new labor agreement with management are dragging.

“Very frustrated that they won’t put something on the table that’s worth us moving forward,” said Howard.

The last contract, which was for three years, ended in 2013 but stays in effect until there’s a new agreement.

Negotiations have been ongoing since last year, but Howard says it’s been tough to get anywhere. He says part of the reason is MARTA CEO Keith Parker isn’t personally at the table. Instead, MARTA contracted a special negotiator. Howard complains this wasn’t something the union had to deal with under Beverly Scott, MARTA’s previous chief.

“They don’t even have their people negotiating with us,” said Howard. “MARTA hired a hired gun to come in and sit at the table with us. Bev Scott sat at the table with us. Parker’s not at the table with us.”

Most expected these contract negotiations to be difficult.

Parker, who took over as CEO in late 2012, has pledged to implement sweeping changes aimed at putting the transit agency on stable financial ground. He publicly has supported a controversial report from the consulting firm KPMG recommending privatizing part of the agency, reducing the workforce, and cutting employee health and pension benefits.

Parker wouldn’t respond directly to Howard’s comments. He says he won’t negotiate a labor contract through the media.

“No matter what things come up in discussions, my job again is to make sure that every employee has the best wage and benefit package that we can possibly afford to grant them while of course always keeping in mind our customers and our ability to bring things forward that ultimately will be sustainable.”

Parker did say he supports a bill recently approved by state lawmakers that changes a part of the collective bargaining process – a change the union has blasted as putting workers at a disadvantage in ongoing contract negotiations. 

Under the bill, which still must be approved by the governor, labor disputes would be settled by a judge required to consider MARTA’s long-term budget plan. That’s different from the current process which calls for an arbitrator appointed by the governor.

Howard said MARTA management, with the help of state lawmakers, is “stacking the deck” against workers.

“State statute would tell [the judge] that he’d have to look at whatever numbers MARTA put up there and make his decision on it,” said Howard. “An arbitrator would look at things from a more neutral perspective. He has no political ties to the company nor the union. He makes a decision by the facts and walks away.”