The Capital Area Transit System is firing back at some union drivers who are protesting outside the main bus station on Florida Boulevard today, saying in a prepared statement that the drivers’ claims about unsafe buses and unfulfilled contracts are not true.
“We have every faith that our management team is running CATS as a business ought to be run, with a focus on safety, efficiency and on-time performance,” says CATS CEO Bob Mirabito in the statement, adding the protest is not disrupting bus service. “This morning, we have brought in operations management personnel who are experience bus operators themselves and have them driving routes in order to ensure that service is uninterrupted.”
Earlier today, Amalgamated Transit Union President Naomi Guy told WBRZ-TV that there are “a lot of buses that aren’t safe on the road,” adding: “We don’t have parts in the part room for our mechanics to do their job, and they’re very frustrated.”
Mirabito says CATS spent $5 million on new buses last year and is expected to invest another $5 million to improve the bus fleet over the next 18 months. CATS is also implementing new procedures that have decreased bus breakdowns in the past quarter.
Guy says the union is also requesting more experienced management officials who will follow procedures and keep promises.
“We are tired of the violations of the union contract,” she told WBRZ-TV. “It was bargained faithfully. … Now it’s violation after violation. We go in, we have the meetings, they tell us they’re going to do one thing, we walk out the door and then they change.”
Mirabito says CATS has been fully compliant with the union contract in place and is committed to continuing to work under the rules of the existing agreement.
“We are evaluating all our internal operational processes and procedures and realize that change can be difficult for people,” he says. “We have a team of management professionals in place with many years of experience. Decisions are made as a team. On that team, transit experience is balanced by business experience to create a strong leadership team to provide the highest value for the dollar and to take CATS to the next level.”
