• City bus operators could begin a process to strike Sunday if the latest proposal in negotiations with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is rejected. A news release by JTA says the bus operators union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, is seeking a 17 percent pay hike, an additional week of paid leave, an additional 20 percent for health insurance and an additional 28 percent in pension contributions. Larry Allen, local ATU representative, calls the claims “totally unfounded,” but did not specify the union’s requests. He said JTA is looking to “gut our contract” and affect the drivers’ health insurance and overtime pay. If rejected, the vote for a strike would go to the national ATU for approval, a process Allen says typically takes three weeks to a month. If approved, the organization must give JTA a 48-hour notice of the strike.
