More than 60 SamTrans union bus drivers — about 30% — participated in a contract-related sick-out Thursday, prompting the transit agency to rearrange bus schedules to minimize service disruptions to its thousands of daily riders.
A SamTrans spokesperson said the agency was preparing for another sick-out Friday based on the number of bus operators who had already called in sick by late Thursday.
SamTrans spokesperson Randol White said the agency had been preparing for a sick-out that never happened on Aug. 26 and 27, nearly two weeks after members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1574 overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contract proposal that was supported by union leadership.
White said the proposal offered a 18.3% raise for bus drivers over three years, a 21.9% pay hike for mechanics and utility workers over three years, and an 11.4% pay increase for customer service representatives over three years.
A representative from ATU Local 1574 was not immediately available for comment Thursday.