According to union officials, the striking workers at Escambia County Area Transit make between $!2/hour to a high of $16.47/hour – which makes the lowest paid transit drivers in the state, maybe the entire nation. Over 60 percent of the workers are African-American, and 40% of that number are female.
The industry average is $23/hour.
“But this strike isn’t about wages,” said Amalgamated Transit Union International Vice President Gary Rauen. “It’s about human dignity. It’s about having a safe workplace.”
——-
Additional Buzz, Veolia Transport, the French company that has the contract to run ECAT, is seeking a court injunction to force the workers back to work tomorrow. The union contract expires Sept. 30.