We received this letter from Veolia, the French company that manages Escambia County Area Transit:
Thanks Escambia Community
I’d like to thank everyone for their patience during the recent walkout staged by our bus drivers. Wednesday was a difficult day for us and ECAT passengers, as ATU Local 1395 staged an illegal strike without warning to the public or Veolia Transportation. I appreciate the community support as we quickly worked to restore service. Union workers have returned to their jobs and we will resume negotiations as soon as the ATU is ready.
Contrary to recent Union statements, Veolia has not taken anything away from the Union. ATU drivers continue to receive respectable wages earning an average of over $15.00 per hour with full benefits. The ATU leadership has said union members have not received raises in four years. This is not true. Workers have continued to receive step raises – some as much as 10% while Escambia County employees have not received raises since 2007. Although the ATU has made some vague complaints about working conditions, we’re still operating under the same work rules. We’ve worked hard to ensure our employees keep their jobs while we remain responsible to the taxpaying community. We think it’s time the Union did the same.
Mike Ake
Regional Vice President
Veolia Transportation