PRESS RELEASE: NNCLC Applauds Tentative Agreement between Teamsters 533 and Keolis Transit
For Immediate Release: November 30, 2021
Contact: info@nnclc.org / 775-247-4390
NNCLC Applauds Tentative Agreement between Teamsters 533 and Keolis Transit
(RENO, Nev.) - Today, after more than 56 days on strike without pay, members of Teamsters Local 533 have reached a tentative agreement with Keolis Transit and will vote on the offer this Thursday, December 2.
“From day one, when the first grievance was filed, this was about protecting the community. When the first driver was disciplined for asking a rider to wear a mask, you could see the beginning of concern in our Teamsters and community for stopping the spread,” said Northern Nevada Central Labor Council President Mike Pilcher.
Over the past months, Teamsters Local 533 and our labor community have fought to protect their workers and our community. From pressuring public officials to prioritize public transit drivers in the vaccine rollout to securing a more attractive employment package that will better train and retain drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, and supervisors, this fight has always been about protecting and providing better service to the community.
"Once again, after months of negotiations and standing strong on the picket line, our brave brothers and sisters are on the precipice of an agreement with Keolis North America that will protect both their livelihoods and their lives in the workplace. Now, it is time to stay vigilant and ensure that Keolis upholds this agreement to treat its workers fairly and with respect,” said Susie Martinez, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO. “This may be a step forward for the essential workers who have kept Northern Nevada moving, but we are ready to hold Keolis accountable if they stray from the path again. We stand firmly behind our brothers and sisters of Teamsters 533, and the entire weight of the labor movement will bethrown behind them if their hard-fought contract is ever in jeopardy."
More than 600 community members signed a petition standing in support of our striking transit workers. Our community answered the threat of organized greed by joining together with organized labor. “I can’t thank the community enough. They saw this through the lens of the workers and realized it was more than an argument over 80 cents an hour versus $1.20 an hour,” said Pilcher. “We are deeply grateful for their support.”
The three-year collective bargaining agreement includes a number of retained benefits, including favorable pension contributions and wage increases of 5.5%, 4.7%, and 4.0% over the next three years, which brings them closer to alignment with other CDL drivers across the region.
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The Northern Nevada Central Labor Council is one of nearly 500 state and local labor councils of the AFL-CIO. We're the heart of the labor movement in the Greater Reno Sparks Carson Tahoe region, and across Northern Nevada.
The Northern Nevada Central Labor Council is a democratically elected body dedicated to representing the interests of working people at the state and local level. We mobilize our members and community partners to advocate for social and economic justice and we strive daily to vanquish oppression and make our communities better for all people—regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin.