Bus drivers in Phoenix have voted to end a week-long strike after reaching an agreement with contractor Transdev. Partial bus service returned Friday afternoon, with full service starting Saturday.
The agreement meets many, but not all, of the bus drivers’ demands, including phasing out a two-tier system for benefits and adding a “just cause” provision for terminating employees.
More than 80 percent of union members voted in favor of the agreement with private contractor Transdev, which controls more than half of the city’s buses. Gregory McGlothen has been a bus driver since 1974, the past decade of which was in Phoenix.
"We stood up for what we believed in, because we were willing to not get paid," he said. "Because we believed so much in the rights that we had."
McGlothen said he’s happy about the progress the union made, even if it didn’t get everything the drivers wanted. More than anything, he said he is ready to get back to work.
