TheBus workers cement 5-year deal
Employees of TheBus, Honolulu's public transit system, have ratified a new five-year labor contract increasing costs by about $3.4 million for this fiscal year, Oahu Transit Services Inc. announced.
The company's final offer was on July 1 after meeting several weeks with Teamsters Local 996, representing more than 1,400 employees.
The contract includes the following annual pay increases: 3.4 percent as of July 1, 3.8 percent next year, 4.2 percent in 2010, 4.6 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2012.
It also provides for increased employer contributions to the Teamsters Pension Plan. Health benefits are unchanged.
The city's current budget includes funds for the contract amount.
"It made the contract much easier to negotiate, knowing we would have the means to fund the offer," Roger Morton, Oahu Transit Services president and general manager, said in a news release.
The contract affects bus operators, maintenance workers, supervisors, storekeepers and administrative employees.