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Tag: Las Vegas bus drivers

  • Las Vegas Bus Drivers Strike Averted • This Week in Gambling

    Las Vegas Bus Drivers Strike Averted • This Week in Gambling


    Las Vegas bus drivers and mechanics will not initiate a strike, as members of Transit Union have reached a tentative new contract. Representing approximately 1,200 employees, the union’s spokesperson announced the deal via email on Saturday morning. The next procedure involves 1637 members voting on ratifying the contract, as outlined in the email.

    Throughout the negotiation period, the union had been operating under a temporary agreement, which has now been succeeded by the tentative new contract. “We are very pleased with the outcome and are excited to present the final offer to our membership,” said Terry Richards, Union president.

    Had Las Vegas bus drivers walked off of their jobs, about 150,000 city residents would have been forced to find new transportation. The added stress on taxis, ride share services, and even the Monorail would have been severe. Complicating the issue even more was the timing of the prop0sed strike just before the Super Bowl.

    An email went out over the weekend, stating that details of the new contract are not being shared so that the union can review them prior to a ratification vote. That email also stated that “The consensus came on February 2nd and both parties are mutually satisfied with the tentative agreement.”

    About 600 of the unionized Las Vegas bus drivers voted to reject the most recent offer last month. Their chief complaints centered around wages and driver safety, as a number of incidents have occurred on city buses over the past several years, including assaults and even a murder.



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  • Las Vegas Bus Drivers Threaten Strike • This Week in Gambling

    Las Vegas Bus Drivers Threaten Strike • This Week in Gambling








    Don’t look now, but even the Las Vegas bus drivers and mechanics are now getting into the spirit of walking off their jobs. Drivers voted to authorize a strike a few days ago, but did not go as far as setting a date just yet.

    After rejecting a proposed contract, the Las Vegas bus drivers say that this is not just about the money, it’s about safety concerns. Over the past year there have been nearly twenty violent incidents. “We’ve got drivers out there being spit on, punched, assaulted — driver had a gun shot at his window last week…” stated one Union member. Among the issues that need to be settled to avoid a strike there are the raises that the drivers and mechanics are seeking, plus changes for seniority with the mechanics and better benefits.

    So will the Las Vegas bus drivers and mechanics try to use the Super Bowl as leverage? While nothing has officially been stated (because why would they… it’s implied), one worker stated that the “Super Bowl is coming up… sure would be rough to have all these busses sitting here with no drivers and nobody being able to move around this town.”

    While one could argue how much of an impact a bus strike would have for the Super Bowl, consider this: Every person who usually takes a bus will be looking for other transportation, whether that’s a taxi, a ride share, or the Monorail. So there will be increased demand for these services while a major sporting event is going on. That would probably mean a huge jump in prices across the board.