By Philip Newman
Negotiators for two unions and the bus lines met on Jan. 4 with no progress toward a settlement and extended the contract on a 24-hour basis. Another negotiating session was scheduled for Thursday. The workers have already authorized a strike if and when their negotiators deem it necessary.
The employees, who are paid 8 to 12 percent less than employees of the New York City Transit Authority, have insisted they not only want more pay but improvements in pensions and job security.
The bus lines involved are Green Bus Lines, Command Bus Lines, Jamaica Bus Co., Queens Surface Co. New York Bus Lines and Triboro Coach Lines. The lines, subsidized by the city of New York, run through areas not served by New York City Transit buses, including vast parts of eastern and southeastern Queens.
Transport Workers Union negotiators have been under the direction of Roger Toussant, recently elected as union president in a campaign where the union's New Directions faction swept away the long-time leadership.
“We plan to do everything humanly possible to avoid a strike,” said George Jennings, vice president of the Transport Workers Local 100 for private bus lines.
Municipal employees are subject to the Taylor Law that makes strikes illegal. But Arthur Schwartz, an attorney representing the Transport Workers Union, said the law does not apply to the bus line employees since the companies are privately owned rather than government-owned as is the case with Transit Authority employees.
The private bus lines hold exclusive rights to 91 routes in parts of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. In the fiscal year 1998, the latest figure available, the bus companies received $132 million in subsidies from New York City.
The privately owned lines run through large areas of Queens not served by any subway lines.
The most recent survey by City Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi found the private bus lines met most standards required by the city for incentive payments except for cleanliness. But they failed when it came to on-time performance.
Hevesi has long called for an end to the longstanding practice of non-competitive awarding of contracts to the private bus lines.
