With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Transit Service Workers On Strike In Santa Clarita. What This Means For Riders
Santa Clarita transit workers are on strike.
(
albertc111/Getty Images
/
iStockphoto
)
About 200 bus drivers, customer service reps and dispatchers in Santa Clarita are on strike today. They are demanding higher wages and a better contract. The strike has suspended all Santa Clarita Transit commuter services and most local routes, including the school tripper service for students in the Hart Union School District.
Why now
Workers have been in negotiations for over a year now with Santa Clarita contractor MV Transportation. But on Sept. 15, the union voted to authorize a strike that would start as early as the first week of October. On Sept. 28, MV Transportation was notified of the union's decision to strike. Today marks the first day.
How long could this go?
Lourdes Garcia, president of the Teamsters Local 572 — the union that represents the bus drivers and other transit service employees — says the strike will go until a fair contract is reached.
Support for LAist comes from
"They don't have a choice," Garcia said. "They are fighting for a fair pay raise. And with the drivers, we've been negotiating for over a year. That tells you how much we have tried to reach a contract. So, we haven't taken this decision lightly."
Routes affected
-
- All commuter service
- Most local service, except for limited trips on Route 5, 6 and 12
- Most DAR service, except for urgent medical appointments
Most Tripper service, except for:
- Route 628
- Route 627
- Route 623
- Route 634
- Route 621
The backstory
One of the union arguments is the lack of fair compensation to the transit service workers, especially those who worked through the pandemic. Some were even the first to lose their lives to COVID-19.
“We are sick and tired of being treated like our hard work doesn’t matter to Santa Clarita city leaders,” said Linda Rompal, a 19-year bus driver with MV Transit and member of Teamsters Local 572 in a statement. “We did not want to strike, but our employer refuses to pay us fairly and their client — the City of Santa Clarita — refuses to provide MV Transit the resources needed to pay us a fair wage, so we have no choice.”
Support for LAist comes from
The city of Santa Clarita said in a statement that they are not part of negotiations. We've reached out to MV Transportation for comment and have yet to hear back.
For more information, you can visit Santa Clarita's transit website here. And here is the alternate schedule for schools that rely on Santa Clarita Transit.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.” -
While working for the county, the DA’s office alleges that 13 employees fraudulently filed for unemployment, claiming to earn less than $600 a week. -
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to declare immigration enforcement actions a local emergency. -
Tens of thousands of workers across Southern California walk out over pay and staffing issues. -
People in and around recent burn scars should be alert to the risk of debris flows. Typical October weather will be back later this week. -
Jet Propulsion Laboratory leadership says the cuts amount to 11% of the workforce.
Best of LAist