The owner of the company that runs the Arlington Transit buses backed down Tuesday from his threat to fire striking employees. Bill Forsythe of Forsythe Transportation said Tuesday the striking bus drivers had been suspended pending an investigation, rather than fired.
“We’ve notified the employees that one result of the investigation could be that if we determine their conduct constitutes a violation of the no-strike provision of their contract, then their employment could be terminated,” Forsythe said Tuesday, a day after announcing that he was already processing the paperwork to fire the workers.
Bus workers continued their strike Tuesday, passing out leaflets at Arlington Metro stops to plead their case. The county reported delays along most bus routes and canceled three of them Tuesday evening. Forsythe claimed he was in the process of training new permanent replacements for the striking drivers.
Union leaders and bus drivers charge that management sexually harassed female employees, unfairly fired a union leader, changed schedules unfairly and refused drivers bathroom breaks, telling them instead to urinate in cups.
Forsythe said workers have presented no evidence to support their allegations.
“They are only using the term ‘sexual harassment’ as a club and a bludgeon to get us to do something that is not right,” Forsythe said. “My answer to the union is ‘Put up or shut up.’ ”
Workers said they were worried about losing their jobs but weren’t giving up.
“We’re going to be out here until Friday at least, unless something changes,” said striking worker Patrica Blowe, whose suspension ignited the strike.
Bus drivers and union leaders allege that managers at Forsythe have sexually harassed female employees.
Kenyetta Sampson, who was fired in May, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying that her supervisor had commented about “my ‘butt’ and ‘what he could do to me if I wasn’t married.’ ” The male manager also asked for a massage at a hotel room, she said.
Sampson said she was fired after bringing those complaints to Forsythe management.
Forsythe said he wasn’t aware of the EEOC complaint.
Arlington Transportation Director Dennis Leach said the county is urging parties to settle the dispute.
“When this settles we will be having ongoing discussion about issues that have been raised. We expect contractors to be highly professional, to run quality service, to be respectful of their employees, to follow all labor laws,” he said. “If they fail in this area, it’s a problem for them contractually.”
