Metro’s board of directors gave up Thursday after a three-year fight with its largest union, agreeing to pay out 3 percent wages over three years.
The transit agency had lost twice in the fight already, losing an arbitration panel in 2009, then losing in U.S. District Court last month. With a unanimous vote, board members opted not to appeal the latest round after a 90-minute discussion behind closed doors.
“The board agreed we’ve engaged in this for three years and it’s been difficult negotiations,” board Chairwoman Cathy Hudgins told reporters after the vote. “With $1.5 million in legal fees, now it’s time to determine how we’re going to move forward in the agency.”
She added, “We are trying to build this agency up. You can’t do that by fighting each other.”
The decision means that some 8,000 Metro workers, including most bus and train operators, station managers, escalator mechanics and custodial crews, will get 3 percent paid out each year for 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The process for paying out the money still needs to be determined, said Metro spokeswoman Lynn Bowersox. The plan alone, she said, will take several weeks.
The change will not mean additional fare hikes or subsidies to riders and taxpayers. Metro says it had already set aside $96 million that will pay for the wages. Metro expects to have to pay an additional $8 million in pension benefits, as well.
Hudgins said workers should not expect to get raises in the next budget cycle. She urged them to consider the raises as an incentive to improve their customer service to the riders whose fare and tax dollars are paying for them.
Stay tuned for comments and reactions from the union.
