Muni Bus Drivers: Battle of Wages
The San Francisco Examiner reported Monday, April 25, 2011 that Muni’s operators are raking in thousands of dollars in overtime while the City’s mass transit commuters are being threatened with another round of fare increases and service reductions. Even more shocking: Muni drivers are guaranteed by city law to have the second-highest wages in the nation!
Did you know that the average base pay for a Muni operator (i.e. those who drive buses, cable cars and light-rail vehicles) is roughly $60,000, which is determined by a City Charter mandate that says they must be among the top paid in the country? In fact, the Examiner reports, “Muni’s 2,350 operators are almost guaranteed a bevy of overtime pay.”
For example–according to the story and data taken from the City Controller, “in calendar year 2009, 622 Muni operators raked in more than $80,000 in total pay, including 82 who brought home more than $100,000.” Basically this means, “more than 400 operators were paid overtime in excess of $20,000.” In addition, the story reveals that “one operator earned as much as $78,722 in overtime and brought home a total of $146,498 in pay last year.”
Yet in addition to wages, “the City pays employees’ pension contribution, which is 7.5 percent of wages,” adding strain to the already over-stretched budget. According to the story, this fiscal year alone, “it will cost $8.8 million,” just to keep this up. Moreover, “in fiscal year 2008-09, the transit agency spent $41.3 million on operators’ total fringe benefits, including retirement, Social Security, health and dental.”
So what is happening now? Just last week, “the majority of Muni operators rejected a number of labor concessions (including an overtime giveback) that would have saved the transit agency $15 million in operating expenses during the next two fiscal years,” the Examiner explained. Muni officials have also said “labor savings would lessen the blow on commuters by minimizing some service cuts and proposed fare hikes,” according to the story. Concessions that were struck down included the following concepts; “operators would reportedly make a one-time contribution to their pension fund for a savings of about $9 million” and “drivers would not start earning overtime pay until they clocked a 40-hour work-week.”
What does this mean for the public? As a result of these events and negotiations, on July 1, 2011, “regular fares to ride a Muni bus will be increased from $1.50 to $2.00,” according to the story, as unrest fuels a movement by the people to eliminate the “floor” provision in the City Charter. That particular provision, “mandates Muni drivers are paid at least a minimum hourly rate, which is currently set at $27.92 an hour,” the story indicates. Yet, the story also provides under the mandate, “union member operators expect to receive $8 million in raises next fiscal year, despite the transit agency’s deficit.”
For more information, please visit: San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/driver-salaries-fueling-deficit#ixzz1KZ8MQs4H.