Negotiations Break Down Between MCTS, Union

MCTS bus. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Contract negotiations are breaking down between the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and the union that represents bus operators an mechanics.

On Thursday, instead of engaging in a scheduled negotiation, members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 (ATU 998), including President Bruce Freeman and Vice President Michael Brown, picketed the MCTS headquarters. The union representatives said it feels like their contract proposals are landing on deaf ears, despite the fact that they granted MCTS an extension of the current contract to allow management more time before they begin negotiating contract issues of financial significance.

The last time ATU 998 went on strike was 2015. The next time bargaining began, negotiations lasted nearly two years and almost ended in another strike. In 2022, the union voted to authorize a strike, but came to an agreement with MCTS before playing that card.

The message from MCTS has been that they want to determine, first, how the new administration of President Donald Trump will affect the transit system’s finances, Brown told Urban Milwaukee.

In April, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened state and local transportation funding over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices and cooperation with federal immigration operations.

The company wanted contract extension until September, but the union only granted it until June 30. In the meantime, ATU 998 officials have pushed what Brown described as “stupid little rules” in the workplace that the union wants. They are small items that shouldn’t affect the overall budget, he said.

“But every time we come into the room with them, it’s always ‘No no no, no, no, no’,” Brown said. “and so we got tired.”

“We support our bus operators and the important work that they do in the community,” A spokesperson for MCTS told Urban Milwaukee in a statement. “Currently, we have a contract extension in place until June 30. We’re actively engaged in ongoing discussions and we’re hopeful that we’ll reach an agreement.”

But, as the union sees it, negotiations are breaking down and trust between the two parties is deteriorating. So much so that Brown has filed open record requests to see who in management has received a raise since the last time the two parties agreed to a labor contract.

MCTS is even engaging the union with a smaller contingent of negotiators than it has in the past. During previous contract discussions, ATU officers would sit at a table with as many as half a dozen top officials. Lately, it’s only been Chief Operating Officer Kevin Pumphrey and MCTS Director of Employee and Labor Relations Kevina Vann, Brown said.

Asked about the smaller negotiating team, MCTS referred Urban Milwaukee to the system’s statement.

The next contract would run until 2027, and MCTS knows, roughly what it’s budget will be for the next two years, Brown said, when asked whether he thought the county’s budget challenges were impacting negotiations.

MCTS should be able to bargain, knowing what it’s budget will be until 2027, Brown said.

The transit system has a structural deficit that will reappear on the county balance sheet in 2028 when it runs out of federal stimulus funding released during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the county and transit system will need to find approximately $17.8 million to maintain service at existing levels.

Recently, county budget officials suggested supervisors should consider beginning to reduced the MCTS budget before the fiscal cliff hits, as opposed to making massive service reductions in a single budget. The last time MCTS officials considered closing their structural deficit, they estimated the needed cuts would be massive, as much as 45% of all bus routes.