Tri-Rail and SMART –UTU ratify agreement
Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
United Transportation Union Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation workers (UTU-SMART) represented engineers, conductors and transportation specialists have ratified a tentative agreements with Tri-Rail/Transdev in Florida.
“I would like to thank the members for staying united throughout the lengthy negotiations,” said GO-769 General Chairperson Dirk Sampson “We would not have been able to have this successful outcome without the assistance of SMART Transportation Division Vice President Jeremy Ferguson. Brother Ferguson, with the help of Local 30’s Local Chairperson Andy D’Egidio and Vice Local Chairperson John Britt, made a team that enabled us to negotiate an agreement that will provide the members with a 9.24 percent wage increase over the three-year period. It also maintains our high standards of health and welfare benefits with only a modest increase in bi-weekly premiums.”
Members can expect to see the increase in bi-weekly contributions applied in the next pay period and a retroactive wage payment that will follow.
The Tri-Rail system serves a 72-mile corridor running parallel to Interstate 95 between West Palm Beach in the North to Miami in the South. It provides service to three major airports: West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The service is designed to integrate with local bus routes at every station to ensure excellent connections and seamless passenger service. Transdev employs 85 people who operate 50 trains each weekday, carrying 16,000 passengers every day.
