New LI Bus operator to hire union workers

Current Long Island Bus employees will be the first hired when a private operator takes over the surface transportation system that carries 100,000 riders daily, union leaders and company officials said Monday.

The agreement honors seniority provisions in the contracts that the union negotiated with Nassau County. It acknowledges Transport Workers Union Local 252 as the representative for the workers, and gives preferential hiring rights to TWU members who submit a job application by Oct. 11. The deadline is an extension from the Sept. 30 date previously set by the operator, Veolia.

Union leaders argued that bargaining rights, jobs, pay and pensions were protected by agreements signed with Nassau officials.

The agreement to honor union members over any new prospective employees comes before the workers and the employer reach a collective-bargaining agreement.

Officials at Veolia Transportation, the firm selected by Nassau County to run Long Island Bus at the start of next year -- when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pulls out -- called the talks that led to the preferential hiring pact a "positive and productive start to negotiating new labor contracts."

Pat Bowden, president of TWU Local 252, which has nearly 1,000 members, said: "This is a huge victory for union solidarity and workers standing together."

Bowden said the union took exception to Veolia's requirement that its members apply individually for the jobs they now have.

"We said, 'Actually, we're in this together, and we're going to apply together -- as a union,' " he said in a statement.

"Veolia has traditionally recognized the seniority of the previous employer and has agreed to do so in Nassau County," the company said in a statement. "Veolia respects and recognizes the excellent work of union members and believes they are integral to ensuring that we provide the best service possible for Nassau County."

Veolia and union officials are set to hold collective-bargaining talks on Oct. 27 and 28.