NICE bus contract vote results due Tuesday

Results of a contract vote by former MTA Long Island Bus employees who now are working for Nassau's newly privatized bus system are expected Tuesday.

Members of Transport Workers Union Local 252, which represents about 800 bus drivers and mechanics, were set to vote Monday night on ratifying the new five-year contract.

The TWU local's leaders last month reached a tentative deal with Veolia Transportation, operator of Nassau Inter County Express Bus, or NICE Bus.

Details of the contract will be released Tuesday along with results of the vote, the union said. The TWU and Veolia have said the deal addresses wages, medical benefits, a retirement plan and job security.

If approved, the contract will take effect immediately. Veolia has honored the terms of the contract since it took over the system from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Jan. 1.

Under the MTA, LI Bus mechanics started at about $25 an hour and made a top salary of about $31 an hour. Drivers start at $17.47 and reach a top of about $29 an hour.

"We think, for a first contract, it's a very good start," TWU spokesman Jamie Horwitz said before Monday night's vote. "We think it's a relatively good deal and one that the union has said should be approved. But that's up to your members to decide."

Michael Setzer, Veolia vice president and NICE Bus chief executive, said the negotiations "established a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration" and resulted in a deal that gives both sides "what they needed most.

"The NICE workforce is a great group of transit professionals, and we're proud to be on the same team with them," Setzer said.