Santa Clara VTA Board approves adjustment to bus operators’ starting pay

An amendment to the labor agreement between Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 was approved by the Santa Clara VTA Board, adjusting the starting pay and reducing the pay progression period for bus operators.

Effective Feb. 21, 2022, all-new bus operators will start at step one with a wage rate of 65 percent of the top bus operator wage rate, eliminating the trainee rate. Furthermore, the step progression will be reduced from a nine step, 48-month progression period to a seven step, 36-month pay progression period.

“It is important to have continuous collaboration with our unions. I am happy that our joint efforts with ATU provide for attractive bus operator pay and progression. This will ensure the highest level of service to the public and the County,” said VTA General Manager/ CEO Carolyn Gonot.

VTA, like all transit agencies nationwide, is experiencing significant challenges attracting new bus operators. VTA says this is an approach to address the local recruitment and retention issue. While all transit agencies are experiencing this shortfall, the high cost of living in the bay area continues to be a significant recruiting obstacle, VTA notes.

In December 2021, VTA and ATU signed a tentative agreement formally extending the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and agreeing to discuss the starting wages further and pay progression period of bus operators to address the difficulties of recruiting and retaining qualified bus operators.

“We need to start thinking about getting people back on the busses and trains, and the way to do that is to ensure you have consistent and reliable service, and when you are short on bus operators, you obviously are facing a dilemma,” said John Courtney, ATU Local 265 president and business agent. "Thank you to the VTA’s administration. This is a very good first step to provide our county with good reliable service with good quality operators”.

The current progression period includes a trainee wage that starts at 55 percent of the bus operator’s top step, which translates to $21.80 per hour, with a 48-month progression period that includes a five percent increase every six months until the operator reaches the top step.

VTA anticipates this effort will cost approximately $6.559 million. About 884 active drivers are at various stages in their step progression. The percentage of active drivers at the top step represents approximately 75 percent of the operator population. The next highest group was step one with nine percent.