OCTD Seeks Aid of State Mediator to End Strike

On the second day of a strike by Orange County bus drivers, Transit District officials said Tuesday that they would welcome the assistance of a state mediator--as proposed Monday by union officials--in efforts to renew stalled negotiations.

A district spokeswoman added, however, that mediation would have to be limited to OCTD’s final contract offer.

Although the strike has been peaceful and there has been little disruption of service on the bus routes being served, Orange County Transit District officials also said Tuesday that they will seek a court order to limit the number of pickets at each of the six sites where picket lines have been set up.

Fifty-five buses driven by management personnel were operating on 12 of the district’s 53 routes Tuesday. The district had attempted to operate buses on 13 routes, but OCTD spokeswoman Joanne Curran said it became apparent Monday that 12 were all they could handle.

Curran said the district had suggested mediation to avoid a strike more than two weeks ago when it proposed the contract offer that the bus drivers overwhelmingly rejected Sunday night. Negotiations have been at a standstill since last Thursday.

“We asked for mediation a few weeks ago, and the union did not want it,” Curran said. “We would be happy to discuss mediation, but only on our final offer.”

Curran added that the district had received no word directly from the union that it would allow a state mediator to assist in negotiations.

But Juliene Smith, general chairman of United Transportation Union Local 19, said she already had called the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service to request the services of a mediator.

“We’re trying to at least begin some conversation,” Smith said.

Ed Allen, head of the mediation and conciliation service in Sacramento, said in a phone interview that he had not yet talked to any OCTD representative. But he said he would name a mediator as soon as the Transit District requested one.

“The union has accepted our offer of service, and that same offer of service will be extended” to the district, Allen said.

The strike began early Monday after the union’s 732 drivers voted down the company’s offer of a 7.5% pay increase over the next 3 1/2 years. The drivers, who had worked five weeks without a contract, are seeking a 10% raise over three years.

The district also wants to cut the absentee rate among drivers, which it said is at 11%. However, the union said the absenteeism rate is only 6%. Drug testing of drivers, use of part-time drivers and cost-of-living allowances are the other stumbling blocks in the negotiations.

Curran said Tuesday that the company still was trying to determine how much revenue it was losing because of the strike.

“We have to figure in several numbers and do some subtracting. It will take a while before we can determine that,” she said.

Before the strike, the district was reporting more than 112,000 boardings on an average weekday, which amounts to about 3% of the county’s daily commuter traffic. The strike is the second in the 14-year history of the OCTD. The first, in 1981, lasted 22 days.

Curran said four more bus drivers crossed the picket lines and returned to work Tuesday. One driver crossed the lines on the first day of the strike.

Smith said, however, that the union had confirmation of only two drivers returning to work.

Curran said OCTD has not advertised for temporary drivers to fill the void left by the strikers.

“The hiring of replacement drivers has not been discussed . . . not at this point,” she said.

Smith said the union would provide the striking drivers with benefits amounting to $225 to $280 a month, depending on seniority, during the walkout. However, the drivers must serve on picket lines to qualify for the twice-monthly checks.

She said about 15 drivers at a time were picketing at each of the six locations Tuesday.

At dawn Tuesday, scores of drivers had converged at the OCTD bus yard parking lot in Garden Grove as buses were leaving for the day. But the strikers only delayed the incoming cars and outgoing buses for 30 seconds before giving way to the vehicles.

Garden Grove Police Lt. Larry Hodges said that the strikers have been orderly and that the department has not had to assign additional officers to patrol the OCTD area.

The strike has forced thousands of commuters and students to find alternate means of transportation. However, no major problems were reported at numerous companies and schools contacted throughout the day.

“If any, the effect has been very minimal,” said Diane Thomas, spokeswoman for the Santa Ana Unified School District.

At Leisure World in Seal Beach, bus service has been suspended, said security chief Harold Musgrave.

“We’ve been informing (residents) that the drivers are on strike. So I guess they’re finding other ways to get around,” he said.

Nadine Stoops, 76, of Garden Grove said she had to ask a friend to drive her to a pharmacy Tuesday.

“I heard about (the strike) on the news. I was shocked,” she said. “Luckily, my grocery store is close enough so I can walk.”

Robert Griffith, deputy director of the county Social Services Agency, said the strike is likely to affect residents who visit clinics operated by the agency if it lasts a week or more.

“We have a significant number of clients who rely on public transportation,” he said. “But the situation won’t become critical for a number of days yet. The further we get into the strike, the more difficult it’s going to be to reach some of those people.”

Taxi companies, however, were faring well as a result of the strike.

Vincent Zucchero, manager of Orange Coast Yellow Cab in Fountain Valley, estimated that his business had increased 50%. He said “phones are ringing off the hook. We’ve even had to turn down a few calls.”

Zucchero added that some callers have had to wait as long as two hours for a taxi during peak hours.

One dispatcher at Yellow Cab in Anaheim said she had received 300 calls during her eight-hour shift, more than twice the normal count.

Times staff writer Andy Rose contributed to this story.