BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont city leaders are doing their best to distance themselves from the ongoing transit dispute. In a Tuesday morning news release, the city said it's “prohibited from getting involved in negotiations.”
The bus drivers have been in contract negotiations with a company called First Transit since last October.
If a new contract between First Transit and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1031 union is reached, it would need to approved by the city. Beaumont pays for about 40 to 50 percent of transit operating costs each year.
The overall transit system is paid for by the City, federal government, the State of Texas and the riders through Farebox Revenue, the release says.
Beaumont transit workers and their supporters rallied on Sunday in downtown Beaumont, weeks after unanimously authorizing union leadership to call a strike if necessary.
Higher wages and safety concerns are among the changes workers are pushing for in negotiations. A recent safety audit revealed that nearly 90 percent of the city's buses were unfit for service with defects ranging from shattered windows to substandard brakes.
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The workers’ union said its “members are growing increasingly agitated as transit management of Beaumont/first transit doubles down on its hostile workplace policies and refusal to continue negotiations.”
More than 300 Beaumont residents signed petitions supporting the union in their quest for a new contract.
RELATED: Union for Beaumont Transit workers calls city buses 'unfit for service' amid safety concerns
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