On the road again

Suspended College Point Operators reinstated

Four Local 100 Bus Operators who stood up for safety and their union on May 26, and paid for it with suspensions and terminations, are back to work.

Arbitrator Howard Edelman issued an immediate bench decision on June 24 to return three of the Operators to their jobs at the College Point Depot. A fourth Operator, a probationary employee, had been returned to work the previous week in a negotiated settlement.

Edelman also ordered both sides to convene a labor-management committee to develop a comprehensive "safety" defect list to guide both Company and Union representatives in determining whether buses are to be held out of passenger service.

The May 26 stand-off took place when the Operators, with union reps at their side, refused to take buses with safety defects on the road during pre-trip inspections mandated by law. Their actions were not only justified, but required by law.

Arguing Local 100's case at the arbitration were President John Samuelsen, Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips, Vice President John Day and attorney Denis Engel.