Port Authority Board Unanimously Approves 4-Year Union Contract

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Drivers, mechanics and supervisors with the Port Authority of Pittsburgh ratified their contract earlier this week, but they had to wait on the board to approve it this morning.

With full support of Port Authority CEO Ellen McLean, the board unanimously voted to approve it.

Now, drivers and mechanics have a four-year contract that bumps wages by 11.25 percent over four years.

"It has been a real partnership from the very beginning. It was tough at various times through the negotiations, but I think we all came together with a package," McLean said.

"Maintaining our level of service is the most important thing right now. So, allowing this to happen for four more years is fantastic. The financial order of the house is in place now and this just mends well with that," Port Authority Board of Directors Chair Robert Hurley said.

Union membership ratified the agreement Sunday and it would not have been possible if both sides hadn't worked out a new way to deal with rising health insurance costs.

"We changed designs. We re-bid. We changed how we pay for it. That really was the long process, and it was a hard change," McLean said.

With the new contract in place, the Port Authority can look at other capital expenditures, including new alternate fuel buses.

"We have been looking at electric busses. We have been looking at CNG options. We are looking at a BRT, so it really does give us some flexibility," Hurley said.

Riders can now relax knowing there won't be any work stoppages for the foreseeable future.

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