Deal approved by OCTA Board of Directors on Monday after receiving approval from vote of union members over the weekend
ORANGE –The Orange County Transportation Authority and the union representing OCTA’s maintenance employees have reached a deal on terms on a new contract, ensuring that buses will keep running for the thousands of Orange County passengers who rely upon bus service.
The deal was reached following months of face-to-face talks and recent negotiations through a mediator that led to a tentative agreement late last week.
Those contract terms were ratified by a vote of union members over the weekend and then approved by the OCTA Board of Directors on Monday morning.
“We are excited that both sides were able to work out differences, find common ground and keep our buses running for the tens of thousands of people who rely on OC Bus to get to work, to school and other important destinations,” said OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy, also the Mayor of Orange. “This contract rewards our maintenance employees for the great work they do.”
The three-year deal with OCTA’s 150 maintenance workers, including mechanics and service workers, gives them a 5% raise over each of the next three years and includes a $1,250 signing bonus.
OC Bus is essential to ensuring the public can get to work, school, and to healthcare, with ridership recently climbing to an average above 100,000 passengers a day for the first time since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bus service is also vital to students to get to and from school, with thousands of students of all ages using the Youth Ride Free Pass and the College Pass programs every day. In addition, approximately 85% of riders use OC Bus as their primary means of transportation.
OCTA’s existing contract with the union expired Sept. 30. The new contract will run through the end of 2025.
For more information on OC Bus service, visit www.ocbus.com.
