The Contract Proposals

Port Authority of Allegheny County is committed to doing what is best for our riders and the taxpayers of Allegheny County, while negotiating a contract that is fair to Authority employees. We strongly believe we have offered a fair and affordable contract to the employees represented by ATU Local 85. They are being asked to take concessions, it’s true, but they are the same concessions that management and non-represented employees and the Port Authority Police have already accepted. Listed below are the highlights of Port Authority's and Local 85's positions. Judge for yourself.

Port Authority

Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 85

Pensions, Retirement

Employee pension contributions should be increased to 6 percent from the current 4.5 percent, effective July 1, and increase 0.5 percent in each of the next two years.

Raise the retirement age to 60 after 25 years of service.

Eliminate the $500 monthly supplemental early retirement benefit paid until age 62.

Health Benefits

Eliminate Port Authority funded post-retirement medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance for employees retiring after July 1, 2008.

Employees must pay 10 percent of the cost of health care premiums, for which they now contribute an average of three percent.

Increase office visit and prescription co-pays from $10 to $20. Establish annual $250 deductibles for individuals and $500 for families.

Wages

Beginning with employees hired after July 1, establish a second tier rate equal to 80 percent of current employee wages.

Eliminate overtime after eight hours worked in one day. Overtime would be paid only after an employee works more than 40 hours.

In order to be eligible for holiday pay, employees must work the day before and the day after the holiday.

Sick Leave

Eliminate annual accumulation of sick days for employees hired after July1.

Subcontracting

Expand Port Authority’s ability to subcontract non-transit services such as snow removal, custodial, vehicle cleaning and off-vehicle fare collecting.

Pensions, Retirement

Alter the pension plan so employees can retire earlier with higher pensions.

The current multiplier, 2.25 percent times the number of years worked, used to determine pensions should be increased.

Give up to 20 percent increases in pension payments for employees who retired before December 1, 2001, and a 5 percent increased to those who retired since then.

Health Benefits

Maintain current level of Port Authority-funded health care coverage for employees and provide post-retirement health care coverage for retirees, and provide health insurance for same-sex partners and coverage for In-vitro Fertilization.

Increase retiree life insurance to $10,000 from $5,000, and active employees to $50,000 from $40,000.

Wages

Approve a four-day work week.

Provide a “fair and reasonable wage increase” of more than 4 percent.

Increase the current meal allowance to $10 from $5.

Employees called in two or more hours before their regular starting times should be paid a meal allowance.

Reinstate quarterly cost-of-living adjustments, in addition to contracted wage increases.

Raise shift differentials to 50 cents from 15 cents for work after 7 p.m. and to 75 cents from 20 cents for work after 1 a.m.

Increase the uniform allowance to $500 annually from $325.

The base salary for first-level supervisors should increase $5 per hour.

Vacations, Leaves of Absence

Increase non-medical leaves to two years from one year, with Port Authority paying benefits throughout.

Allow employees to take up to two weeks vacation one day at a time.