After working years without a raise or a contract, some of the NFTA's 1,100 unionized employees are turning to the public for support.A few dozen Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority workers, in lime green shirts, picketed outside the Metro Bus garage on Military Road in Tonawanda on Monday. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1342 President Vincent Crehan says they've gone six years without a contract and seven years without a raise.
"The morale is horrible and that's why we're out here today, especially when we see that they give themselves raises. But not for us for seven years. And we're all starving."
The NFTA's Director of Public Affairs, Douglas Hartmeyer, says the authority's door is always open.
"We would like nothing more than to conclude a contract so these hardworking, loyal, dedicated employees, that work for us each and every day, can have a contract," Hartmeyer said.
But the kind words apparently failed to impress.
"Maybe they could praise us in our paychecks and not try to...water down our health insurance. They want us to go five years, the first five years of the entire contract, with no raises," Crehan said.
Hartmeyer says discussions are ongoing.
"That's not true. We haven't been negotiating. The last time was in the public employee relations board. It's been over two months ago. And I've not gotten one phone call from human resources since that meeting," Crehan said.