Possible Omnitrans strike

[tags]inland empire, omnitrans, union, organized labor, strike[/tags]

Riders in western San Bernardino County may have to go through days without bus service just as Orange County riders did this summer.

Omnitrans drivers, represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1704, voted 229-113 to reject the agency’s offer of a 9 percent pay raise over three years, according to a San Bernardino County Sun article. The union said if it decides to call a strike, it will give riders advance notice.

Omnitrans had one strike in 30 years of operation, a 3-day stoppage in 1980.

The ATU is North America’s largest transit union. Other agencies bargaining with ATU include Metro’s maintenance workers, Foothill Transit, Long Beach Transit and San Diego Transit and Metropolitan Transit System contract-operated drivers.

In other San Bernardino transit news, Omnitrans will not operate bus service on Monday. The agency does not operate bus service on major holidays. And schedule changes go into effect on Tuesday. The list of changes follows the jump.

Links are not provided for the changed routes. Instead, consult the September 4 Bus Book, available as a PDF.
28: This route is canceled. See Route 71/82.
60, now Route 80: This route is renumbered to 80, extending west along Holt Blvd. onto Mountain Ave. to the Montclair Transcenter. Service east of Chaffey College is discontinued (see Route 70/81).
62, now Route 83: This route is renumbered to 83 and serves Euclid Ave. from Chino to 21st St. in Upland.
65: The south end of this route has been restructured with the south loop running on Valle Vista Drive to Bird Farm and Ramona (instead of Los Serranos) in Chino Hills.
67: Service has been extended to the Montclair Transcenter; service along Euclid has been discontinued. (See Route 62/83)
70, now Route 81: This route is renumbered to 81 and serves portions of former Route 75. It also serve areas formerly served by Route 60 east of Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga.
71, now Route 82: This route is renumbered to 82 and serves portions formerly served by Routes 28 and 71. Route 82 will also serve Sierra Lakes Parkway in north Fontana.
75: This route is canceled. Line 81 will serve the Frances-Archibald-Haven portions.
90, renumbered to Line 215.