TriMet files unfair labor charge against ATU

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) yesterday filed a labor complaint against Amalgamated Transit Union 757 alleging the union is not following state law in negotiations over a new contract.

TriMet filed the Unfair Labor Practice charge with the State Employment Relations Board (ERB) to require the ATU to bargain in good faith by correcting and resubmitting its final offer, TriMet officials said in a press release.

"Collective bargaining statutes clearly state how the parties should move through the negotiation process and maximize the opportunities for settlement," said TriMet Executive Director of Labor Relations and Human Resources Randy Stedman. "Over TriMet's consistent objection, the ATU has acted in bad faith by including in its Final Offer proposals that are either illegal or permissive subjects of bargaining."

The filing comes a day after the board ruled that the ATU violated state collective bargaining statutes by intentionally delaying collective bargaining and unlawfully demanding that TriMet agree to permissive subjects of bargaining, TriMet officials said.

The union represents more than 2,100 TriMet employees.