MTU bus drivers picket for raises at La Crosse bus station

They want “respect,” and a higher raise.

La Crosse city bus drivers picketed for a pay increase on Monday outside the downtown MTU station.

Transit union Local 519 president Todd Strasser said drivers are seeking a 4.5 percent raise, compared to the city’s offer of 2.9 percent.

Strasser told reporters it’s tough to find enough drivers to keep the buses rolling.

“We’re competing with (employers), looking for help right now with a $20,000 sign-on bonus,” Strasser said. “We live in this community, we move this community, and let’s come together and get a deal done.”

Strasser, on the Democratic Voice podcast, said MTU management received what amounted to 14 percent raises over the past 24 months.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds released a statement, saying four employees in the transit department received step increases as part of a department reclassification.

“Those same employees were part of a restructuring of Transit that led to a reclassification of roles and additional job duties and responsibilities and a necessary pay increase due to the reclassification,” Reynolds said. “These employees also received cost of living adjustments (COLA) of 1% for 2020, 0% for 2021, 0% for 2022.”

Reynolds added that all drivers union members received at least a 7.6 percent increase over a recent three-year period.

He, too, noted the city will not take part in “public negotiation” over a bus driver contract.

Strasser said the drivers should get more than what the city’s offering for all they do.

“Three, four years ago, we were ‘heroes,’” he said. “We moved people in this city during the pandemic, knowing we had people with COVID on our bus. Some of our last passengers’ rides to the hospital was on the La Crosse MTU.”

The mayor had been scheduled to speak at the onset of MTU Equity week Monday afternoon, just after the scheduled union drivers picket, but the event was postponed, in part because of the frigid weather downtown.