Pace bus drivers walk off job in salary dispute

Hundreds of Pace riders were left stranded at cold terminals and rainy bus stops this morning as more than 200 bus drivers and mechanics abruptly went on strike.

Pace officials say they are taking court action today to try to force the employees back to work at the Des Plaines garage, which serves about 22 routes that carry 22,000 daily trips.

But members of Teamsters Local 731, who have been working for a year without a contract, say they are not inclined to end the strike without a deal on the table.

"Our fight is not with the commuters and we are sympathetic to their needs," said Terrance J. Hancock, union president.

The walkoff left riders stranded from Schaumburg to Chicago on routes that serve O'Hare International Airport, suburban business parks, hospitals and schools.

There has been no sign yet that unions from other garages are joining the work stoppage.

"This was a surprise strike," said Pace director T.J. Ross. "We have a letter from the Teamsters agreeing to go to mediation."

During rush hour at the CTA and Pace terminal in Rosemont - where many of the affected lines originate - about 60 people were milling around in the damp and cold weather after just learning of the strike.

"Oh my God - what to do?" said Fatou Ndoye of Chicago, when a reporter told her of the strike.

Many were clearly upset.

"This is ridiculous," said Annamarie Puente of Chicago, who works for a scaffolding company in Des Plaines.

"I watch the news in the morning, and I didn't hear anything about this," she said, blaming the transit agencies for not doing more to get the word out. "I'm stranded."

Outside the Pace Des Plaines garage on Northwest Highway, about 40 bus drivers and mechanics walked in a tight circle while thrusting strike signs into the air. The union set up a few red and blue plastic tents for the strikers to occasionally take shelter under.

The union and Pace are currently in the process of selecting a federal mediator to continue negotiations, which have been ongoing since December of last year.

The Teamsters took over the Des Plaines garage in February of 2006 from the Amalgamated Transit Union during a struggle over representation of Pace employees.

Many Pace garages remain under the ATU, which also represents CTA workers.

Union and Pace officials said they hope to get back the bargaining table soon and end the walkout, but neither side would discuss the details of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Ross said riders should consider any CTA or Metra alternatives that may be available. The CTA does accept Pace passes.

Unlike during the most recent strike out of Elgin in 2000, Ross said supervisors will not be able to fill in for bus drivers because there are simply too many routes to cover.

When the Daily Herald first reported on a possible strike earlier this week, Hancock refused to say when bus drivers and mechanics might walk off the job, but he made it clear it was possible and said riders should be prepared.

The strike comes with Pace officials on the brink of enacting a "doomsday" budget that includes raising fares from $1.50 to $2 while canceling about 66 routes and laying off more than 200 employees.

Those sweeping changes will come Jan. 20 if lawmakers fail to approve more than $300 million in new taxes to fill deficits at Pace as well as the CTA and Metra.

Many Pace riders left in the cold today said they blame the lawmakers for the strike. However, Pace officials say the contract negotiations are unrelated to their budget problems.

"The people in Springfield need to solve it," said Rhan Randall, a plane fueler at O'Hare International Airport, while waiting for a bus that wasn't going to come at the Rosemont terminal.

The affected routes include: the 250-O'Hare, 290-Touhy Avenue, 270-Milwaukee Avenue, 208-Golf Road, 209-Busse Highway, 210-Lincoln Avenue, 637-Wood Dale Rosemont CTA, 690-Arlington Heights Road, 694-Central Road-Mt. Prospect Station, 610-River Road-Prairie Stone, 221-Wolf Road, 223-Elk Grove-Rosemont CTA Station, 225-Central-Howard, 226 Oakton Street, 230 South Des Plaines, 234-Wheeling-Des Plaines, 240-Dee Road, 241-Greewood-Talcott,Route 250-Dempster Street, 215-Crawford-Howard, 272-Golf Mill-Westfield Shopping Town Hawthorne, 422-Linden CTA/Glenview/Northbrook Court and 423-Linden CTA-The Glen-Harlem CTA.

Routes 423, 422 and 272 have partial service. Paratransit services are not affected.

For more route information call 836-7000 from any area code or visit www.pacebus.com.