A group of about 70 C-TRAN office workers finalized a new contract in January, nearly a year after their last contract expired. They’re analysts, supervisors, and customer service and IT workers, and their new contract runs through Jan. 31, 2028.
But a separate unit of 240 bus and paratransit van operators is still without a new contract. Their old one expired at the end of 2025, and bargaining over a new one didn’t start until this January.
C-TRAN is the public transit agency for the Clark County, Washington. Both units are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757.
Local 757 President Bruce Hansen said operator bargaining was held up because C-TRAN didn’t want to bargain two contracts at once and the office worker contract took 14 months.
Hansen said a main priority for the office worker unit was setting a pay structure and contract language specific to the unit’s 16 IT workers. The contract includes raises of 4% for 2025, 3.5% for 2026, and 2.5 to 3%, depending on inflation, for 2027. It also shortens the probationary period and increases floating holiday pay for customer service representatives and increases longevity pay for supervisors.
C-TRAN wanted more control over the medical trust that provides health coverage for both union and non-union positions at C-TRAN, but the new contract keeps existing terms.
C-TRAN spokesperson Eric Florip said the bargaining schedule was determined jointly by C-TRAN and ATU, but Hansen attributed the slow progress in part to the limited availability of C-TRAN’s attorney.
