Public Comments for: HB2619 - Private companies providing public transportation services; employee protections.
ATU Local 689 strongly supports this proposal. If enacted, it would finally ensure that transit workers are no longer able to be contracted out and treated as a permanent underclass of workers. For too long, private contractors have abused transportation services either by underbidding contracts or pocketing funds for themselves and not paying their workers living wages. Especially in jurisdictions with collective bargaining, it is time to make sure that frontline transportation workers are not treated as a "cost savings" in a race to the bottom for contractors. Please see our full written testimony for more.
Our members provide valuable transportation services to Virginia citizens and visitors, including persons with disabilities. This includes providing complementary services by contract with public transportation systems for persons with disabilities or in some cases for overflow or after-hours service. Ours are small businesses that typically operate with independent contractor drivers, and if the proposed statute were to apply to these services we would be unable to meet such requirements, depriving us of the opportunity to provide such services and those communities of the ability to utilize those services to meet critical transportation needs. If the bill is to proceed, we urge its amendment to clarify that it exempts such complementary or supplementary services. We believe that this is consistent with the definition of public transportation systems and the intent of the legislation.
TechNet's written remarks on HB 2619 are attached.
ATU Local 689 highly supports HB2619. The bill would finally ensure that transit contractors are providing quality services to the riding public, honestly bidding on contracts, and treating their employees with the respect they have earned. If passed, the bill would further guarantee that in jurisdictions with collective bargaining, contracted transit workers would no longer be treated as a permanent underclass of labor.
Comments Document
TechNet's written remarks for the full committee are attached.