February 7, 2023
Photo by Erica Little
Representatives from Local 955 Union and Missouri Jobs with Justice organized a rally outside the Daniel Boone City building, voicing concerns about low staff and working conditions.
On Monday, Jan. 30, public service workers, representatives from Local 955 union, Missouri Jobs with Justice, the MU Chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America and others in Columbia rallied in front of the Daniel Boone City Building.
The organizations gave two demands for city council members and mayor Barbara Buffaloe: a 10% wage increase across the board and to not consolidate six current bus routes into three.
Chants echoed off the streets in front of city hall: “The workers united will never be defeated! Say it loud, Say it proud, CoMo is a union town!”
In 2022, Buffaloe signed “The Neighborhood Pledge” with Missouri Jobs with Justice, promising to protect and expand public services such as public transit, solid waste and public health according to the document. Citizens at the rally expressed anger, saying that Buffaloe broke her promise to Columbia by not inciting any progressive change in transportation services.
Workers from Go COMO — Columbia’s bus service with no fare or fees — voiced concerns about low staffing numbers and long hours.
According to a presentation released by Go COMO on Jan. 29, it takes 45 operators to be fully staffed and avoid mandatory overtime. It currently has 26 full-time operators and two part-time operators. As a result of staffing shortages, operators have been working mandatory overtime, according to the presentation — 52-hour work weeks since August 2021. The presentation states that Go COMO operators logged around 12,108 hours of overtime in 2022, costing $363,240 in overtime wages.
As of now, Go COMO consists of six different bus routes, each trip taking around 45 minutes. However, the City Council proposed combining these six routes into three 90-minute routes for workers to make up for short staffing.
Go COMO ridership has seen a sharp increase in 2022, with around 521,548 riders, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. With such a large public to serve and diminishing operators, city council hopes to “reduce overtime, improve recruitment, and increase retention,” according to the presentation.
Some community members have expressed concern about this proposal, believing it leads to more tedious rides for workers, as well as confusing trips for those who depend on frequent public transit stops to get around town.
“It hurts the system is what it does,” John Emery, a Missouri Jobs with Justice member, said. “I spoke with a woman and her disabled husband who live off South Hampton Road who rely on public transportation. They’re too far from services to get where they need to be easily. They no longer have service to the rest of the community.”
Missouri Jobs with Justice is a labor rights organization advocating for worker bargaining. MOJWJ has stopped MU from cutting around 300 jobs during the pandemic in 2020, consolidating community members to advocate for progressive labor conditions.
Combining bus routes means longer rides and wait times of up to 90 minutes.
“It will make things less accessible and less convenient,” Morgan McBee, who commutes to MU via Go COMO, said. “I don’t want to get to campus an hour and a half early, and I have a kid at home. If I can’t get home before he gets home, I don’t want him by himself.”
JT Kane, a freshman representing the Young Democratic Socialists of America, held a banner that read “Protect Union Jobs” alongside other members of the organization.
“A lot of people in Columbia use these bus routes to get groceries and now they want to double an already long bus route,” Kane said. “On a hot summer day, milk can go bad, meat can go bad.”
Gretchen Maune has used Columbia’s public transit as her main form of transportation ever since she went blind, and she said she feels let down by the system.
“For 15 years, I have relied on this service, but I see its critical importance disregarded by those in power,” Maune said. “We need a robust public transit system for non-drivers just like me. That calls for a greater investment on the bus drivers we rely on for our quality of life”.
Go COMO bus operator Melvin Stapleton said drivers work around 16 hours a day.
“We’ve been short-staffed ever since I’ve been employed and Columbia is growing,” Stapleton said.
Pierre Whitfield, who works with Columbia’s Solid Waste Utility, said at the rally that he found a community among his coworkers and stands in solidarity with them. Columbia Solid Waste handles trash and recycling, among other types of waste disposal.
“I love my coworkers; I support all of them,” Whitfield said. “But they’re not getting paid the money they should be getting paid.”
According to Whitfield, trash trucks breaking down is a common occurrence and the shortage of mechanics prolongs access to assistance for truck drivers. Whitfield said that whenever something goes wrong, Solid Waste department workers often stay and work overnight and come back to work in the morning.
First Ward city councilman candidate Nick Knoth stood behind laborers at the demonstration, offering encouragement.
“I think that city workers need to be respected for the work that they do, because it’s not often seen,” Knoth said.
Future negotiations between workers and city council members are set to take place in February.
The c-deck on this story has been corrected — MU’s Young Democratic Socialists of America rallied at the event, but did not organize it.
Edited by Mercy Austin, maustin@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Mary Philip
Comments
The Maneater has the right to remove comments that do not comply with policies surrounding hate speech.
Correction
The Max Hours a Transit Driver can work as well as City Employee is 16.
The Usual Overtime Hours for A Columbia Transit Bus Operator is 12-14 Hrs a Day. The Days a week are between 2-3 in addition to voluntary Mandatory Overtime.