Bus drivers for Fresno’s on-demand paratransit service Handy Ride secured a new contract, averting a possible strike that was approved by a 90% vote. The workers are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU Local 1027). They ratified the new contract with National Transit Express, the city’s contractor providing transportation services for people with disabilities. The 76 drivers, mechanics, and other workers who staff Fresno’s Handy Ride services will see a 12% raise this year and 4% raises for the next three years. The deal also includes new language that requires the company to give the union 30 days’ notice before introducing new technology, including artificial intelligence, into vehicles, during which the union can request to bargain over the effects of the technology.
