Transit Unions

This is a question for other light rail operators and commuter rail employees around the country. In other transit companies around the country, do you have separate unions for bus drivers, and light rail/commuter rail operators? Is your union the ATU or what other unions are out there? What is the pay scale for light rail/commuter rail operators versus bus operators in your company?
I would like to here from you.

Thanks,

Trax Man

Moderator's Note: I'm not a transit operator, but welcome, Trax-Man!

I'm not a transit operator either, but I think every location's different.
Philadelphia SEPTA, from what I understand, has different locals of the same union, I believe the United Transport Worker's, for its City Transit - bus light rail and subway, and its Suburban Transit - bus and light rail. It has several unions for its commuter rail lines, I believe Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, as its name implies, for engineers, but another union for other onboard personnel, conductors and ticket collectors. They may have yet other unions for other crafts: clerks, dispatchers, supervisors, track workers, janitors...

NJ Transit I think has one union for bus operators, but separate unions for each of its 3 light rail lines. Its commuter rail lines I think follow the same arrangement as SEPTA, engineers, conductors, etc... I think SEPTA's and NJT's railroad arrangement is pretty standard nationwide, probably due to those lines running on the national rail network and so falling under federal regulations.

I think I remember that Toronto's bus and streetcar employees' union's name was Consolidated something.

Boston's MBTA has the Carmen's Union who operate the buses and trains. I *believe* the BLE is in at the commuter rail maintenance shops.

Patrick Boylan wrote:NJ Transit I think has one union for bus operators, but separate unions for each of its 3 light rail lines

AFAICR, two of NJT's light rail lines are non-union (the DBOM ones, HBLR and River Line); the Newark City Subway (I'll never call it "Newark Light Rail", sorry) falls under whatever union the bus drivers are in.

I never heard that HBLR and River Line were non-union, just that whatever their union is it might not be the same as the rest of NJT.

Our union is the same local for bus light rail and commuter rail, and the pay scale is the same for all crafts except for the mechanical side. I would like to look into it and see if there are any unions around the country specifically for light rail operators.