CARTA’s unionized staff will get a pay raise under a labor agreement approved Thursday by the transit agency’s board. The deal is set to remain in effect until mid-2025 while parties negotiate a longer-term contract.
The previous contract expired June 30, giving way to a “status-quo” period while the Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority was at the bargaining table with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1212.
Under the new plan, union staff will get a 3% pay increase, retroactive to July 1. And an additional 1% raise goes into effect with the ratification of the contract.
Generally speaking, the union represents CARTA drivers, maintenance staff and incline employees. In a memo sent to the CARTA board, the agency said the various wage increases will cost approximately $594,000 annually, which is within an already-approved budget, according to CARTA CEO Charles Frazier.
In a phone interview Thursday, Frazier called the raises a “strategic investment.” He noted that there is a competitive market for operators with commercial licenses, and Hamilton County Schools and many truck driving companies pay more than CARTA.