Drivers Strike Greyhound Bus Line Grinds To Halt Over Wage Demands

By Dave Bittan and Joe Clark, Daily News Staff Writer

POSTED: March 02, 1990

Dozens of striking bus drivers picketed the Greyhound bus terminal in Center City today, joining more than 6,000 fellow drivers across the nation who struck when contract negotiations broke down early this morning.

The strike against the country's only nationwide bus line interrupted service to Greyhound's 9,500 destinations and stranded thousands of passangers

from one end of the country to the other.

Drivers' wages were the main unresolved issue.

Among the passengers stranded here was Beverly Justice, a Pentecostal minister who was enroute home to San Antonio, Tex., after a year on the road. Justice said she was literally left out in the cold when the 10th and Filbert streets terminal closed.

"I'm so tired of marching up and down to keep warm, I can't talk," said Justice at mid-morning.

Many of the stranded riders turned to AMTRAK, which announced it would honor validated Greyhound tickets on its trains when buses are not available.

An AMTRAK official at 30th Street Station said about 50 would-be bus passengers showed up at the station shortly after the strike began and camped out for several hours waiting for trains to Washington, New York and Boston.

The 6,300 drivers, members of the Amalgamated Council of Greyhound Locals, officially began the walkout against Greyhound Lines Inc. at 2:05 a.m. (EST) after talks broke off in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"We went on strike because the company has refused to bargain in good faith . . . ," said union spokesman Jeffrey Nelson.

In addition to the drivers, 3,075 office and maintenance workers struck the Dallas-based bus company.

"While we regret the decision of the (union) to strike, we will be in operation to serve our passengers," said Greyhound vice president P. Anthony Lannie, the chief negotiator.

Lannie said Greyhound would operate with replacements and any employees who come to work.

Greg Conway, picket captain at the 10th and Filbert terminal, said he expects the company to bring "replacement" buses here tomorrow, but said, ''We'll block any bus that tries to come out."

One of Conway's fellow strikers, however, said three buses loaded with passengers "snuck out" of the terminal early this morning.

The driver, who declined to be identified, said the buses were owned by another bus line and somehow managed to get behind the picket line, load up with passengers, then go out through the lines while police were questioning the pickets about a report they received that one of the strikers had a gun.

The buses were bound for New York with a stop at a terminal in Mount Laurel, N.J., reported the picket.

To a man, everyone on the line in Center City said the biggest issue is wages.

"We haven't had a raise in seven years," said Bill Lee, who has driven for Greyhound for 17 years.

"They cut our pay twice during that time, and now they're talking about not giving us a raise for six more years. So you're talking about 13 years without a raise."

The company has said it is offering a 6.9 percent first-year raise and 13.5 percent during the life of the three-year contract. Drivers earned an average of $24,743 last year, according to the company.