Left In Lowell

For several days now, I’ve seen people with signs at the Gallagher depot when dropping off my husband at the train. The first day I couldn’t really see what the signs said (it’s not a good idea to mill around if you want drivers, in the split second they have when turning into the Gallagher, to see what you’re standing in support of, even if it’s cold…) but the second day, it was clear they were bus drivers voicing support for a new contract.

I thought to myself, what, are they striking already? But no news of that, so I assume these are off-duty drivers hoping to put pressure on the negotiations.

I sympathize with both the LRTA drivers, and the management, at this point. Yes, the workers deserve a fair contract. And yes, the state funding for LRTA is already seeing a dip, which means previously balanced budgets are no longer. And in between are the riders, and I hope no one really wants to see the rates rise too dramatically, since the people who really rely on local public transit are often the most economically vulnerable.

The two sides, besides being in negotiations, are battling it out in the Lowell Sun, which gives the management an advantage, since the leadership at the Sun is obviously and consistently anti-union. But the point of a negotiation is for both sides to come together, and both sides will hopefully give a little. Let’s try to avoid a messy strike.