Union leaders tell council Wave Transit drivers off street amid safety, maintenance complaints; management disputes some claims

At the Mobile City Council meeting on March 11, Transit Union President Anthony Maven told the council that Wave Transit drivers had stopped running routes and raised a series of safety and workplace complaints that union members say began in December.

Maven told the council: "Since December of last year, the city transit system has had 11 ULP charges" (unfair labor practice charges) and that drivers have faced assaults, lack of restroom access on several routes and inconsistent rules and discipline. He said drivers are told not to call police after assaults and must instead call dispatch and wait for a supervisor, and that maintenance problems include leaking roofs over maintenance areas and buses without working heat.

The union president added that some Pritchard-area facilities the drivers relied on have been locked, forcing drivers to use limited public restrooms and that lighting and safety at hubs are inadequate.

Preston Johnson, general manager of the Wave Transit System, stood at the podium and rejected parts of the union’s account while acknowledging managers had received the complaints. "Everything that Mr. Maven was speaking on has been addressed with Mr. Joe Snowden. I've provided him with all the information that we have at this time," Johnson said, and added the company does not retaliate against employees.

Council members pressed both sides for quick resolution and for a formal meeting. Council Member Carroll and others urged management to state a time and place to meet with union representatives so service could resume, saying riders were stranded on routes including Spring Hill Avenue, Plateau and Broad Street. Carroll said the council’s only leverage is the management contract and asked for a written request to open negotiations copied to Joe Snowden and the mayor.

A city administration representative, speaking for administration staff, repeated that Joe Snowden is the administration’s point of contact for Wave and described the city’s constrained role: the city owns buses and provides funding but is not the employer of Wave staff. The administration said it would walk the council through the Wave contract and any related federal funding requirements and that if Wave is not servicing citizens, the city may consider whether the contractor is in breach.

Council members and the administration highlighted the city’s annual contribution to Wave: "Our contribution to the Wave transit system is $10,000,000," Council Member Carroll said, adding that the amount makes restoring service urgent.

The council had earlier voted to waive rules to allow two unscheduled speakers on the Wave matter to address the body; the waiver was approved and the union and management each spoke for up to three minutes. After public statements from both sides the council asked management to respond in writing and to schedule negotiation talks. Several council members said they want an independent review of contract compliance and a rapid plan to get buses back on the street.

There was no formal council vote recorded to alter the contract or take disciplinary action against Wave management during the meeting. Council members urged a prompt meeting between the union, management and city administration and asked staff to provide the council a copy of the Wave contract and related maintenance and safety documentation.

The council expressed particular concern about driver safety and public-safety measures referenced in federal transit grants. Council members said they would expect any future contract language changes to be informed by a full review of documented incidents, funding uses and whether federally funded safety improvements were implemented.

The meeting closed the discussion with the expectation that management and union representatives would be asked to meet promptly and to copy city staff and council leadership on correspondence so the council could monitor progress toward restoring service.