CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority employees plan to make their voices heard during Wednesday's Board of Directors meeting after they say several attempts to speak to leadership about better work conditions have fallen on deaf ears.
The group hopes to be placed on the formal agenda for Wednesday's 8:30 a.m. board of directors meeting to bring up their concerns during public comments.
Transport Workers of America Director of Organizing Angelo Cucuzza, who has been helping the employees voice their concerns, said scheduling is one of the biggest problems caused by a bus-driver shortage, leading to most RTA drivers to work 16 hours straight, with no break.
"They mandatorily force you to work on your days off," Cucuzza said. "There is no quality of work life, and there is no quality of home life because they can't really plan their days off with their families. At any moment at the beginning of their day off, they are notified that they are forced to come to work."
While the drivers aren't a formal part of the TWU, the union is acting as the drivers' representative. Cucuzza said the majority of RTA employees have been working with the TWU since late 2019, and that they were contacted after more than 85 percent of the RTA workforce signed authorization cards in order to be represented by the organization.
The TWU said it hopes to avoid confrontation, and aims to negotiate better working conditions that will impact everyone positively.
