CTA, transit unions reach labor agreement - KMSP-TV

CTA, transit unions reach labor agreement

For the first time in 26 years, the CTA and its transit unions have jointly negotiated a labor contract.

The status-quo, up to now, was binding and bitter arbitration hearings.

The new deal is with 7,000 train and bus operators, customer assistants, and office workers.

The sides put out a joint statement praising one another, and the overall deal.

"The goals for us were to address the quality of life issues, to preserve jobs, which we did. The goal for CTA was to keep the budget under control, some work rule changes, and the big goal was that the riders of Chicago still had buses and trains that they could count on and rely on."

Next up for the CTA is to determine whether the contract saves it enough money to avoid raising fares. The new CTA budget could be released as early as Tuesday.