Patrons at Summerfest wait to catch a bus home. Union leaders and transit system officials announced late Tuesday that bus drivers would go on strike for 72 hours beginning at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Riders were left scrambling to get around town after bus drivers for the Milwaukee County Transit System
went on strike early Wednesday morning. As drivers picket, here's what you need to know about the work stoppage.
The transit system said union leaders asked for higher wages that would have added up to $8 million a year.
But union members this week focused much of their criticism on what they said was the company's unwillingness to provide adequate time on routes for bathroom breaks. The current contract guarantees only four minutes for a driver at the turnaround point of a route to clear the bus of passengers and walk to a business with an available bathroom, union officials said.
The union is concerned that the company plans to change most driving jobs to part time in several years, an official said, adding that the company is not offering to provide part-time drivers with health or pension benefits.
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