Port Authority Rejects Union's Last-Minute Proposal

A representative from local Amalgamated Transit Union 85 confirmed that the Allegheny County Port Authority Board of Directors  rejected a last-ditch contract proposal offered by the union today.

The proposal was meant to stave off a 15 percent service reduction cut and 180 employee layoffs for the Port Authority. The cuts are scheduled to begin Sunday.

The board earlier today to allow union members to vote on the concession proposals. The board will reconvene the meeting at 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Union President Patrick McMahon said the union, which represents Port Authority workers, offered County Executive Dan Onorato a proposal under which members would take a 10 percent wage cut and forgo a 3 percent wage increase. He said that offer, if accepted, would save $18.6 million for the transit agency.

Union members still have the option of approving two alternative proposals offered by County Executive Dan Onorato. McMahon said earlier that if the board rejected the union's proposal he would have to confer to his executive board before bringing Onorato's proposals to union members.

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