Buffalo Niagara Airport shuttle bus drivers, cashiers on strike
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Shuttle bus drivers and cashiers at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga have been striking since 9 a.m. Monday.
"I'm hoping to see a lot of improvements, in terms of the safety of everyone and on top of that, I hope to see better wages for everyone," said Casey Voit, a cashier on the picket line.
"Everybody just wants a fair deal," said Travis Humphrey, who has been a bus driver at the airport for over 30 years. "Higher wages, better benefits, like everybody. Every year it goes up, so you got to catch up with the times."
Their union, Teamster Local 264, said they are striking for better wages, but also for the safety of the workers and the public.
"When you have holes in the floor of your bus, when you have exposed electrical compartments, when you have bald tires, expired inspected vehicles, tires falling off during operations with passengers on the bus, you can't have it," said Darrin Ziemba, an officer and agent of Teamsters Local 264. "Look how busy this facility is, there is no reason for this, there's enough to go around. These folks should have the pinnacle vehicles to use when they come to work, they should have enough in their paycheck when the average worker here makes less than $17 an hour. An extra few pennies makes a difference in the world to those folks."
Teamsters Local 264 said Tuesday morning that it was meeting with these workers' employers, SP Plus and Jacobsen Daniels, via video call, but shared that little progress on busing has been made. No future meetings have been made at this time.
WIVB News 4 reached out to the NFTA about the strike, who said that airport operations are not being impacted by the strike, as substitute drivers are working. NFTA said that it is not part of the negotiations since these jobs are with subcontractors to the airport.
SP Plus said in a statement that it's "deeply disappointed" by the strike, which it said is happening during active negotiations. It also hopes to have discussions with Teamsters Local 264 to reach a "fair and swift agreement."
"For more than 17 years, SP Plus has been integral to the daily operations at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, delivering safe, reliable parking and shuttle services that travelers and the airport community depend on," SP Plus said. "That commitment is unwavering. Despite the union’s strike, our teams remain fully mobilized and operations remain uninterrupted. We’re doing whatever it takes to ensure the airport runs smoothly and passengers move safely, without delay or disruption."
News 4 also reached out to Jacobsen Daniels for comment and is waiting to hear back.