GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The union representing The Rapid bus drivers said that they got a small victory after a federal judge signed off on their distribution of flyers at the The Rapid's central station in downtown Grand Rapids.
The flyers include what union members call facts about their ongoing contract dispute with public transit authority.
The biggest concern of union members is their current pension plan being replaced with a different retirement plan.
The union's lawsuit, filed on Monday, accuses the company of infringing on their freedom of speech rights. A union leader said that members wanted to stand on the property and hand out flyers to passengers. The union claims The Rapid threatened members they would face disciplinary actions if they did.
On Tuesday, a federal judge gave those union members the green light to continue protesting.
"This is information. This is valuable information," said union representative Richard Jackson. "If it wasn't, we wouldn't be in this fight. They wouldn't be pushing the way they are. We wouldn't be pushing the way we are."
Jackson, president and business agent for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 836, said that he has seen first-hand what he called "push-back" that transit workers have experienced while handing out flyers during their ongoing contract dispute.
"I had a conversation with a security guard. He approached me in a pretty aggressive manner yesterday and threatened to call the police. The police came and rode through the parking area," he said.
Jackson said The Rapid was "trying to basically suppress our free speech, threatening with discipline" while the union members tried to pass out flyers on Rapid property.
The union claims in the suit that workers were being prevented from displaying their disagreement during their contract negotiations with The Rapid.
Jackson said that their current contract expired on June 30. He said that a 60-day extension is about to expire.
The main contract issue is changing employees' traditional pension plan to a different retirement savings program.
"At the end of your road, you want to be able to take care of your family," said Jackson. "You don't want to get out and retire and, you know, find out that you can't afford. So, now you are 80 years old, you come back to drive a bus again just to make ends meet. Why would you want to do to do that? Why would we want to do that?"
Jackson said that drivers are standing together, passionate about their cause and not willing to back down any time soon. Yet, the group is still hopeful both sides will come to a resolution.
"At this point it's too early to tell. I can just tell you that we feel really strongly about this issue. Very strongly. So, hopefully we don't get to a point where matters don't have to escalate."
FOX 17 reached out to The Rapid, who told us they didn't have any comment on the matter.
The Rapid has a scheduled board meeting August 26 at 4 p.m.
