'That's on the table': ATU Local 998 considers safety stoppage, other options after county bus shooting

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A recent shooting on a Milwaukee County Transit System bus has union members weighing their options in terms of making their concerns heard.

"It's frustrating. We don't want it to come to where someone is injured before someone says, 'Yeah, it's time that we change things,'" Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 998 President Donnell Shorter said.

Shorter tells CBS 58 the union has been working to improve safety on county buses for both operators and the public.

"We've been saying the same thing over and over, and we've had a lot of doors close in our faces, and the word is 'no,'" he said.

A shooting on a county bus last week brought the union's continued push for more protection back into the public eye.

"It was disheartening when I heard it. You know, it always takes you back. You wonder who is hurt, how bad, and if we can do a better job of preventing something like this in the future," Shorter said.

One solution ATU thinks would help curb violence is undercover sheriffs on the bus routes.

"We really want to get the sheriffs on the bus, get them involved," Shorter said.

"The sheriffs patrol just about all of Milwaukee County when it comes to Froedtert, the zoo, Miller Park, county courthouse, you name it. They're everywhere but Milwaukee County transit bus."

Last year, safety was a part of the union's bargaining for a new contract, and now, as they prepare for a Sept. 5 meeting with the Milwaukee County Transportation Safety Board, they are deciding their next steps.

"Do we want to do a safety stoppage just to let them know we are real with this? We're just getting tired of it; we want them to know they can't keep putting band-aids on this. They're putting band-aids on human beings' lives," ATU Local 998 Vice President Micheal Brown said.

Brown said a safety stoppage, a stopping of operations over safety concerns, is on the table for union members to show how serious they are about this.

"I talked to a lot of drivers, a lot of bus operators, they are upset," Brown said. "That's what they want to do next. They're like, 'We have to make a stand. Enough is enough.'"

The bus operator driving during the shooting has not returned to work as Brown said she was very shaken after the incident.

Last Friday, MCTS President and Managing Director Denis Wandke released a statement on the shooting, saying in part:

“We’re deeply saddened by the random act of violence that happened on the bus yesterday. Gun violence anywhere in Milwaukee County is unacceptable. We cannot tolerate behaviors that threaten the safety and comfort of transit workers and riders who depend on MCTS. We are actively engaged in creating and supporting a safe environment throughout the community."

The statement continues to say MCTS collaborates with local law enforcement and that they have 10 cameras on each bus that capture every minute of bus operations.

CBS 58 contacted MCTS for comment on Monday but did not hear back.

Milwaukee police are still searching for the suspect in this case and continue to ask for your help. Anyone with information is asked to contact MPD at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.