By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Thousands of Tucsonans who rely on Sun Tran buses could face a major disruption as Teamsters Local 104 prepares to vote on whether to authorize a strike.
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Mike Sanchez with Teamsters Local 104 said the union’s current five-year contract with Sun Tran ends on June 30. The union has been in active negotiations with Sun Tran management and hopes to reach an agreement, but felt a strike authorization vote was warranted at this time.
Sanchez said the strike authorization vote is largely procedural, meaning union members are open to striking if a contract deal is not reached by the deadline.
While he could not share the specifics of negotiations, Sanchez said the union’s focus has been on the safety of operators, acknowledging recent concerns of violence and substance abuse, and the possibility of reinstating fares.
“Whether fares can, you know, stop some of the problems that are out there, that’s not for us to determine, that’s for the city to determine,” Sanchez said. “But we do have expectations that I just listed related to our members at Sun Tran.”
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Sanchez said a strike is not the union’s end goal, but that member safety is the top priority.
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