ST. CROIX — Public buses have not been on the road for the past two days on St. Croix and paratransit services will be suspended in the district Saturday due to an apparent employee sick-out involving bus operators and custodial staff, the Virgin Islands Department of Public Works announced.
All but two Virgin Islands Transit (VITRAN) bus operators and utility workers on St. Croix called out sick Thursday and Friday in what appears to be a coordinated action, according to a DPW statement.
“We regret that this action has occurred during the holiday and Crucian Christmas Festival seasons, a time when reliable transportation is especially important for our community,” Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel said in a statement.
The unexpected disruption has significantly impacted VITRAN’s ability to serve the community’s most vulnerable members, including elderly and disabled individuals who rely on paratransit services, the release stated. Despite ongoing discussions to establish a contingency plan, no resolution has been finalized at this time.
The suspension of VITRAN’s fixed route and paratransit bus services on St. Croix comes five months after the Virgin Islands Workers Union last negotiated its collective bargaining agreement with the Office of Collective Bargaining.
Charles Nicholas, the union’s president, said he has been negotiating a CBA with OCB since July. He said the ground rules established as part of the ongoing negotiations prevent him from discussing the suspension of VITRAN services. He said it does not have anything to do with a coordinated strike.
“There’s no job action here,” he said. “This union didn’t start no job action.”
Chief Labor Negotiator Joss Springette confirmed that negotiations with the union started in July, noting they will resume next year.
“I have to coordinate with Mr. Nicholas to verify the union’s availability, as well as our client’s availability, which is the Department of Public Works, so I don’t have a set date at this time, but we are organizing our schedule for 2025, and once we can confirm with all the parties involved, we will move forward,” she said.
DPW noted in its statement that the department remains committed to engaging in an open dialogue with St. Croix mass transit bus operators and other affected staff to address their concerns and restore essential transportation services as quickly as possible.
Springette, who said the parties are not close to concluding negotiations, confirmed salary increases are on the table.
“I don’t know of any union that’s not seeking salary increases,” she said.
The chief labor negotiator was aware of the suspension in VITRAN services on St. Croix.
“If the suspension of services is due to the fact that negotiations aren’t complete, the members must know that taking a job action does not speed things up,” she said. “Instead, it does the opposite.”
Springette discussed her office’s role when employees engage in a job action.
“When it comes to anyone staging a job action, we are responsible for assisting our clients in restoring operations and, in this case, services that are provided to the public,” she said.
Any job action shifts the attention of OCB from all the pending matters as opposed to helping the situation, Springette said.
“If any union thinks that taking a job action will speed up negotiations or get us to the table faster, it does not,” she said. “Communicating through the unions and requesting updates and whatnot are more appropriate.”
