Amanda Sawyer-Malone
2013 - 2022
Amanda was a bus operator and member of ATU 1177 since 1999. She was elected Shop Steward in 2012. Amanda went on to become the first woman President of Local 1177, making history in 2013, serving three consecutive terms. In this role, Amanda also served as the Vice President for the Eastern District of the AFL-CIO, as the President of the ATU Virginia State Legislative Conference Board, and as the newly elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Eastern-Virginia Labor Federation. After serving as President for 9 years, she was appointed ATU International Vice President. Her many accomplishments include :
Rock & Roll Marathon Boycott
President Malone's first challenge came during her first Contract negotiation in 2013 for the 2014 - 2017 Contract. HRT provided shuttle service in support of Virginia Beach’s end-of-summer Rock & Roll Marathon. This charter required dozens of drivers to volunteer .
President Malone suggested that drivers not volunteer in order to pressure the company into offering better wages during contract negotiations.
Bus Driver Beatdown TV Campaign
After a Hampton driver was attacked by one of his passengers and HRT tried to fire the driver, President Malone decided to use the news. She contacted Barbara Ciara, of WTKR Channel 3, to spread the word. Ciara's first story aired on Apr 07, 2015 and launched the Bus Driver Beatdown Campaign.
HRT's Media Relations Specialist, Tom Holden downplayed the attack, and said that the Driver should have de-escalated the situation. But President Malone argued that if a driver fights back to defend himself they will be fired.
The following week Barbara Ciara contacted Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Aubrey Layne, about bus driver assaults. He said, "... I will take a look to see what we need to do."
After that WTKR did a follow-up story about a union member who had driven for HRT for 10 years. She was attacked once by a passenger and had to take out a protective order against the passenger. When the same passenger returned to her bus and attacked her again the attacker was arrested for Assault and Battery. But it was the bus driver who was fired.
After all of the attention, Ben Simms said de-escalation training is now incorporated into annual refresher training. In the end driver shields have been installed and HRT has contracted with Top Guard, a private security company, to patrol the transfer center, but the off-duty police officers spend most of their time on the Light Rail trains and only respond to bus driver attacks after the fact.
Mandatory Overtime
The Mandatory Overtime clause of Article 49 has been in our Contract since at least 1974. It was intended as a stop-gap measure, but in October 2015 the seven-day workweek was becoming the new normal. Again, President Malone contacted Barbara Ciara at WTKR. When Ciara contacted Ben Simms for confirmation, he said that HRT is doing nothing wrong because The Company is following the Contract.
So, President Malone contacted Commissioner Jim Wood and invited him to attend a Union Meeting so that drivers would be more open to speaking with him.
This resulted in HRT promising one day off each week, but it was not formalized until six years later in Malone's Historic Contract in 2021.
Hazard Pay
During the Covid 19 crises bus drivers were subjected to an average of one hundred possibly infected passengers each day--all within arm’s reach. President Malone insisted to HRT's CEO, William Harrell, that the "Essential Workers" were taking an exceptionally hazardous risk of contracting Covid themselves. The Company did shift to rear-door entry and eliminated fares to reduce the contact with passengers, but drivers were still not comfortable driving.
Even with reduced service, the buses that did run were packed. Governor Northam issued an Essential Travel Only order but there was no way for the drivers to enforce it.
When The Company received $60 million as part of the CARES Act, President Malone again met with William Harrell and insisted that his Essential Workers receive a Hazard Pay bonus of $10 per hour. The CEO and the Union President agreed to $5.00 per hour increase. This was significant because ATU 1177 was the only union in Hampton Roads that has received any Covid pay. Some local companies have laid off employees. And a lot of employees must buy their own PPEs. Other transit companies, like Florida and New York received the CARES Act money but gave nothing to their employees. Although some companies did offer their employees a one-time check.
The $5.00 increase ended June 30, 2020, but President Malone returned to the CEO and got him to restore a $3.00 per hour bonus. This additional $3 per hour lasted until July 2021 when the ATU 1177 Executive Board negotiated a new Contract which included an additional $2.25 per hour bonus--until the contract expires in June 2024. Read more about President Malone's Historic Contract here.
2013 - 2022
Amanda was a bus operator and member of ATU 1177 since 1999. She was elected Shop Steward in 2012. Amanda went on to become the first woman President of Local 1177, making history in 2013, serving three consecutive terms. In this role, Amanda also served as the Vice President for the Eastern District of the AFL-CIO, as the President of the ATU Virginia State Legislative Conference Board, and as the newly elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Eastern-Virginia Labor Federation. After serving as President for 9 years, she was appointed ATU International Vice President. Her many accomplishments include :
Rock & Roll Marathon Boycott
President Malone's first challenge came during her first Contract negotiation in 2013 for the 2014 - 2017 Contract. HRT provided shuttle service in support of Virginia Beach’s end-of-summer Rock & Roll Marathon. This charter required dozens of drivers to volunteer .
President Malone suggested that drivers not volunteer in order to pressure the company into offering better wages during contract negotiations.
Bus Driver Beatdown TV Campaign
After a Hampton driver was attacked by one of his passengers and HRT tried to fire the driver, President Malone decided to use the news. She contacted Barbara Ciara, of WTKR Channel 3, to spread the word. Ciara's first story aired on Apr 07, 2015 and launched the Bus Driver Beatdown Campaign.
HRT's Media Relations Specialist, Tom Holden downplayed the attack, and said that the Driver should have de-escalated the situation. But President Malone argued that if a driver fights back to defend himself they will be fired.
The following week Barbara Ciara contacted Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Aubrey Layne, about bus driver assaults. He said, "... I will take a look to see what we need to do."
After that WTKR did a follow-up story about a union member who had driven for HRT for 10 years. She was attacked once by a passenger and had to take out a protective order against the passenger. When the same passenger returned to her bus and attacked her again the attacker was arrested for Assault and Battery. But it was the bus driver who was fired.
After all of the attention, Ben Simms said de-escalation training is now incorporated into annual refresher training. In the end driver shields have been installed and HRT has contracted with Top Guard, a private security company, to patrol the transfer center, but the off-duty police officers spend most of their time on the Light Rail trains and only respond to bus driver attacks after the fact.
Mandatory Overtime
The Mandatory Overtime clause of Article 49 has been in our Contract since at least 1974. It was intended as a stop-gap measure, but in October 2015 the seven-day workweek was becoming the new normal. Again, President Malone contacted Barbara Ciara at WTKR. When Ciara contacted Ben Simms for confirmation, he said that HRT is doing nothing wrong because The Company is following the Contract.
So, President Malone contacted Commissioner Jim Wood and invited him to attend a Union Meeting so that drivers would be more open to speaking with him.
This resulted in HRT promising one day off each week, but it was not formalized until six years later in Malone's Historic Contract in 2021.
Hazard Pay
During the Covid 19 crises bus drivers were subjected to an average of one hundred possibly infected passengers each day--all within arm’s reach. President Malone insisted to HRT's CEO, William Harrell, that the "Essential Workers" were taking an exceptionally hazardous risk of contracting Covid themselves. The Company did shift to rear-door entry and eliminated fares to reduce the contact with passengers, but drivers were still not comfortable driving.
Even with reduced service, the buses that did run were packed. Governor Northam issued an Essential Travel Only order but there was no way for the drivers to enforce it.
When The Company received $60 million as part of the CARES Act, President Malone again met with William Harrell and insisted that his Essential Workers receive a Hazard Pay bonus of $10 per hour. The CEO and the Union President agreed to $5.00 per hour increase. This was significant because ATU 1177 was the only union in Hampton Roads that has received any Covid pay. Some local companies have laid off employees. And a lot of employees must buy their own PPEs. Other transit companies, like Florida and New York received the CARES Act money but gave nothing to their employees. Although some companies did offer their employees a one-time check.
The $5.00 increase ended June 30, 2020, but President Malone returned to the CEO and got him to restore a $3.00 per hour bonus. This additional $3 per hour lasted until July 2021 when the ATU 1177 Executive Board negotiated a new Contract which included an additional $2.25 per hour bonus--until the contract expires in June 2024. Read more about President Malone's Historic Contract here.
www.atu.org/media/releases/local-1177-norfolk-va-president-amanda-sawyer-malone-appointed-atu-international-representative
HRT disputes claim by drivers, mechanics of inadequate protective equipment and hazard pay | WAVY.com
Posted: Apr 22, 2020 / 07:59 PM EDT / Updated: Apr 22, 2020 / 07:59 PM EDT
https://www.wavy.com/news/investigative/special-report-left-at-the-curb/
Posted: Sep 30, 2019 / 01:13 PM EDT / Updated: Feb 3, 2020 / 11:51 PM EST
Union members take their concerns to HRT board | WAVY.com
Posted: Feb 12, 2017 / 12:55 PM EST / Updated: Sep 12, 2019 / 01:02 PM EDT
Are HRT drivers being forced to work while drowsy? (wtkr.com)
Posted at 8:24 PM, Oct 30, 2015 and last updated 8:24 PM, Oct 30, 2015
How far can HRT drivers go to protect themselves? (wtkr.com)
Posted at 6:50 PM, May 22, 2015 nd last updated 6:50 PM, May 22, 2015
HRT bus driver danger: What would you do? (wtkr.com)
Posted at3:34 PM, May 14, 2015 and last updated6:45 PM, May 20, 2015
Bus driver beatdown investigation prompts action from HRT CEO, Virginia Secretary of Transportation (wtkr.com)
Posted at 7:45 PM, Apr 13, 2015 nd last updated 7:45 PM, Apr 13, 2015
NewsChannel 3 Investigation: HRT bus driver beatdown (wtkr.com)
Posted at 11:00 AM, Apr 07, 2015 ad last updated 1:45 PM, Apr 08, 2015
HRT disputes claim by drivers, mechanics of inadequate protective equipment and hazard pay | WAVY.com
Posted: Apr 22, 2020 / 07:59 PM EDT / Updated: Apr 22, 2020 / 07:59 PM EDT
https://www.wavy.com/news/investigative/special-report-left-at-the-curb/
Posted: Sep 30, 2019 / 01:13 PM EDT / Updated: Feb 3, 2020 / 11:51 PM EST
Union members take their concerns to HRT board | WAVY.com
Posted: Feb 12, 2017 / 12:55 PM EST / Updated: Sep 12, 2019 / 01:02 PM EDT
Are HRT drivers being forced to work while drowsy? (wtkr.com)
Posted at 8:24 PM, Oct 30, 2015 and last updated 8:24 PM, Oct 30, 2015
How far can HRT drivers go to protect themselves? (wtkr.com)
Posted at 6:50 PM, May 22, 2015 nd last updated 6:50 PM, May 22, 2015
HRT bus driver danger: What would you do? (wtkr.com)
Posted at3:34 PM, May 14, 2015 and last updated6:45 PM, May 20, 2015
Bus driver beatdown investigation prompts action from HRT CEO, Virginia Secretary of Transportation (wtkr.com)
Posted at 7:45 PM, Apr 13, 2015 nd last updated 7:45 PM, Apr 13, 2015
NewsChannel 3 Investigation: HRT bus driver beatdown (wtkr.com)
Posted at 11:00 AM, Apr 07, 2015 ad last updated 1:45 PM, Apr 08, 2015