RTD's Board of Directors authorizes successor contract for two-thirds of agency’s workforce
Agreement includes new starting hourly wage for bus and rail operators $27.65; more vacation time for tenured represented employees
DENVER (July 30, 2025) – The Regional Transportation District (RTD)’s Board of Directors authorized the agency’s General Manager and CEO, Debra A. Johnson, to enter into a successor three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 (ATU). The agreement increases wages for ATU-represented employees, which comprise approximately two-thirds of the agency’s workforce, 16.3% over the term of the contract, starting with a 6.5% increase in the first year and 4.5% in each of the next two years. The hourly wage increases within the successor agreement are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025. The successor CBA extends through Dec. 31, 2027.
The agreement includes a 6.5% increase for RTD’s bus and rail operators in the first year, raising the starting hourly wage from $25.96 to $27.65, with increases every six months. Other entry-level hourly wages include $34.85 for a general repair mechanic in Bus Operations, $41.08 for a signal/traction power maintainer in Light Rail Maintenance, $38.89 for an electromechanic in Light Rail Maintenance, $41.08 for a signal maintainer in Commuter Rail Maintenance, and $39.71 for a journeyman electrician in Facilities Maintenance. Additionally, the agreement will increase vacation accruals for tenured employees by lowering the number of years to reach designated time milestones.
“The collaboration demonstrated by the bargaining teams during negotiations amplifies a collective commitment to One RTD,” Johnson said. “This CBA ensures that employees within the ATU 1001 bargaining unit receive competitive, market-based wages.”
The CBA is the legal contract addressing wages, hours, and the terms and conditions of employment for two-thirds of RTD’s employees who are represented by ATU 1001. Leadership teams from RTD and ATU 1001, working with the assistance of a mediator, reached a tentative agreement for the successor CBA, and it was subsequently ratified by ATU members and later approved by the Board on July 29, 2025.
A Board report authorizing the successor contract is available in the July 29 agenda packet.