MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) spokesperson said Wednesday, Sept. 4, that company layoff numbers will be "significantly less" than originally proposed after leaders approved a budget in August to cut over 200 jobs.
The MATA spokesperson told ABC24 only a little over 50 employees will be cut. Those affected were notified about the incoming layoffs in a letter shared with ABC24 on Wednesday.
"After carefully listening to community feedback during public meetings, our leadership team continued to explored additional scenarios to ensure minimal impact on our services and employees, while remaining within our new budget," the spokesperson told ABC24.
In the letter, officials said employee layoffs are expected to begin Nov. 2. They also said there are no bumping rights for non-bargaining unit employees, which the spokesperson said means "that in order to stay compliant with our Union rules, an employee that has been laid off is not able to move to another position within the organization."
If applicable, any bumping rights that bargaining unit employees may possess will be overlooked by the collective bargaining agreement between Mid-South Transportation and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 713, the letter told employees.
MATA's Board of Commissioners voted 8-0 Tuesday, Aug. 27, to approve a $67 million budget for the public transit company that includes layoffs to more than 200 workers.
The vote passed unanimously with one abstention from the board.
The cuts included 76 route operators and bus drivers, 23 MATA PLUS drivers, 51 call center employees and 85 members of administration and support staff, according to information obtained by ABC24.
Budget Details
The plan to cut more than 200 jobs and going from 23 to 16 fixed routes is according to a letter obtained by ABC24 from MATA interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin to transit system workers, the contents of which MATA has confirmed.
The transportation authority also confirmed they have laid off 17 trolley operators due to the stand down of the trolley system over maintenance issues.
“This is what happens,” said Sammie Hunter, co-chair for the Memphis Bus Riders Union. “You’ve got people that’ve lost jobs and everything. This hurts. There’s a domino effect here in Memphis with this transportation system.”
Hunter said they’ve tried to warn MATA of the consequences of improper spending before.
“About the budget, about the spending and everything. They did not want to listen,” he said.
In a letter to employees, interim CEO Mauldin said it would take $85 million to operate with their current staff and route services.
But Mauldin said they need to cut it down by nearly $20 million so that spending can match the revenue MATA brings in.
To do that, MATA plans to reduce their staff from 512 to between 250-300, cut seven fixed routes and pause trolley services.
Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green said they want more information, which is why they asked MATA for a detailed financial plan by Tuesday.
“We saw multiple millions of dollars of cuts [during a previous meeting], and I knew that would mean drastic things for our [MATA] riders,” Councilwoman Green said. “So I wanted a lot more details.”
Councilwoman Pearl Walker wants to know what went into MATA’s decisions to make the specific cuts that they did.
“What is the justification for these particular routes vs. other routes? For these particular positions vs. other positions?” Councilwoman Walker asked.
Because their loss will be felt all over Memphis.
“It hurts bus riders, it hurts MATA employees, it hurts the merchants downtown,” Hunter said.
In a statement, Mauldin said the following:
“We deeply value our employees and are committed to providing support during this challenging time. Affected employees will receive assistance, including access to resources such as career counseling, job placement services, and other support programs. We are committed to open and transparent communication. All affected employees will be notified in the coming weeks and we will continue to keep them informed throughout this process. Our priority is to ensure that our employees have the resources and support they need during this transition.”