NEWS — City transportation drivers seek better pay

By Karen Gleason

The 830 Times

Drivers for the city’s transportation department are seeking higher pay, and their efforts are getting support from a group of local grassroots activists.

Two members of The Border Organization, one of them a driver for the transportation department, spoke to the Del Rio City Council Aug. 9 during the citizen comments portion of the agenda. The Border Organization is a local activist group whose members include churches and employee organizations.

Irma Cardenas, a leader with The Border Organization, told the council she had attended the meeting in support of the city’s transportation department employees and to address the council on a resolution in support of the city of Uvalde.

Mary Cardenas introduced herself to the council as a member of The Border Organization and an employee of the city’s transportation department.

“We are present this evening to respectfully request a meaningful pay increase for our department. We have met with most of you all and explained to you all our history, the mandates, the credentials, the responsibilities, that we have with our clients,” Mary Cardenas told the council.

“We strongly believe that what we do and what we are required to do does not reflect in the pay that you all give us. We have attended budget workshops. We have had conversations with you all, with Mr. Sheedy and Mayor Arreola, about this issue. We are hoping that you do keep the promise that you gave us when we spoke to every and each on of you all,” she said.

She also asked the city council to consider paying more to the department’s out-of-town drivers.

“It’s not fair that the local drivers are getting paid the same amount of money as a San Antonio driver is. I’m pretty sure you all have traveled to San Antonio. We get there at 8 o’clock in the morning, and traffic is horrible. We travel from the south side to the west side, to Medical, to downtown, to Stone Oak, to Toepperwein, we go all over the place with our clients, and we’re basically making the same amount of money as a driver that’s running from here to Bedell, United Medical Center,” Mary Cardenas said.

“That’s what I am asking, for the city council, Mr. Sheedy and Mayor Arreola, to please look into this and at least compensate something to your out-of-town drivers. And that would motivate the local drivers. We have nobody that wants to drive to San Antonio, and we are having a hard time with people wanting to go to San Antonio,” Mary Cardenas said.

Cardenas then told the council she was the only permanent San Antonio driver in the department.

“The hours are long. We work 16, 17 hours a day,” she added.

The council took no action following the comments.

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