Officials of the union that represents CARTA employees said Thursday they have been denied an appearance before the CARTA Board.
Billy Nye, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1212, also said union members have no confidence in Executive Director Lisa Maragnano, who replaced Tom Dugan after he retired.
Union members held signs outside the building where the CARTA board members meet.
Steve Jett, longtime board chairman, said later, "The CARTA Board as a policy-setting body does not consider specific personnel matters at Board meetings. Those and other operational matters are the direct responsibility of management.
"However, I have invited ATU leadership to meet with me and Vice Chair John Bilderback, along with Ms. Maragnano and other key CARTA management, to explore any of the issues they feel have not been addressed to their satisfaction. We agreed to exchange proposed meeting dates after the holidays."
ATU members earlier staged a protest at City Hall to bring attention to working conditions.
At the time, union officials said some drivers are required to work too much overtime. There are also claims of discrimination by management, and complaints that bus drivers are not given enough time for bathroom breaks.
Ms. Maragnano at the time addressed various claims:
"1. Bus Driver shortage and forced overtime: in the current environment of extremely low unemployment, CARTA like other employers is having difficulty hiring replacement employees. We have been working diligently over the last few months to hire drivers, but it has been difficult to find people want to work in our industry. CARTA always puts safety first and having to ask our drivers to work on their days off is not something we want to do but we need to provide service to the customers who rely on CARTA. We will continue to work at hiring more drivers so that we can allow the operators to have their time off. We are following the mutually agreed upon union contract for covering open routes.
"2. Drivers are not allowed sufficient time for bathroom breaks: Chattanooga does not have a central transportation center where the drivers can utilize the restrooms. However, we have a list of over 40 different locations for the drivers to use the facilities. Drivers are allowed to stop and use the facilities whenever they deem necessary.
"3. Management is applying disciplinary rules inconsistently: CARTA like any employer has a Code of Conduct that we follow regarding disciplinary actions. We follow the Code of Conduct consistently for all CARTA employees. No one is treated any differently.
"The safety of the public and our employees is always our number one concern and will remain our main focus."