Member of the Teamsters union picket in Visalia. Photo contributed

Striking bus workers are calling on the Visalia City Council to support them in their negotiations with their employer.

Bus workers for French transit company Transdev, represented by Teamsters Local 517, will be rallying Monday before the regular Visalia City Council  meeting at 6 p.m. Union members are asking the council to force Transdev to negotiate.

Transdev operates the Visalia Transit Systems and SEKI Bus Operations in Sequoia National Park.

Transdev workers went on strike July 7, demanding a “living wage and fair contract,” according to a press release from that month.

Workers are also demanding that Transdev offer them a contract that includes additional sick days as they currently only have three sick days per year and often and have to work while sick, according to a Teamsters news release.

A City of Visalia spokesperson said  Dial-A-Ride services are being offered to people requiring special services under the Americans with Disabilities Act and for seniors.

“As negotiations between Transdev and their employee’s Teamsters Union go on, it unfortunately continues to affect our residents and the extended community,” according to a City of Visalia statement. “The status of fixed-route bus service, Sequoia Shuttle and V-Line remains dependent on whether an agreement between Transdev and their employees union can be reached.”

Local 517 has been in negotiations with Transdev for over a month, with workers voting down offers from the company.

Teamsters Local 517 represents 1,800 workers in Tulare, Kings, Kern, Fresno and Madera counties.