Dear Lakeland Passenger, 

We regret to inform you that the negotiations have broken down between Lakeland Bus Lines and our Union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1614.  Frankly, you are the only reason the buses are running today. 

Our members, your drivers, have agreed that the last person they want to see harmed are the many loyal passengers who depend on our service.  So we have agreed to postpone the work stoppage until next Monday, May 5th  to afford time for all our passengers to make other plans to get to work. 

We want you to know that we have tried everything over the last seven months to avoid a strike. The simple fact is that the owners of Lakeland have been consumed by greed.  The Mazzarisi and Leo families (three siblings) have a contract with New Jersey Transit that provides one husband and wife who own 50% of the company with $350,000 a year in salaries.  The two remaining brothers split the other $350,000 every year.  New Jersey Transit also pays for their healthcare.  While you are riding this bus, they are driving company cars, also paid for by New Jersey Transit. 

The Governor of New Jersey‘s salary is only $175,000 a year.  Why would a 100 person bus company have four people getting that amount of pay from New Jersey Transit? 

Don’t believe us?  It is hard to believe. Go to http://www.atulocal1614.org  and click on “click here” to read the contract yourself!  Please note that in the contract, you the taxpayer, have guaranteed these millionaires full annual cost of living increases (CPI). 

Yet, the average pay for a Lakeland driver, most of whom work every day before dawn until 7 or 8 PM, is $40,000.  We have not had a raise since 2004.  Lakeland refuses to pay us any of those lost wage increases.
We are struggling to pay our bills. 

We could cut the cost of healthcare by $10,000 per family by arranging to merge our healthcare with New Jersey Transit, just as other Lakeland services are already merged with or provided by New Jersey Transit. The Mazzarisi’s and Leo’s refused!  This single move would save the taxpayers of New Jersey over $700,000 a year.  Nope….Lakeland said no on your behalf. 

We hope that you will help bring this dispute to an end.  Please contact every legislator you can and urge them to investigate the Lakeland Bus Line deal with New Jersey Transit. This is your transportation and it is our livelihood.  What has become clear is that together we can and must get New Jersey Transit to cancel this agreement with the Mazzarisi and Leo families and to absorb these routes into New Jersey Transit. That is the only fair way to stop the victimization of both the workers and the taxpayers here in New Jersey. 

Please act quickly to convince the Governor to intervene.  Only Governor Corzine can prevent the interruption of service. He can do it with a single phone call.  Will he call?  Will you?