WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester bus drivers held another picket outside the WRTA's offices Tuesday as their union calls for better pay and additional staffing

This is the second picket held by the ATU Local 22 union, which feels its members have spent months working on tight schedules with not enough drivers to provide adequate service. They’ve also been vocal about an increasingly hostile work environment.

“We had 188 callouts in the month of August,” said Ken Kephart, business agent for ATU Local 22. “We missed 600-plus trips in the month of August, and the administration is stating that we only need four drivers, it’s just not the facts. The facts are we’re probably 10 to 12 drivers short and we need that to fill the need. That’s what we’re here for.”

The union is hopeful a recent change in leadership at the WRTA could result in more productive conversations. Administrator Joshua Rickman started two weeks ago, and said staffing will be a priority in his first month on the job.