Greta Erhardt has been an operator for the KC Streetcar Authority since 2015, months before the first streetcar opened to the public. She was among the first woman drivers on Kansas City’s modern streetcar line and has likely transported hundreds of thousands of riders up and down Main Street since she started.
“I've gotten to see it triple in size, and I've gotten to watch it bring literally hundreds of millions of dollars of investment and growth to downtown Kansas City,” Erhardt said. “I, myself, am a longtime Kansas City resident, so it's been wonderful to see how we've helped Kansas City grow.”
The streetcar line has expanded twice since Erhardt started driving more than a decade ago — first 3.5 miles south from Union Station to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, then about three-fourths of a mile north from the City Market to the Berkley Riverfront.
The World Cup came to Kansas City just after the streetcar opened its riverfront extension. The combination has propelled the streetcar line to new ridership records. During the FIFA Fan Festival days between June 11 and June 28, the streetcar completed 409,670 passenger trips. On June 27, the day of the Algeria-Austria game, the streetcar had its highest single-day ridership in history with 48,360 passenger trips.
But Erhardt said pay and staffing haven’t kept up with the streetcar’s growth, or the country’s inflation, in that time. She and her coworkers recently announced their intent to unionize.
The workers would be represented by Teamsters local 955. They want higher pay, more staffing, better working hours and more safety protections on the job. The union, which could include more than 70 streetcar operators and maintenance workers if approved, would also work to get clear hiring, firing and discipline policies. Erhardt said one other priority is securing bathroom breaks, which aren’t currently guaranteed.
Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, said in a statement that the streetcar “greatly appreciates” the contributions of all of its employees.
“We value those partnerships and look forward to continuing to support one another as we build on that success together,” Gerend said. “We will continue to respect our employees' voices as we always have and will defer to the required legal process as it unfolds. Together we remain focused on providing safe, reliable, and high-quality streetcar service to our community.”
The authority runs the streetcar, but it contracts day-to-day operations to Herzog Transit Services, which is based in St. Joseph, Missouri. A representative for Herzog did not return requests for comment.
Justin Kizer is a technician for the streetcar. During a regular 10-hour shift, he does whatever mechanical and electrical work is necessary to keep the cars in working order. He said he often works five or more hours longer than his scheduled shift to ensure the streetcars are ready to go in the morning.
He said the constant growth of the streetcar means more issues with the cars and staffing.
“I love working on the streetcars. It's a passion of mine, but everything else that subsides with it is not a passion of mine.” Kizer said. “We want to be able to support the community and the streetcar, but we need support as well. We have staffing needs that we need met to be able to effectively and efficiently do our job, and to make sure that the public can enjoy the streetcar with little to no issues.”
Kizer, along with many of his coworkers, wears a wristband around work that says “Teamsters organize.” He said about 70% of eligible members signed cards declaring their intent to approve a union.
The workers hope for voluntary recognition from Herzog. Without it, the union will arrange a day with the company to hold an election.
Erhardt said she’s confident they’ll win that election, and she hopes it will mean a more stable working environment for those who power the streetcar route that Kansas City has come to rely on.
“I really love the streetcar and the job,” Erhardt said. “We aren't trying to make enemies here, we just need a seat at the table. We need to be able to have that conversation as equals, as opposed to just taking whatever the employer hands out.”
