TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Operator Hiring and Retention Strategies and Long-Term Leave Analysis
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ?
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving supplemental information to the report presented to the Board on April 9, 2025, regarding the Human Resources Department's ongoing long-term leave challenges and their impact on Bus Operator availability. [Requested by Directors Walsh and McCalley - 9/25/24 & 12/11/24]
Staff Contact:
James Arcellana, Interim Executive Director of Human Resources
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STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - High-Performing Workforce
Staff's activities directly support service continuity and workforce optimization by improving hiring and retention efforts and minimizing disruptions through the curtailment of extended leaves.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no budgetary or fiscal impact associated with receipt of this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
This report is a continuation of Staff Report 25-254, presented to the Board on April 9, 2025, and provides additional information on Long-Term Leave issues facing the District.
Long-Term Leave Defined:
Long-Term Leave (LTL) is defined as a continuous leave of absence exceeding 180 days. For Bus Operators, once this threshold is reached, the employee is transferred from their budgeted division into a holding position that is not counted against the budgeted headcount. This reassignment creates an operational vacancy in frontline service.
FINDINGS AND TRENDS
Analysis of recent data trends reveals the following:
* Operator Long-Term Leave is increasing, driven primarily by Industrial Injury.
* Industrial Injury-related leave accounts for over 80% of all LTL.
* All employees out for 1.5 years or more are Industrial Injury (II) cases.
* Non-occupational leave has declined by 19% due to proactive case management.
The chart above shows the total number of employees ...
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