The CTA offers new incentives for hiring and retaining employees

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority has announced new hiring and retention incentives for bus and rail workers.

According to a CTA news release, the budget for the new employee incentives is about $80 million over two years.

These incentives are for newly hired union employees for certain positions, the release said:

• Bus operators, mechanics and railcar repairers hired in 2022 and 2023 will receive a $1,000 hiring bonus from their first paycheck. Employees must remain with the CTA for one year or they will have to pay back the money.
• Eligible employees may receive an incentive payment every six months of service. This is equal to 3% of their hourly rate for hours actually worked, up to a maximum of 1,250 hours per period.
• Bus fitters and coachbuilders will earn between $39 and $40 an hour.
• Bus and rail operators will earn more than $28 an hour. By 2024, the time to reach 100% of the maximum rate will be reduced to 33 months.

CTA already offers employees health insurance, paid time off and other benefits, according to the release.

The CTA said the incentives are part of “Meeting the Moment: Transforming CTA’s Future Post-Pandemic Action Plan.”

“Our employees are this agency’s most important asset,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a release. “They are the city’s unsung heroes, dedicated every day to the services that so many people rely on.”