Tensions Erupt Inside Tampa Transit Union as President Accuses Executive Board of Mutiny

TAMPA — A leadership rift has surfaced inside the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, with union president Stephen Simon accusing most of his Executive Board and several former board members of turning against him and undermining the union’s progress. Local 1464 represents local transit workers and many City of Tampa employees.

In a Facebook post shared Wednesday morning, Simon said the internal conflict stems from personal disagreements over the recently ratified contract with the City of Tampa. He claimed that some board members attempted to halt the contract vote and later encouraged members to reject it—an outcome he warned would have weakened the union’s negotiating position.

“They are so upset with me that they’ll hurt the body,” Simon wrote. “You know the saying ‘some people will sink the ship if they can’t be captain’? Well that is EXACTLY what is happening.”

The contract, which was recently approved by the union’s membership, follows years of organizing to secure recognition and bargaining power. Simon credited “loyal members” for helping ratify the agreement and portrayed the internal opposition as detrimental to that progress.

No other members of the board have publicly commented on Simon’s allegations, but some union members expressed dissatisfaction with the recent contract negotiations.

“Vote ‘NO’ on the new union contract for Local 1464,” wrote Nikesha Cato in a social media post. “It don’t benefit the employees, it only benefits the president Steve Simon who will receive a 20% bonus.”

Simon did not comment on the bonus, but he did reference a prior investigation into misconduct allegations that he said resulted in his exoneration, suggesting that current critics are reviving old disputes for political reasons ahead of next year’s union elections.

He urged members to contact him directly with questions and reaffirmed his commitment to transparency. “I’m not whispering…I’m shouting from the mountain top as I have from day one,” he wrote.

The internal conflict comes at a critical time for labor in the region, as workers face Ron DeSantis’s anti-labor 2023 law designed to shut down all unions except police and firefighter unions, which have special exceptions. More than 60,000 public sector employees in Florida have lost their union representation as a result. ATU Local 1464 had to fight earlier this year to stay open.