BATON ROUGE - The Amalgamated Transit Union is on day three of their strike against the Capitol Area Transit System. ATU members say growing frustrations about wages, work environments and CATS not meeting their negotiations is why the strike is happening.

Bus riders Jeremy Smith and Robert Houghton depend on the transit system to get to and from work everyday. They say they've been feeling the affects of the strike. 

"Now we have to leave work early, so we can get home at the right time before the buses stop running. And early in the morning, it takes us about two hours. It's only one bus so if we miss a bus, we have to wait another hour. It's really taking a toll on the city because for some people, this is their only transportation," Houghton said.

When asked about their thoughts on the strike, they both said that CATS needs to meet the ATU's negotiations.

"If you want people to work for you, pay them. They deserve it. They wake up everyday, early in the morning to help people get to where they need to go,' Smith said. 

"The stuff that they go through, the higher ups doesn't see. They have to deal with different people's attitudes on a daily basis," Houghton said.

Members of the transit union claim that CATS has unqualified drivers filling in for the drivers on the picket lines.

"They're allowing the grounds crew, when I say grounds crew, the people that cut the grass, to drive routes," Amalgamated Transit Union Vice President Chavez Smith said. 

"Those individuals behind the wheel of the Treversas and other relief vehicles are not qualified. They are not certified public transport operators," Amalgamated Transit Union President George Decuir said.

Smith also says because the relief vehicles can not accommodate certain riders and only a limited amount of people are allowed inside, it can lead to delays.

"We're funded by the American Disability Act. They can not pick up any ADA passengers, which is illegal. We've already been sued for that once and we lost. They also can't pick up any bicycles. They can only fit five people in those vans," he said.

The union said affecting services was the last resort. But they feel they are fighting for what they deserve, such as higher pay.

"We're losing a significant amount of pay. But we're staying true and we're holding strong. Enough is enough. And workers in the south will not be taken advantage of. Particularly here in Baton Rouge," Decuir said.