(ABC 6 News) – Rochester Public Transit (RPT) paratransit drivers staged a sit-in protest at Monday’s city council meeting, asking council members to help in their ongoing contract disputes.

Drivers from the Zumbro Independent Passenger Service (ZIPS) are frustrated negotiations have stalled with their employer Sun Transit, now that they’ve gone a whole year without a contract deal.

“Our contract should’ve been done by now, we’ve been going through this since March 1 of last year, but we’re steadily asking this individual just to give livable wage and insurance,” said Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents ZIPS drivers, President David Stiggers to the city council.

ZIPS is a critical mode of transportation for many disabled people in Rochester, such as Ryan Stack, who’s been a ZIPS passenger since he was a kid.

“Being that I am still recovering from a broken knee from two years ago, ZIPS has been there when I needed them the most,” said Stack.

RPT dispatcher Adam Buzbee says each of the 22 ZIPS drivers serve around 20-30 passengers every day.

“Areas that the fixed route bus service is not served, then that is where ZIPS comes into play,” said Stack. “Especially like with the driver shortages, you know with handivan and superior mobility and all those other van services not guaranteed to give rides, ZIPS is there to deliver.”

Laverne Jordan is another passenger who’s relied on ZIPS for three years to get around, mostly to important doctors appointments.

“Without the ZIPS drivers, how else would I get around and get to my doctors appointments? I don’t drive, my daughter don’t drive, so yeah, I’m standing with ZIPS,” said Jordan.

The biggest point of contention in the negotiations is the lack of healthcare offered for drivers’ families.

“Insurance he’s providing for the drivers, they can’t afford. It would take an entire pay cycle’s paycheck to cover the insurance just for the employee,” said Buzbee.

Pay is another major issue, with drivers saying they’re being offered $3 less than the competitive rate in Rochester.

“There was a whole bunch of us that got our checks shorted this week,” said Buzbee when addressing city council. “$500. A lot of us live paycheck to paycheck. I still haven’t got my check for the money I was shorted. Is it possible wage theft?”

ZIPS drivers voted unanimously back in January to authorize a strike if a contract deal couldn’t be reached, but they say that’s the last thing they want to do.

RELATED: RPT ZIPS drivers vote unanimously to authorize strike

“We’re asking the council to step in because we don’t want to go on strike. We care about our passengers,” said Buzbee.

That’s why ZIPS drivers asked the city council on Monday to break the city’s contract with Sun Transit’s parent company Transdev.

“It’s unacceptable. These drivers take care of our most vulnerable population and they should be treated as such,” said Buzbee.

Ward 3 council member Normal Wahl says breaking the contract with Transdev would cause legal issues, and employing transit drivers directly would be too costly for the city.

Still, the council is grateful to everyone who spoke on behalf of the ZIPS drivers, and say their concerns will be taken into consideration when Transdev’s contract is up for renegotiation later this year.

Buzbee says there are plans to meet Sun Transit back at the negotiating table sometime around March 10-13 to keep working toward a deal that works for everyone.

Sun Transit hasn’t replied to request for comment on the negotiations.