The city of Augusta's unionized transit workers are poised to stop working after failing to successfully negotiate pay raises.
Local members of Transport Workers Union of America Local 527 have rejected MV Transportation’s proposed contract and voted July 19 to authorize a strike. MV has operated public bus services for Augusta Transit under a three-year contract since January.
The union is asking for guaranteed 40-hour work weeks, increased pay for bus drivers certified as behind-the-wheel trainers, and a starting pay rate of $21.70 per hour with 3% raises throughout the length of the contract.
The union called MV's counteroffer "paltry": a 28-cent raise to
the current starting pay of $17.48 an hour.
MV’s proposal "does not adequately address some of the issues that plagued Augusta Transit’s system prior to the award of the contract to MV-Transit such as training, employee retention, safety, bathroom breaks, hours, adequate staffing levels, scheduling of paratransit and extra board work, compensation and morale," TWU Local 527 President Benyoel T. Morgan said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta Transit faces possible strike as workers reject contract offer
