max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
After a two-day strike involving 135 employees of GATRA, the union and company have both announced that a tentative agreement has been reached.
The strike began the early morning of Monday, Sept. 29, following months of negotiations, with the union stating that previous offers had not been accepted.
The new tentative agreement, “meets the Union’s demands for fair pay, job security, and strong benefits. The members will vote on the deal in the next few weeks,” the union said in an announcement sent Tuesday evening by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1548-Plymouth, which represents the workers.
“Our members stood strong and united throughout this process,” said Local 1548 President/Business Agent Chuck Ryan. “This strike shows that our members are willing to lay it all on the line for justice. I want to thank our International President John Costa, our riders, elected officials, and all our allies for coming out and standing with us. This is a contract that they earned and deserve.”
Costa traveled to Taunton to join the strikers on the picket lines, the statement read. He was joined by ATU members from Local 589-Boston, MA, Local 174-Fall River, MA, Local 618-Providence, RI, Local 1037-New Bedford, MA, and Local 1547-Brockton, MA.
“I am proud of our GATRA members who were willing to go to the mat to fight for their contract and a better transit system for their riders. On the picket lines, I saw firsthand their strength, unity, and solidarity,” said Costa. “Thanks to our ATU Locals members from across the region, the elected officials, and allies for coming to support our members and the riders who rely on GATRA. Our members are can now get back to the job of keeping of Taunton, Attleboro and surrounding communities moving safely and reliably. It was an honor to ‘Hold the Line’ with you!’”
The strike impacted several lines of GATRA’s service, with disruptions or trips being cancelled. In a statement sent Monday, GATRA had previously said that the union had been presented with a “generous offer that responds in earnest to their concerns about wages, benefits, and the creation of more rewarding job opportunities.”
The company said that the offer included a 16% wage increase over three years, while the union wanted 21%. The company added that KOA management had never refused to negotiate and was always been willing to meet. The last meeting between the two sides was held on Sept. 25, and included the 16% wage increase.
“GATRA is pleased that the strike is over and we can get back to providing normally scheduled service for all riders across GATRA’s service area,” the company said in a statement sent Wednesday morning. “Thank you for the strong leadership from both the GATRA Advisory Board chair and vice chair as we navigated through this situation.”