A tentative agreement between Fairfax Connector operator Transdev and a workers’ union quashed the potential for the second strike in three months on Sunday morning.
Wage increases and improvements to healthcare are some of the key elements of the agreement between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1764 and Transdev. More details will be released following a vote by Fairfax Connector union members.
The agreement sidesteps the threatened walkout of more than 500 union members.
“We are happy to report that we have reached a tentative agreement with Transdev that recognizes the hard work and commitment of our more than 600 bus drivers and maintenance workers at Fairfax Connector,” ATU International President John Costa said in a news release.
“I am proud of these workers and the solidarity, resolve and unity that they have shown during their December strike and the last few months, which was critical to securing the fair and just contract that they deserve.”
As recently as Feb. 17, the union said that talks remained far apart on the issues following the return to work agreement brokered in December.
Disputes over vacation, sick time and retirement, as well as wages and healthcare, factored into the initial four-day strike near the end of 2019.
The ATU bargaining team told WTOP that they felt “a deal was within reach” at the time, but decided to end the first strike as both parties were set to meet with incoming Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay.
The French-based company Transdev signed a 5-year contract to operate Fairfax Connector last July, which carries 30,000 riders a day on 91 different routes.
