As negotiations proceed for a contract for Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) bus drivers, the union representing these workers is threatening to call a strike to get better pay.
On Friday, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1548 announced that its members, which include local VTA drivers, voted to potentially hold a strike if a satisfactory contract isn’t reached with Transit Connection, the private operator contracted to hire, train and schedule vehicle operators and staff for the Island’s public bus line.
The release also stated that union members voted to turn down a contract offered by Transit Connection on top of the strike.
“It’s always pay when it comes to the Island,” Charles Ryan, the union president, told The Times. “Everything’s so expensive out there.”
But whether a strike will occur isn’t set in stone yet. Ryan said the current contract expires on July 31, after which a strike can happen “legally.” Ryan said the current contract prohibits walkouts and strikes.
Ryan highlighted in the release that drivers have had small wage increases since 2019, roughly equating to $6,240 since that time, or a raise of around $1 an hour per year. Meanwhile Angie Gompert, the VTA administrator, has had higher raises, Ryan stated. According to the VTA payroll documents, Gompert received a pay increase of nearly $30,000 in 2025 from the previous year.
Angie Gompert, the VTA administrator, was not immediately available for comment.
The last time a bus driver strike occurred on the Island was in 2019 after negotiations collapsed with the VTA and Transit Connection. Union members eventually got higher wages.
Ryan said that it is harder to hire drivers on the Island due to high living costs, complex commercial drivers license rules, and seasonal demands. He also pointed to the VTA’s recent route cuts. In June, the bus line announced that extended evening services on seven routes would be cut “due to a labor shortage.”
