Updated 3:27 pm.
After weeks of a potential strike by Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) bus drivers, any protest has been called off, and the buses will keep rolling.
Drivers who are members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548 voted to ratify a labor contract reached with Transit Connection, the company contracted to train and staff the Island’s public bus line.
The closed-door session took place Thursday at the Tisbury Fire Station according to Charles Ryan, the union president. Ryan told The Times that only nine members voted in favor of the contract, which expires June 30, 2029, while the remaining 22 members didn’t vote at all. Ryan blamed the no-shows on details they read about the negotiations in the news that angered the drivers, such as the proposed contract.
The contract that was ultimately accepted was based on proposals made by the VTA. The contract, agreed upon earlier this month, increased drivers’ pay by $1 per hour, with retroactive payments starting from August 1, with another $1 an hour increase in December. The $1 an hour increase will be applied annually each year until 2028. Additionally, Labor Day was proposed as a day drivers get paid double time.
“My understanding is that the contract term is [three] years, retroactive to 7/31/26,” Angie Gompert, VTA administrator, said in an email. “The VTA is pleased the membership voted in favor of ratification. We look [forward] to continuing to serve our community.”
Ratification of the contract followed tense negotiations between the two parties. The union threatened to have its members go on strike if its demands weren’t met, such as an even higher pay for drivers, allowance for vacations during the summer, and making Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays for the unionized drivers.
And the dispute was even raised to Island select boards in letters. Ryan alleged that state funds were inappropriately used to raise Gompert’s salary and called for her resignation. Gompert, meanwhile, pushed back on this claim and stated the funding was used for other parts of the bus line’s operations other than employees’ pay, such as recovering the bus routes to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryan maintains the allegations in his letter, saying more money could have gone to drivers.
“We took the offer, even though it completely stinks,” Ryan said, adding he plans to continue to inquire about the money distributed by the state.
The last time drivers went on strike was in 2019, a month-long summertime demonstration before an agreement was reached. The threat of a strike ahead of the vote worried those who depend on the free public transportation, like local riders and off-Island workers who commute to the Island workplaces.
Editor’s note: Updated with comments from Charles Ryan.
