JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Three days into a strike by Jackson’s public transit workers, contract negotiations between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208 and MV Transportation remain deadlocked, with both sides blaming the other for the impasse. Replacement drivers have been brought in to maintain service while workers continue to picket.
ATU Local 1208 represents JTRAN workers, who walked off the job demanding better pay and working conditions. Workers were out protesting again Wednesday, and another demonstration is planned for Thursday morning at 4 a.m.
Where negotiations stand
The two sides have been in contract talks for months. Workers have been operating without a contract for roughly seven months. Of the 56 articles in the collective bargaining agreement, the two sides remain at a standstill on 24.
Pay is one of the central disputes. The current starting wage for employees is just over $17 an hour. MV Transportation has proposed raising that to $22 an hour, but ATU Local 1208 President Charles Tornes Jr. said the top-end pay increases being offered fall short…