Teamsters Local 186 representative Jeb Johnson announced that an offer from MTD had been made on Tuesday, July 1, after a long day of mediation and that the union will need time to consider it. To that end, the contract has been extended to July 31. The contract was scheduled to expire at midnight Monday night, but was extended for 24 hours to continue a mediation between the two sides.
Without further progress, Johnson and the union were threatening to go out on strike Tuesday night at the stroke of midnight. A strike would leave roughly 15,000 MTD passengers without bus service and having to make other accommodations for getting to where they need to go.
MTD spokesperson Hillary Blackerby has declined to discuss any details of the negotiations, though she has stated that by 2028 the bus company will be facing a steep fiscal shortfall — to the tune of $4.6 million. That would be when a new three-year contract would end. Everything, she stated, is more expensive — gas, wages, insurance, parts. Even with the first fare increase in nine years slated to take effect in mid-August, the projected shortfall, she said, would still be $3 million.
Teamster spokesperson Johnson stated that MTD had not been negotiating in good faith since negotiations began in May, and that management had not offered anything until Monday evening — an assertion Blackerby disputed. Johnson also disputed her characterization of the district’s finances, stating that there’s enough in reserves for MTD to make an investment in its workforce. Johnson stated that the members and union leadership would reflect on the offer presented in the meantime. The next deadline is July 31.
