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SANTA BARBARA—Santa Barbara MTD continues to be engaged in good faith bargaining with Teamsters Local 186 (Teamsters), which represents MTD’s bus operators, operations supervisors, and maintenance employees.
Bargaining has been underway since May 6, 2025, and there is currently a contract extension in place that expires at midnight at the end of the day on July 31, 2025. The Teamsters indicate they have strike authorization authority from their members, and should a tentative agreement or further extension not be reached by the expiration, a work stoppage may occur.
MTD remains hopeful that continued mediation will be successful. The District has put forth a proposal that recognizes the contributions of MTD’s employees, serves the public, and looks out for the stability of the District.
If a work stoppage occurs after the expiration of the contract extension, MTD public transit service will be suspended and passengers will need to make alternate transportation plans. This means no MTD buses or on-demand services would operate as of 12:00 a.m. on Friday, August 1, 2025.
MTD remains committed to reaching a fair agreement, and wants all bus service to operate normally for the community that relies on it.
