Local News
The transit authority says the restructure and new shifts intend to address increased demand for weekend services.
Merrimack Valley Transit workers are on strike to restructured weekend shift proposals from management. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
Commuters who rely on Merrimack Valley Transit will have to look elsewhere due to an ongoing labor strike that began Wednesday.
As early as 3 a.m., bus drivers, mechanics, and wash rack workers at the transit agency, also known as MeVa, were on strike. The employees are part of the Teamsters Local 170 union and led an early-morning strike in Haverhill, the union said on Facebook.
As a regional transit authority, MeVa serves several Massachusetts towns and cities, including Amesbury, Andover, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newburyport, North Andover, and Salisbury.
MeVa alerted riders to the strike Wednesday morning, noting in a Facebook post that all fixed-route bus operations would cease. At a press conference held later that day, the transit agency explained that the strike was held due to contract negotiations.
James Marks, business agent for Local 170, told The Boston Globe that these negotiations surround a management proposal to restructure pay for Saturday shifts. The main concerns are that the restructure will cut the current overtime rate and force employees with less seniority to work weekends.
“If they want to work on Saturday, they can. If they don’t want to work it, they don’t have to worry about it. And it’s at an overtime rate,” Marks said. “Now, they want to take it away from these guys. It’s a pay cut, a big concession, and the package that’s offered doesn’t compensate for the loss.”
MeVa administrator Noah Berger told the Globe that the current management proposals include a pay raise of 25 percent over three years and that 53 percent of the new shifts will not include mandatory weekend work. The move to restructure the shifts was driven by attempts to expand weekend coverage due to increasing rider demand.
“It’s very difficult logistically to grow our Saturday service and to provide the level of service we know our communities want,” Berger said. “There will always be overtime, we just want to spread it out across the week.”
MeVa leadership and union members intended to resume talks Wednesday afternoon, but it seems that those plans went awry. The transit authority announced that evening on Facebook that the strike would continue on Thursday.
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña urged residents Tuesday evening to make alternative transportation plans during the strike. DePeña and the city said in a press release that they are “monitoring the situation and will share updates as additional information becomes available.”
Neither MeVa nor Local 170 immediately responded to requests for comment about the strike Wednesday evening.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
