Fairfax Connector workers end their strike, as negotiations continue

A Fairfax County Connector bus on Route 401 on Columbia Pike in Annandale.

Fairfax Connector expects to resume regular operations with full weekday service on all routes on Monday, Dec. 9.

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1764, the union representing Fairfax Connector bus drivers and mechanics, and Transdev, Fairfax County’s contracted bus operator, have signed a back-to-work agreement while negotiations on a new contract continue.

Under the agreement, Transdev rescinded its threat to fire any workers who participated in the four-day strike.

“We still have items to negotiate, but our riders come first and foremost for us,” said ATU International President John Costa. “We are going back to work because their support and that of elected officials and allies have helped us make significant advances at the table.”

Related story: Fairfax Connector on limited schedule due to strike

“Our strike was a victory, sending a loud and clear message to Transdev that we won’t tolerate their unlawful tactics at the bargaining table,” Costa said. “We do reserve the right to walk off the job again if the good faith bargaining by Transdev disappears.”

According to the ATU, more than 500 Local 1764 Transdev workers took part in the strike, and Transdev was able to only operate 15 Fairfax Connector routes on a Sunday service during the strike, meaning 84 percent of service was shut down.

Several public officials have echoed the concerns raised by the union about the threat of privatization of public transportation and have shown support for ATU Local 1764, as well as Local 689, which has been on strike since Oct. 24 at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Cinder Road Bus Garage.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member John Cook (Braddock), who also sits on the board of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, told the NVTC board members he was “ticked off,” WTOP reported Dec. 6.

“You have failed to do your job, which is to have the WMATA board consider, and I believe, declare, that your contractor is in breach [of contract]. My folks can’t ride the bus because you won’t do your job, and it’s not acceptable,” Cook said.

The NVTC subsequently passed a resolution expressing concern about the two-tiered wage and benefit structure created by WMATA’s decision to contract out the operations at the Cinder Road Bus Garage and urged WMATA to take a more active role in resolving the strike.