No Connector service tomorrow as union continues its strike against Transdev
Fairfax Connector bus service will remain suspended through Monday, Feb. 26, as the strike by bus drivers remains in effect.
Operating status for the rest of the week (Feb. 27-March 1) will be updated as information becomes available, Fairfax Connector reports.
Connector buses have been out of service since Thursday morning, when Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 began a work stoppage.
Fairfax Connector urges bus riders to use alternative transportation, such as ridesharing, carpooling, Metrobus, Metrorail, Virginia Railway Express, biking, walking, or teleworking. There are more than 4,000 available parking spaces at park-and-ride facilities across Fairfax County with access to express lanes, VRE, and ridesharing. For those who can afford it, there’s also Uber, Lyft, and taxis.
ATU 689 has been in contract negotiations since October with Transdev, the company that operates Connector buses for Fairfax County.
While there has been incremental progress, the union says, “several key issues are still unresolved, including fair sick leave and true retirement security.”
Related story: Fairfax Connector workers on strike
In late December, the union conducted a strike authorization vote, and 99 percent of its members voted in favor of going on strike if the negotiations break down.
The union decided to go on strike “because Transdev dragged its feet through negotiations, refused to fund the contract, and has made insultingly low offers to its own workers.”
“Fairfax County is not a party to labor negotiations between Transdev and labor unions,” the county states. However, ATU 689 complains that “Fairfax County officials have been silent” and refused to take action to get Transdev to the table.
According to ATU 689, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeffrey McKay “repeatedly refused to meet with the union both before and after a strike was called.” Union representatives met with McKay’s staff in late December, warning that “a labor action would be on the table if negotiations dragged on with nothing to show.”
Since then, McKay and his staff ignored outreach efforts by the union, “then claimed they had no idea labor action was coming,” ATU 689 says. “This is disingenuous, as willful ignorance is not a valid excuse to the riding public or the heroes that keep Fairfax Connector running day in and day out.”
“Public transportation is a vital public service, and Fairfax Connector needs to be run as such,” the union states. “Having underpaid, overworked, and exploited employees is not a stable foundation upon which we want our county transit system to be built.”
The idea that McKay would meet with them seems weird to me. There is no relationship between the union and Fairfax County. Who county officials would be meeting with is Transdev, pushing them to resolve the issue quickly or threatening to pull their contract, as the contract is between the county and Transdev as far as I’m aware.
I like that “walking” is listed as alternative transportation, but “driving” is not. What if I have an electric car, am I allowed to drive myself to work, or does it have to be ridesharing, carpooling, Metrobus, Metrorail, VRE, biking, walking, teleworking, VRE, ridesharing, Uber, Lyft, or taxis? Do we hate driving to work so much that it’s not even an option?
The majority of riders are folks without cars. You would know this if you rode the dang thing. Pardon my anger, it is not at you. I’m just screwed and reading these sorts of comments make it even more rough.
These modes are listed as alternative transportation because our transportation environment is dominated by private automobile use. The vast majority of trips in Northern Virginia are taken via driving. Therefore, these modes are “alternatives” to the norm.
We love driving so much that we made all other forms of transport “alternatives”.
Support 689, these guys bust their hump everyday and get everyone around safely. Fire transdev at the next opportunity!
Transdev is the #1 largest transportation company now that they acquired first transit. 689 is 100 percent in the right to fight for what they are asking for.
Glad to see them stand up, although it should have never gotten to this point.
The entire Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is a master class in “how not to govern.” McKay’s a tool and a willing village idiot (apologies to legit village idiots) who is the guy behind the smoke and mirrors that the BoS really is. “Nothing to see here – just move on.” (Bo’s Raises – who me?) Fairfax Schools are just not that good; employees are just not that motivated and McKay’s self-selected BoS are a joke.
@jeffreylongo while Transdev is the company employing directly. Fairfax County works extremely closely with the Management team of Transdev, due to the contract they have. This includes weekly meetings with the high ups in the dept of transportation for FC.
Im all in for the Union to get their desired amount for everyone involved.They deserve every penny.Better pay,Hours,retirement.Great to see them striking for effectiveness.
..And I like the comment about, Alternative travel, ie:Walking .Driving isn’t an option to most of us using public transportation. Must be a great life when your only inconvenienced by having to charge your car up, after all it’s winter out there,brrrr. I lost ONE of my jobs this morning due to this!! I hate UNIONS AND UNICORNS.
They deserve more benefits and transfer need to increase their salaries packages and give them more leave. Because they are working hard to provide exceptional services for all over the virgina. This unfair to treat all drivers of fairfax conectors. Kindly I request fairfax need to accept bus union demand. What ever they want. Because living in USA is hardest accommodation and others kinds of bills are to much inflation is so much higher then all Asian countries.
In other words, it’s not worth it to live here. We are in agreement Mr. Nasir. Though I have a different opinion of what people deserve.
Please treat your workers fairly. Thanks.
YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD PEOPLE TO STEP IN WHILE ON STRIKE THIS IS A MESS PEOPLE HAVE FAMILY TO TAKE CARE.
Lol, you want a company that doesn’t even pay its working employees fair compensation to have workers on retainer for when there’s a strike??
Ironically, and this is a fact, removing the bus service completely would be a huge net positive for this area.
Wow. How to say you hate the poor without saying you hate the poor.
I’ve created more jobs than you can imagine. I don’t like the crime that comes with this latest version of the poor. I have young kids that don’t feel safe in an area I pay a lot of money to live in. It wasn’t always like this.
Say you came from Fairfax Underground without saying you came from FCU. Gets called out for saying something genuinely hateful and then turns around to put themselves on a pedestal for all the “net good” they’ve done when it was all just to line their own pockets. Shame.
What’s FCU? Literally never heard of it! And I don’t line my own pockets. I spend money on just the basics and drive a junky car I’ve had for 15 yrs. I don’t even take vacations other than maybe once every 2-3 years, and just for a few days, and not far. Can you say the same?
Why is the negotiations for this bus service strike not including the dozens of routes that have absolutely zero passengers and wasting taxpayer money with empty buses going up and down 66 over and over again? Route 660 and route 901 are total waste of taxpayer money and should be completely eliminated and reduce some of the waste in the Fairfax connector and then negotiate
Lazy clowns. Get the hell to work before you get replaced. How much money you want to ride around in circles all day. It’s not that skilled of a job
I don’t see you doing it. How hard can it be to stay awake and drive a rig down a straight highway for hours? You tired of sticking to your chair yet?
I’d imagine it’s very hard. And I’d imagine you are a pompous little brat.