JTRAN buses will not be running their usual routes in Mississippi’s capital city for the time being due to a strike by union workers.
Early Wednesday morning, JTRAN employees and the Amalgamated Transit Union were spotted protesting at JTRAN’s Highway 80 headquarters. The workers, ranging from bus drivers to custodial staff, accused JTRAN’s parent company, MV Transportation, of unfair treatment of its employees.
MV Transportation took over JTRAN in January. Since then, workers have called out sick en masse on multiple occasions. Sources close to the situation tell SuperTalk Mississippi News that workers have been punished for taking time off of work, missing work for previously scheduled medical appointments, and asking for future days off.
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Those on strike are hoping to gain the attention and respect of executives in hopes of getting their demands met. MV Transportation has issued the following lengthy statement:
“MV Transportation has partnered with the City of Jackson since January 2024 to manage the city’s fixed route and paratransit services. We are deeply disappointed the union has chosen to execute a strike, placing an unnecessary burden on those who rely on our services to get to work, school, and life-saving appointments.
We want to be clear about the reason for this unnecessary and counterproductive strike. Over the last several months, the union has made a number of inaccurate or baseless charges, and we have patiently corrected the record. Despite those misrepresentations, we have engaged in constructive negotiations to address outstanding issues for a collective bargaining agreement between MV and the union. Through those efforts, we have agreed on dozens of issues and only have one unresolved CBA provision, literally involving just one word.
You may wonder, what was the one word that was so bad that the union would not agree or even continue to negotiate? Simply put, MV believes strongly that certain unsafe behaviors ‘will‘ lead to an employee no longer providing service to the people of Jackson – not, as the union insisted, ‘may’ be terminated in order to create an excuse for them to launch months-long protests to prevent accountability.
For example:
- If a driver were to be cited for hitting a pedestrian while driving, we believe that driver is unsafe and must no longer provide service.
- Similarly, if a driver fails to properly secure a wheelchair-bound passenger, we believe that the driver is unsafe and must no longer provide service.
- Likewise, if a driver causes a fatality, we believe that the driver is unsafe and must no longer provide service.
We observe these very reasonable standards in over 100 locations across the United States. They are the reason we provide the safest possible service to our customers; we believe strongly that the people of Jackson deserve the same safety standards and protections.
Unfortunately, the union leadership does not agree with our position. They appear to believe – and they have apparently decided to strike over this single issue – that an employee can commit such egregious safety violations and still continue to work in the same job, putting passengers, fellow citizens, and employees at risk, while they protest any efforts to terminate that unsafe employee.
Our highest priority is the safety of our passengers, our employees, and our fellow Jackson citizens, and the standards that provide this safety must take priority over the job of anyone who violates these safety standards. We believe anyone who appreciates this reasonable, common-sense standard will understand our position and recognize that the self-interested approach put forth by union leadership would prevent accountability cannot take priority over passenger safety.
MV will cooperate with JTRAN and City officials to accommodate service, especially life-essential trips, as appropriate and as permitted.”
The city of Jackson said terms were not reached in recent contract negotiations between the company and union workers. The following statement was released by city officials:
“Unfortunately, contract negotiations between the JTRAN bus drivers’ union and management company MV Transportation Inc. have broken down. As a result, the bus drivers have decided to go on strike.
The City is fully aware of the significant impact this has on our community. We are encouraging both sides to return to the table and uphold their responsibilities to the residents who depend on them.
We are hopeful that negotiations will resume soon and lead to a fair and timely resolution. In the meantime, we must inform you thatJTRAN is temporarily shut down. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and patience during this challenging time. The safety of both our drivers and passengers remains our top priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
At this time, it is unknown when folks in the capital city reliant on public transit will be able to utilize JTRAN’s services again.
