Members of Metro’s largest union who work at the new, privatized Cinder Bed Road bus garage are threatening to strike.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 said that its members who work for Metro contractor Transdev on Northern Virginia bus routes running out of the garage, in Lorton, Virginia, voted unanimously to authorize a strike.
The workers and contractor have yet to agree on a collective bargaining deal after about six months of negotiations. The workers are asking for the same pay and benefits as all other Metrobus operators, which applied to these routes before Metro contracted the service out.
The union is also concerned about a lack of bathroom breaks and inspection time built into schedules, which prompted a protest at Franconia-Springfield earlier this summer.
The strike authorization does not mean a strike will occur at the garage, since negotiations continue.
The negotiations do not affect other Metro service, such as trains or buses run out of other garages, including certain other bus routes in Virginia.
