JACKSON, Miss.—JTRAN union bus drivers and MV Transportation reached an agreement on a new contract on Thursday, bringing the Jackson, Mississippi, bus system’s weeks-long labor strike to an end.
“This agreement is good news for our JTRAN drivers, for the residents who depend on public transportation every day, for MV Transit, and for the City of Jackson,” Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a Thursday press release. “Our drivers play an essential role in getting people to work, school, medical appointments, grocery stores, and other important destinations. They deserve to be treated with respect and to have a safe workplace.”
MV Transportation manages the public bus system. The JTRAN drivers, represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208, spent months in negotiations over their contract prior to the strike. The two sides disagreed on wages, overtime and MV’s proposal to reduce major bus routes and introduce microtransit routes. JTRAN workers went on strike on July 13.
The new contract includes provisions addressing driver salaries and a safety plan, among other features, Jackson Communications Director Nic Lott said in the Thursday press release.
Driver salary increases will go into effect immediately, Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 President Charles Tornes Jr. told the Mississippi Free Press, but will not graduate to competitive wages until early 2027.
“You don’t get everything you want in any kind of negotiation, but it’s a start,” Tornes told the Mississippi Free Press.
Although removing bus routes 70 and 20 and cutting Saturday service were initially options on the table, those measures did not end up in the final contract, Tornes told the Mississippi Free Press.
“We won on that—services will continue with (those) two routes, and especially for Saturday as well, so that’s a win that we keep those service hours and days in place,” Tornes told the Mississippi Free Press.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was also added as a paid holiday, Tornes said.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 agreed to some compromises, allowing MV Transportation to hire five drivers without commercial drivers’ licenses during contract negotiations. This stipulation will be included in a memorandum of understanding rather than the contract itself, Tornes told the Mississippi Free Press, and MV Transportation will be allowed to hire an additional two non-CDL drivers if the regular staff falls below 40 drivers. There are currently about 60.
The strike’s conclusion comes after Jackson City Council voted to provide the striking JTRAN drivers with three months of strike pay, Lott said.
“I am especially grateful to the City Council for joining us in providing three months of strike pay for the workers who stood up for a fair agreement,” Horhn said in the Thursday press release. “That support helped us reach this resolution.”
MV Transportation also released a statement celebrating the conclusion of the strike.
“MV Transportation is pleased that an agreement has been reached to end the labor dispute with our valued union team members in Jackson,” MV Transportation representative Nick Dye said in a Thursday press release. “We appreciate the outstanding leadership of Mayor John Horhn, President (Vernon) Hartley and the Jackson City Council, their deep commitment to the citizens of Jackson and their important role in helping to bring an end to this unfortunate period. Our focus now is on moving forward together and continuing to provide the safe, reliable and critically important transportation services that residents of Jackson depend on every day.”
The contract will end December 31, 2028, Tornes told the Mississippi Free Press. The final draft of the contract is not yet available.
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