More than 60 JTRAN workers went on strike starting in Jackson, Mississippi, at 4 a.m. on Monday, July 13, after the public transit union and MV Transportation did not reach a new deal. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 released a 72-hour notice of the strike on Friday.
“We care about our riders whom we transport each day and do not want this strike to happen,” Charles Tornes, Jr., president of the local ATU chapter, said in a press release on Friday. “The Union does not tolerate companies that try to bully workers by bad-faith bargaining at the table. Throughout the negotiations, there has been only one party, the Union, that’s been operating in good faith and actually wants to reach a deal.”
This strike comes after months of negotiations between JTRAN contractor MV Transportation and Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208, with no contract to show for it. Jackson’s bus system is publicly funded but privately managed by MV Transportation.
MV Transportation has proposed wage increases between $3 and $5 per hour for most workers that would be funded by redesigning the city’s transit map. The plan calls for cutting Route 20, which takes passengers to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Route 70, a route that consists primarily of Ellis Avenue and Belvedere Drive. The company’s proposal suggests reducing hours Monday through Friday by two hours and cutting Saturday hours completely. MV Transportation is also calling for the introduction of microtransit vehicles, an on-demand model that uses small, accessible vehicles and dynamic routing rather than buses.
The union is asking for wages to be increased to $26 in 2026, $28 in 2028 and $30 by 2030. It is asking for an end to mandatory overtime and that the company ensure that there are enough workers to operate each transit route at all times. It is also asking for increased sick leave protections and reducing the necessary time to accumulate sick leave from six months to four.
The most recent negotiations happened at a meeting that spanned from 10:15 a.m. on June 27 through 1 a.m. the next morning, Tornes said at a Friday press conference.
“Pretty much, they proposed the same contract that they proposed previously on June 9th and 10th, and we countered with what we thought was a fair agreement,” Tornes said at the press conference. “They turned it down, and we left without a proposal.”
Meanwhile, MV Transportation alleges the local ATU chapter is refusing to return to negotiations.
“Local union leadership has refused to return to the table or move in their latest position while continuing to spread wild misinformation about our proposals and the negotiation process,” MV Transportation said in a statement released to the Mississippi Free Press on Friday. “We again urge union leaders to stop threatening to deprive passengers of essential transportation service and return to good-faith negotiations for the benefit of team members, riders, and the Jackson community.”
JTRAN driver and ATU member Marquie Johnson also spoke at the press conference.
“We hate how the city is being impacted because we have a connection with a lot of people that we pick up, we have connection with a lot of our passengers, so it hurts us just as much as it hurts them,” Johnson said at the July 10 press conference. “…We understand it hurts them more… this is the only means transportation for a lot of the people in the city”
Despite the potential disruption of transit services, JTRAN riders have shown their support, Johnson said.
“We deal with a lot, and the people that ride with us, they deal with it– they see it,” Johnson said. “A lot of them, they’re for the strike.”
MV Transportation has “made extensive preparations to provide as much service as possible in the event of a strike, so that the actions of local union leadership do not hurt our valued passengers,” the company said in its Friday statement.
Communication Workers of America local chapter president Jermaine Travis also joined the press conference, lending his support and promising his union members would be present at the strike as well. Both CWA and ATU local chapters led strikes in 2024.
“(MV Transportation has) until Sunday to present a new proposal or counter,” Tornes said at the Friday press conference. “If they do not, we’ll be proceeding with a strike 4 o’clock a.m. Monday morning.”
In a statement as the strike began on Monday morning, Jackson Mayor John Horhn said that he respects “the concerns raised by our JTRAN operators and (recognizes) the important role they play in keeping Jackson moving every day” and that his team is evaluating the issues. The mayor’s office encourages both parties to seek federal mediation to resolve the dispute.
“My priority is to minimize disruption in service while ensuring that our drivers are treated fairly and that residents who depend on public transit can continue to get to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential destinations,” he said.
Horhn said that MV Transportation has begun deploying additional out-of-state drivers to maintain service on JTRAN routes and prevent disruption for residents who rely on public transit. The mayor said the city would temporarily waive a requirement for JTRAN drivers to hold Mississippi driver’s licenses and CDL licenses for the duration of the strike.
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