Workers for JTRAN, the public transit system in Jackson, Mississippi, went on strike on July 13, 2026, following a breakdown in negotiations with the JTRAN contractor MV Transportation. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 is calling for higher pay, an end to mandatory overtime and increased sick leave protections. MV Transportation has maintained it wants to increase worker pay, but needs to modify the current route schedule to afford the raises.

Here are photos from the strike’s first protests on July 13. 

A group of people wearing matching black tshirts that read 'ATU On Strike' gather on the street.
Striking bus drivers and union leaders gathered to picket outside of the JTRAN building in Jackson, Miss., on July 13, 2026. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A blue and orange JTRAN bus drives through an intersection, passing people on the side of the road.
MV Transportation brought outside drivers to operate buses during the Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 beginning on July 13, 2026, in Jackson, Miss., who passed striking union members on their routes. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A screenshot of the live JTRAN bus map.
Although some outside bus drivers were brought in to replace Jackson’s striking union drivers, only three fixed bus routes were listed as active in Jackson, Miss., for July 13, 2026, on the JTRAN website. Screenshot courtesy JTRAN website
A man in a grey shirt speaks into a bullhorn as others listen on. One man holds a sign that reads 'ATU ON STRIKE'
Amalgamated Transit Union National President John Costa joined striking bus drivers in front of the JTRAN building in Jackson, Miss., on July 13, 2026. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A closeup of a man stands while secured to an upright, mechanized wheelchair, holding papers and speaking outside
Disability advocate Scott Crawford spoke to reporters following the beginning of the JTRAN strike in Jackson, Miss., on July 13, 2026.
A man speaks at a microphone, the podium reads 'CWA Taking A Stand for Justice'
Amalgamated Transit Union Local-1208 president Charles Tornes Jr., spoke about an upcoming transit worker strike at a July 10, 2026 press conference in Jackson, Miss. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A group of people protesting, two holding signs that say “ATU On Strike”
Striking JTRAN workers and supporters protest at the JTRAN building in Jackson, Miss., on July 13, 2026. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A man about to speak into a microphone with several people holding signs behind him
Amalgamated Transit Union National President John Costa spoke with reporters, surrounded by striking bus drivers, at the JTRAN building in Jackson, Miss., on July 13, 2026. MFP Photo by Grace Marion
A blue-and-orange JTRAN bus driving by on a road
A JTRAN bus drives by the site of the striking JTRAN workers on July 13, 2026. MV Transportation, the company that manages the Jackson, Miss., transit system, has brought in out-of-state drivers to operate buses during the strike.

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Capital Bureau Reporter Grace E. Marion is covering the capital city, Jackson, as well as surrounding rural, urban and suburban areas in Hinds County, Madison County and Rankin County. She is a reporter and photojournalist with a passion for narrative writing and investigative reporting. Her work as a journalist has earned her coverage in publications like the Columbia Journalism Review, the Hechinger Report, and the Student Press Law Center. Grace is a member of the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Grace graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media in 2022 with a degree in print and broadcast journalism, and from the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2024.