(Additional photographs below.)
Merrimack Valley Transit Administrator Noah S. Berger, saying he is hopeful a strike at the authority will settle “quickly,” headed back to the negotiating table with his counterpart at the International Brothers of Teamsters Union Wednesday afternoon.
Jim Mark, lead negotiator for Teamsters Local 170, told WHAV he is less hopeful and the union is prepared for a lengthy walkout.
During a morning press conference, Berger told reporters that while he is in the process of finding contract drivers for MeVa’s on-demand van services, referred to as Mini-MeVa, he resists hiring replacement drivers for the fixed route service.
“I would hate to take such a drastic route. But, obviously, if no one is coming back. . . I expect they will come back. But we will look at everything,” Berger said.
The 140 bus drivers and mechanics represented by the union walked off the job at midnight after their contract expired June 30. The job action, which left riders stranded across 16 Merrimack Valley communities, also affected MeVa’s sister mini-MeVa van service as those drivers are represented by the same union. Berger said about 10% of the on-demand ride requests were filled yesterday with the company’s contract drivers.
Mark said “What they are asking for is more than we are willing to give,” explaining he expects a long walkout is the change in working conditions is too costly for his drivers to accept. The company wants to change its current optional Saturday work policy to require Saturday shifts for some portion of drivers.
Both sides say the major stumbling block is the change in the Saturday work policy. Currently, drivers have the option of working Saturdays with a $3 an hour boost in pay. If they have already worked 40 hours, they are paid overtime. Berger noted that under the company’s proposal, 63% of drivers would still not be required to work Saturdays and 53% would not have to work on either a Saturday or Sunday. Mechanics are already required to accept weekend shifts.
Berger said the change is important if the quasi-public entity is to expand its service. He noted increased weekend service is the biggest request riders make. He said he has not considered hiring drivers who are willing to work Saturdays.
Sen. Pavel M. Payano, said he’s “hopeful both sides will return to the table in good faith and reach a fair agreement quickly.” He noted, “MeVa is a lifeline for thousands of residents in Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen. People count on these buses to get to work, to medical appointments, to school. Every day without service is a hard day for our riders, especially in this heat. I have deep respect for the collective bargaining process and for the drivers, mechanics and the administration who keep this system running.”
MeVa drivers are currently paid a base of $29.51 per hour. Berger said his agency is offering a 25% wage hike, or an added $4.49 per hour across the board increase, for all drivers in the first year of a new three-year contract. In year two, wages would rise to $36 per hour and to $37 in year three. The proposed contract also includes 100% coverage of health insurance premiums for employees and their families.
Mark said even with the pay hike, too many drivers would earn less under the new system. Standing outside the gates with a sign that said simply “On Strike,” driver Anselmo Dominquez, of Haverhill, concurred.
“I like having the option of working Saturdays,” he said, adding he had been driving for the authority for four and a half years. “It’s a good job. As important as it is for us to have the option of family time, I am very surprised we’ve ended up striking, though.”
Berger countered that what he considers to be a generous pay hike only works in concert with the change in the Saturday work policy.
“The wage increase that’s on the table only works if we also put the Saturdays on the table,” Berger explained.
Mark said he is okay with Berger replacing the van drives with substitutes so long as they work out of another location. Berger told WHAV he is working on finding a such a place.
Berger noted, MeVa has seen a 60.8% increase in ridership since 2019, one of the few regional transit authorities nationwide which exceeds its pre-COVID-19 service levels.
Merrimack Valley Transit Administrator Noah S. Berger, discusses issues that led to a strike by 140 drivers and mechanics during a press conference Wednesday at MeVa headquarters in Haverhill. The job action sidelined fixed bus service throughout the Merrimack Valley and most on-demand van service. (WHAV News photograph.)
Rows of buses stand idle in the yard at Merrimack Valley Transit on Railroad Avenue in Haverhill after 140 drivers and mechanics walked off the job at midnight when their contract expired June 30. (WHAV News photograph.)