Massachusetts

Martha's Vineyard Bus Drivers Voting on Contract

The proposal includes pay raises, double pay for working holidays

Unionized bus drivers on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts are voting on a new contract after a nearly monthlong strike.

Drivers with the Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority were scheduled to discuss and vote on the tentative deal Sunday afternoon at the Barn & Bowl Bistro in Oak Bluffs.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, the labor group representing the workers, announced on Thursday the deal with Transit Connection Inc., the private company that operates the island's public bus system.

The proposal includes pay raises, double pay for working holidays, union protections during layoffs and certain seniority rights, among other provisions.

The transit authority in a statement called it ``an affordable and sustainable'' agreement and apologized to customers.

Drivers walked off the job June 28 but the authority has continued to provide limited service.

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