Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Transit Workers in Augusta, Georgia, Ratify New Three-Year Contract with Major Raises and Improved Benefits

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 527 ratified a new three-year contract with MV-Transit in Augusta, Georgia, securing significant raises and quality-of-life improvements. The unit includes fixed route and paratransit bus operators, rural bus operators, mechanics, utility workers, customer service clerks, and parts clerks.  

The contract includes:

• Starting wage increases from $17.48 to $20 per hour; 
• Average wage increases of 13.31% for all workers and job titles this year; 
• Over the life of the agreement, a highest wage increase of 30%, with an average of 20% among all workers; 
• A $1,000 ratification bonus; 
• Language guaranteeing bargaining rights in response to changes in working conditions; 
• Revised language removing provisions that limited Local 527’s rights in choosing what court to file a lawsuit in for contract violations; 
• Protection of a minimum 10-working-day notice for layoffs; 
• Modified language increasing the number of days a laid-off worker has to accept an offer to return to work, from seven to 14 days; 
• Sick leave established at 12 days per year, with workers allowed to convert four days into personal days; 
• Workers who work on holidays and receive holiday pay will also get credit for that time toward overtime calculations; 
• Workers who serve as behind the wheel trainers receive an extra $2 per hour for all hours worked in the training role; 
• Pre-trip bus inspections increase from 10 to 15 minutes for fixed routes; 
• Management must notify workers two weeks in advance of changes to hours or shift assignments; 
• New language modifyings the company attendance point policy to ensure just cause is applied when assigning points; 
• New language requiring all new work be union work; 
• A decrease in what members must pay for medical, dental and vision insurance, from 30% to 25% of costs, with MV Transit agreeing to increase their share from 70% to 75%; 
• Management must respond to leave requests within three business days or else the leave is automatically approved, and denials must include a written reason.

“I’m proud that we were able to win a contract that is significantly better than management’s initial proposals,” said Local 527 President Benyoel Morgan. “We were able to work through issues and secure wins on wages, benefits, attendance policies, safety policies, vacation, and staffing concerns.”