A bus drivers strike was averted this week in western Massachusetts after the transit union and bus company reached an agreement.
It looked like Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus service in Hampden County would be halted starting Sept. 1 at midnight, as members of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 448, voted to strike.
But according to management, DGR Management — which is a PVTA contractor — reached a tentative agreement with the union late Saturday. On Tuesday, union members voted to ratify a three-year contract.
Local 448 has 225 members, including bus drivers, mechanics, office workers and supervisors.
The strike would have impacted bus service in Agawam, Chicopee, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Springfield, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham and some routes in Holyoke.
Nicole Rohan, president of DGR Management, said the contract includes a 6% wage increase that is retroactive to July. Previously, the company had offered a 5% increase.
The new contract also has a 4% increase that starts in July 2025 and an additional 4.5% increase starting in July 2026.
"There's always a give-and-take and compromise that's needed in these kinds of situations. And I'm just glad for the outcome that we collectively have a three-year contract that everybody has agreed to," Rohan said.
PVTA contracts with DGR for operating the bus service. DGR subcontracts with the Springfield Area Transit Company (SATCo), which employs the union workers. Rohan is also the general manager of SATCo.
Union officials did not provide an interview for this story.
