BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed agreements with all 28 of its labor unions, an accomplishment covering 16 collective bargaining agreements, the agency announced today (Wednesday, July 3). The agency says this is the first time in 15 years it has had agreements in place with all its unions, and — with all the contracts for four-year periods — ensures the longest period of labor stability since the 1980s.
The final agreement, ratified by MBTA Plumbers in June, completes a series of contract that built on an agreement reached with the Carmen’s Union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 589, in August 2023 [see “MBTA reaches deal with largest union,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 3, 2023]. That agreement included an 18% raise over the life of the contract, as well as bonuses focused on employee retention and hard-to-fill positions.
“The success of the MBTA depends on a well-trained, motivated and empowered workforce,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release. “That’s why, from day one, our administration has been committed to partnering with labor to efficiently secure agreements that ensure workers receive competitive wages and benefits and strengthen our efforts to recruit and retain the best talent. I’m grateful to General Manager [Phillip] Eng and his team for their leadership, to our labor unions for their partnership, and to the men and women who keep the T moving forward for their hard work.”
Since Healey took office, the MBTA has made more than 1,900 new hires, including more than 1,600 in 2023, drawing on $20 million from a supplemental budget to support hiring efforts and the Local 589 agreement.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration understood from the beginning that rebuilding our workforce was paramount to restoring the reliability of safe public transit,” Eng said. “I’m thankful for the efforts across our organization that negotiated and settled these contracts with our labor partners in record time. These contracts provide a level of stability we haven’t seen in decades. Union workers and the new hires we’re eager to bring on are on the frontline of providing reliable safe service for many communities. I’m so proud to stand side by side with the MBTA workforce.”
Unions heralded the accomplishment, and pointed to the efforts of Healy and Eng. Mike Vartabedian, chair of the MBTA Coalition of Unions, said in a statement to WBUR radio, “A lot of trust has been restored among the workforce and we absolutely give them credit for making essential investments in the frontline workforce through a professional and respectful collective bargaining approach.”
