BOSTON — The union representing coach cleaners and car inspectors for MBTA commuter rail service have reached a tentative contract agreement including a significant raise and paid sick leave for the first time.
Transportation Workers Union Local 2054 reached agreement with Keolis, contract operator of the MBTA commuter system, last week following a 10-hour negotiating session, public broadcasting station WBGH reports. The deal must still be ratified by the union.
The union said on its website that the agreement, covering five years retroactive to July 2023, will provide for a 23% wage increase — with annual raises of 5%, 4%, 4.5%, 4.5%, and 5% — and a $2,000 signing bonus, in addition to the sick-time provision. Coach cleaners will see a dramatic raise: their starting pay rate moves from $19.65 per hour to approximately $32, and will increase by 66% over the life of the contract. It also eliminates a five-year progression to reach the top pay rate for cleaners.
Union members had appeared at an MBTA board meeting in February to voice their unhappiness over their contract situation. At the time, they had been working for more than 230 days without a contract [see “Commuter rail workers tell MBTA they are prepared to strike,” Trains News Wire, March 1, 2024].
