Photo Courtesy of Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation CommissionWOODBRIDGE, VA – First Transit and the union that represents its bus drivers at OmniRide reached an updated Tentative Agreement for the new collective bargaining agreement late this afternoon, Monday, August 5, 2019.
This tentative agreement between First Transit and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) must still be ratified by the union membership at a future date. But until that vote is scheduled, the tentative agreement could result in OmniRide buses operating regular service possibly as soon as the morning of Tuesday, August 6.
Following negotiations, the union leadership confirmed that its members will be asked to return to work at OmniRide effective Tuesday, August 6; however, OmniRide has no way of determining how many operators actually will report for work until Tuesday morning. Therefore, passengers should be prepared for modified service on Tuesday. If a sufficient number of drivers report for work on Tuesday morning, OmniRide will operate full service; otherwise, we will operate modified service as we have since the work stoppage began on August 1.
Passengers can stay informed about OmniRide’s operating status by:
OmniRide also will have staff at key commuter lots on Tuesday morning to help direct passengers and answer their questions.
BACKGROUND
Some OmniRide bus drivers began participating in a work stoppage on August 1, 2019, after their contract expired withOmniRide’s service contractor, First Transit. First Transit has been negotiating with the union that represents its bus operators at OmniRide, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) since March 2019.
The AFSCME Union and First Transit reached a tentative agreement for a new contract in late June 2019, however, the union later rejected that offer. AFSCME also later rejected an offer to extend the contract through September 30, 2019, to allow the parties to continue negotiations.
OmniRide has a contract with First Transit, which hires the bus operators and mechanics who work on OmniRide buses, but OmniRide is not involved in First Transit’s negotiations with AFSCME.
About Us
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), operating as OmniRide, provides a variety of services in Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park including: OmniRide Express and OmniRide Local bus routes; OmniRide Ridesharing for the promotion of carpools and vanpools; and OmniRide Employer Services which helps businesses to implement and expand commuter benefit programs. PRTC also co-sponsors the Virginia Railway Express in partnership with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.
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