Overview
- Roughly 138 to 140 MeVa drivers and mechanics walked off the job, and fixed-route bus operations across the Merrimack Valley have stopped since Wednesday.
- The union and management are fighting over a proposal to convert optional Saturday overtime into regular scheduled Saturday shifts, which the union says would cut some workers’ pay and force weekend work.
- MeVa says it offered a 25.4% wage increase over three years plus an extra $3 per hour for Saturday shifts and argues the change is needed to grow and stabilize Saturday service.
- The stoppage has left riders stranded in towns including Lawrence, Haverhill, Methuen, Newburyport and Amesbury while scaled-back on-demand miniMeVa service continues and local leaders urge heat precautions and alternate plans.
- Negotiations are expected to resume next Tuesday but no end date for the strike has been announced, and MeVa’s fare-free system that carries about 2.8 million riders a year faces uncertainty as weekend scheduling is debated.