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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The MBTA has reached a workforce agreement with all of its affiliated unions for the first time in 15 years.
The MBTA announced the historic negotiation success in a press release on Wednesday, saying they and the Healey-Driscoll Administration secured contracts with all 28 unions that represent 16 collective bargaining agreements.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration understood from the beginning that rebuilding our workforce was paramount to restoring the reliability of safe public transit. 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,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng.
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The agreement includes four-year terms for all 16 contracts, which ensures the longest period of labor stability since the 1980s.
It also is enhancing wages and incentives to boost recruitment and retention efforts.
“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,” said Eng.
All agreements were finalized within one year of negotiations, which the MBTA said is a significant improvement from previous processes that went on for years.
It’s the first time the MBTA successfully negotiated agreements with all of its affiliated unions since 2009.
“The success of the MBTA depends on a well-trained, motivated and empowered workforce. 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,” said Governor Maura Healey.
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MBTA workforce development initiatives over the past few years include over 1,900 new hires since the beginning of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and a $20 million investment from a supplemental budget to support hiring efforts and the Local 589 Agreement.
“Making these frontline MBTA jobs competitive like was done in the recent Local 589 contract and others that followed is important not just because many of these jobs can provide a pathway to the middle class, but because the system absolutely needs to attract and retain experienced frontline workers in order to improve,” said Carmen’s Union Local 589 President Jim Evers.
The MBTA said that these historic agreements “mark a turning point” and pave the way for the transit authority to better serve the transportation needs of the Greater Boston area.
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