Fairfax Connector agreement could end two-week bus strike

The Fairfax Connector workers’ union reached a tentative agreement with the private company that operates the buses Tuesday evening following a strike that has suspended bus service for nearly two weeks.

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The Fairfax Connector bus service, the largest bus system in Northern Virginia, has been shuttered since Feb. 22, when hundreds of workers went on strike over contract negotiations for better pay and benefits. Bus service remains suspended Wednesday for the 13th consecutive day as workers vote on the agreement, according to officials at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents more than 600 bus drivers and mechanics. Union officials said in a statement they are “optimistic that it will be approved.”

The Connector typically serves about 26,000 passengers on 93 routes daily, some of whom had resort to using costly ride-hailing apps to get around during the strike.

“We will immediately prioritize restoring full service as soon as possible,” Mitun Seguin, a spokeswoman for Transdev, which operates the Connector, said in an emailed statement.

Fairfax bus strike, in its second week, takes a toll on commuters

The union began the strike after negotiations did not result in sufficient pay and benefits increases, union officials previously said. They argued that the current contract has left many Connector workers with meager pay that doesn’t allow them to live comfortably in the area or contribute to retirement benefits.

Union members took a strike authorization vote around Christmas, and 99 percent voted in favor of going on strike.

This isn’t the first time the Fairfax bus workers have gone on strike and affected service. In December 2019, the union went on strike over unsatisfactory pay, and some buses ran on a reduced schedule.

This story is developing and will be updated.