Employees of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) have reached a three-year agreement with the agency’s leadership that includes a 14.25 percent raise over three years and a $5,000 COVID-19 “appreciation pay” bonus for the majority of employees.
Employees of MTD, represented by the leaders at the Teamsters 186 union, began negotiating with the company on April 26, 2022, and had sanctioned a strike ahead of entering final negotiations this Tuesday over what they considered unfair COVID-19 working conditions. Abel Garcia, secretary and treasurer of the union and one of the head negotiators, said the deal was hard-fought but that ultimately he was proud of what was accomplished.
“These people were there seven days a week, and we lost two people to COVID,” Garcia said. “It was time [MTD] showed appreciation.”