Letter to Represented Team Members

June 18, 2026

We want to make sure all of our teammates have accurate information about what exactly MV offered on June 10th and what rejection of the proposal means moving forward. 

Our proposal included HUGE WAGE INCREASES, WORK-LIFE BALANCE improvements, TRAINING enhancements, JOB SECURITY commitments, SENIORITY PROTECTIONS, and continued SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. It is really important that everyone have the opportunity – as is your right – to evaluate all information in order to make a decision. We are extremely concerned that you are receiving bad and misleading information. We are sending this message to set the record straight, because bad or misleading information from local union leadership has cost our union teammates A LOT:

1.  In Sept 2024, local union leadership led a totally misguided strike that accomplished absolutely nothing, but it cost each teammate approximately $1,000 — even AFTER union strike pay.
2. The proposal MV has made, including the system redesign to meet the City’s budget needs, could have been implemented March 1 — many weeks after it was first proposed to local union leadership. The delays in implementing this proposal and redesign have cost each person approximately $2,000, on average.
3. If the MV proposal is not ratified by June 20, each teammate will lose the opportunity for retroactive pay — another $600 to $800 per person.
4. Every week that the full proposal and redesign are not implemented costs each teammate approximately another $125-200 per week, for every week of delay.
5. If a strike occurs, each teammate will again lose several hundred dollars per week in lost pay, even after any strike pay.

Bad decisions and misinformation have already cost you thousands of dollars. Please investigate the facts yourself. Do NOT take anyone else’s words for it, especially anyone who has been proven to not share information or to tell the truth about key aspects of MV’s proposal, which, again, is available in full at mvtransit.com/Jackson.

And, as you read our proposal for yourself and understand the costs of these past bad decisions, we ask you to consider one more thing: over the last two and half years since MV started in Jackson, we have negotiated nearly 60 collective bargaining agreements across the country. During that time, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY STRIKES EXCEPT IN JACKSON. Ask yourself: what is different here in Jackson? Why are our Jackson teammates losing out on huge opportunities for improvement, but our union brothers and sisters are not missing out on similar opportunities anywhere else in the country? MV is one of the most heavily unionized companies in the country, and we pride ourselves on our excellent labor relations across the country. Jackson is different ONLY because local leaders keep making bad decisions that cost members money and don’t provide the facts truthfully for members to be able to decide themselves. We ask that you review the facts for yourself — NOT what someone else told you — and make the decision that is best for you and your family and not for anyone else.

Below is a summary of key components of our proposal and corrections to misinformation Union leadership has communicated. Again, you don’t need to take our word for it – read the proposal yourself at mvtransit.com/Jackson. We are sharing all of these details so you can evaluate for yourself, as you have the right to do.

Key Gains Included in the Proposal

The proposal included improvements in the following areas: higher compensation, training, job security, seniority protections, work-life balance, and safety.

Higher Compensation

If the CBA had been ratified, team members would have received a retroactive payment ranging from approximately $600 to $800, a 4% wage increase, and a new paid holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in year 1. Depending on the team member’s current pay rate, this would have equated to an estimated annual increase of more than $1,100 to $2,600.

In the remaining years of the CBA, team members would have received the following wage increases:

• 2027: estimated total increase of more than $2,000 to $4,700
• 2028: estimated total increase of more than $3,200 to $18,300

With ratification, increases in 2026 and 2027 could be even greater, IF the City of Jackson approved the proposed service amendment changes to free up funding for paying larger wage increases sooner, as we want to be able to do:

• 2026: estimated increase of more than $1,400 to $13,000
• 2027: estimated increase of more than $2,300 to $16,000

Training

• Provided training enhancements and opportunities that could benefit team members both at MV and in future career opportunities.
• Added a mentorship and apprenticeship program — offered in partnership with the International ATU — to support and enhance the employee experience. This would have been one of the first programs of its kind in the South.

Job Security and Seniority Protections

It is very important that we correct complete misrepresentations made by local union leadership:

• We are and have always been committed to no layoffs for any employees.
• We are committed to expanded job opportunities for seniority employees who may not have, or may not want to continue in, a CDL-required position, as we proposed on page12 of our June 10th proposal to the union (mvtransit.com/Jackson).
• We grandfathered CDL wage rates regardless of the equipment a teammate operates, as we proposed on page 12 of our June 10th proposal to the union (mvtransit.com/Jackson).
• We will not be hiring 38 non-cdl drivers as Charles Tornes falsely reported to the Clarion Ledger on June 15. As you can see in our proposal, there is zero plan or discussion of any such thing.
• Maintained seniority protections; seniority was not reduced, as Charles Tornes falsely reported to WLBT3 News on June 15. As you can see in our proposal, there is zero plan or discussion of any such thing.
• Vacation was never proposed to be changed, as Charles Tornes falsely reported to the Clarion Ledger on June 16. As you can see in our proposal, there is zero plan or discussion of any such thing.

Work-Life Balance 

• Created new schedules that could have resulted in more weekends off and work hours with later start time and end times that are earlier or do not extend as long with no change to the guarantee of hours, as we proposed in our contract amendment to the city of Jackson.
• Created new schedules that could have reduced mandatory overtime, as we proposed on pages 5 & 6 of our June 10th proposal to the union.

Safety

Continued safety training and improvements designed to support both the team member and passenger experience, as we proposed on page 2 of our June 10th proposal to the union and as we do at locations across the country, which is why federal NTD data shows we are the safest large operator in the US.

What Rejection of the Proposal Means 

• Retroactive pay will no longer be offered because – as was made clear to union leadership on June 10th and as you can see in our proposal — it was contingent on a ratified agreement by June 20th.
• Thus, employees lose the opportunity to receive a retroactive payment that would have ranged from approximately $600 to $800, along with continued monthly losses from not receiving the proposed wage increases ranging from approximately $110 to $220 in 2026.
  • TO REPEAT: The deadline for employees to receive retroactive pay is ratification by Saturday, June 20.

Implications of a Strike

MV has worked constructively with a long list of major unions across thousands of contracts and many decades, around the country. As we noted earlier, we pride ourselves on our constructive relationships with our union partners everywhere outside of Jackson. Since 2024, MV has negotiated nearly 60 agreements with various unions and has experienced only one strike. That strike occurred here, at the Jackson location. By our estimate, that strike cost employees approximately $1,000 each, even after factoring in for union strike pay. We believe it is really important to ask: what did employees gain from that strike that cost them $1000, and was it worth it?

To be totally clear, the strike failed to secure ANY tangible benefits for employees. It was a total waste of time and employee wages. Our valued passengers lost access to transportation and suffered serious disruptions to their lives. Our teammates lost wages. The people of Jackson suffered. A true loss for everyone – and nothing was accomplished as a result.

We believe it is a FAR better approach to work together – constructively, with an honest assessment of what is possible — to come to an agreement that benefits all parties, as we have done literally thousands of times over many decades == and everywhere across the country in recent years, EXCEPT in Jackson. This is particularly the case here, where, during negotiations, Union leadership acknowledged that MV’s offer includes wage increases SO LARGE that they have never been seen before by ATU members in Jackson. Finally, don’t be fooled by union leadership saying that they are concerned about the loss of Saturday service, when the same group is threatening to cut off ALL service through a strike while saying no to historic wage increases. None of that makes any sense at all.

We encourage you to study our proposal and review the many other communications we have provided. They are 100% factual and true. If a local union leader contradicts anything we say in here, ask for proof, just like we provided to you here. When they can not produce that proof, you’ll know the facts in here are 100% correct. We have been totally transparent in providing clear, verifiable evidence to support every claim we’ve made. It’s equally important to expect that same level of honesty and transparency from others. Ask local union leadership to share the facts and documentation behind their statements so you can make informed decisions based on truth, not false and empty claims made by others.

Finally, as always, if you have any questions about our proposal, please feel free to stop by and discuss with Leland or Stevy at any time. Or you can send a confidential email to employee.relations@mvtransit.com or leave a confidential voicemail on our Open Door Hotline at 877-687-2338. We hope the Frequently Asked Questions we sent to you on June 12th have addressed most of your questions, but we are always here to answer any other questions you have.

For more information and to view MV’s June 10th proposal, visit mvtransit.com/Jackson.