Company Statement

July 13, 2026

We are disappointed by the union leadership’s decision to strike and to place unnecessary hardship on the citizens of Jackson who depend on JTRAN services every day to get to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential destinations.
We believe this counterproductive action was completely avoidable. Throughout several months of negotiations with ATU Local 1208 leadership, MV Transportation worked in good faith to identify solutions that balanced team member interests, passenger needs, and the financial realities facing both the City of Jackson and the transit system.

Among the proposals presented to union leadership were:

• Job security
• Significant wage increases for employees
• Added holiday pay
• Seniority protections and a streamlined bidding process
• Enhanced safety provisions aligned with the well-established industry standards MV implements at operations across the country
• The involvement of a federal mediator to help the parties reach agreement

Unfortunately, union leadership rejected every proposal presented, including working with a mediator to resolve differences. At no point did they offer an alternative funding solution to address the substantial costs associated with their demands or acknowledge the safety and service risks and challenges created by their positions.

To be clear the union leadership’s actions in launching a strike hurt our valued passengers and the people of Jackson AND our teammates who are their dues-paying members. Our passengers and the City of Jackson unfortunately will have service disruptions. Our teammates are losing pay if they choose to not work during the strike, even though all are free to work if they choose to.

Despite this unfortunate decision, our commitment to the residents of Jackson will not waver. To minimize service disruptions and provide as much service as possible, we have brought in dozens of teammates from across the country, at MV’s expense. Our focus remains on serving our riders and ensuring they continue to have access to the transportation they rely on every day.

As always, we remain willing to continue discussions toward a reasonable resolution that serves our team members, riders, and taxpayers alike. We again call on the union leadership to end their irrational opposition to federal mediation as a path to reduce the damage their unnecessary strike will cause.

For additional information about our proposal and for ongoing updates, please visit mvtransit.com/Jackson.

Media Contact:
Lea Campos
Director, Marketing & Communications – MV Transportation
media@mvtransit.com