Paratransit Drivers Enter Fourth Day Of Strike

As paratransit drivers are into the fourth day of a strike today, the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, in a media release yesterday afternoon, says that they have negotiated in good faith with all of their drivers, schedulers, and dispatchers – and continue to be open and available to negotiations with the paratransit drivers.

They have a 3-year contract in place with their fixed route drivers through June of 2021. The BRTA management says that while the fixed route drivers have a contract in place, the negotiations with the paratransit drivers has affected the fixed route service.

Berkshire Transit Management supervisors and other employees have had to step in to provide service to their riders, but have not been able to do so with a full contingent of drivers. Officials say that the service limits are unfair to the riders in the county who depend on the buses every day. Negotiations with the paratransit drivers for a new three-year contract began in June.