Jun. 5—ROCHESTER — A "tentative" contract agreement between Rochester's contracted transportation provider and the union representing 72 drivers, dispatchers and support staff means Rochester's city buses will keep rolling for now.
The city is not a party in the mediation talks that started Monday morning in the Twin Cities.
"We're pretty happy with it," said Adam Buzbee, the local representative of the Local 1005 of the Amalgamated Transit Worker Union, of the proposed three-year contract with Transdev. Buzbee said the union members could vote of the possible contract by as early as Sunday.
That means that the union workers, who have authorized the possibility of a strike, will remain on the job this week.
Monday's talks are the latest in negotiations that started in the fall of 2022 with First Transit. First Transit was acquired by its rival Transdev in a deal that wrapped up in March 2023.
The ATW members have been working on contract extensions, since the last official labor contract ended in December 2022.
The city does have contingency plans in place to keep keep at least some buses running for Rochester's 3,200 to 3,300 passenger trips a day, if a strike does happen.