A state mediator will be setting a new date to resume negotiations between the Greater Dayton RTA and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1385 for a successor contract.
“I wanted to update you on this matter as I understand there are a variety of statements being made,” RTA CEO Mark Donaghy said Tuesday afternoon. “Our counsel advises me that both parties have been in contact with the mediator and he is in the process of scheduling the meeting to restart the mediation.”
ATU union members walked out effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9 after the union and the RTA could not reach a contract agreement following numerous negotiation sessions, including an eight-hour session Sunday morning with a certified mediator and a last-minute meeting at Dayton City Hall. The strike effectively strands 30,000 daily RTA passengers who depend on the bus service for transportation to work, school and medical appointments. The RTA is running an abbreviated Project Mobility service to assist customers with medically-necessary trips such as dialysis during the strike. The ATU represents about 450 drivers and mechanics.
