Fairfax Connector service suspension remains through the week, hurting riders
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Fairfax Connector transit service will remain suspended on March 1, as the bus systems’ workers will strike for a ninth day.
The Amalgamated Transit Union’s Local 689 workers are striking for better pay and benefits.
Fairfax Connector says bus system will be suspended for seventh day due to strike
On Feb. 28, Fairfax County board chairman Jeff McKay sent a letter to negotiators, urging them to reach a consensus.
“I am hopeful that you can find time in your schedule sooner than March 5 to meet with both sides and help put an end to the strike in a way that respects drivers and mechanics as well as County residents that rely on and ultimately pay for Fairfax Connector service,” McKay wrote, in part.
Negotiators met but ended the meeting with no resolution.
The service’s 26,000 daily riders have been left to find alternate transportation.
One woman works at a restaurant in Mclean and commutes from Ashburn. She said each day she arrives at her Metro stop, hoping bus service has resumed. One day this week, she said she walked four miles to work because she couldn’t order an Uber.
Fairfax Connector bus service suspended amid worker strike over unfair labor practices
Ronald Mercado, an engineer in McLean, told DC News Now that the suspended service is impacting several of his coworkers who don’t live near Metro stops. For Mercado, the suspension adds a 20-minute walk to each leg of his commute.
“Today I get up and realize that my bus is not passing and notice on the app it’s not showing a schedule. So I started walking,” said Mercado, who commutes from Reston to Mclean. “It’s basically taking me a little more time to prepare before I come to work and I’ve been forced to walk from home to the stations.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
