Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reached a landmark achievement by successfully negotiating agreements with all 28 of its affiliated labor unions, representing 16 collective bargaining agreements.

The accomplishment, the first of its kind since 2009, was realized within 18 months of the Healey-Driscoll Administration taking office and under the leadership of MBTA GM Phillip Eng.

Key Highlights of the MBTA’s Labor Agreement

Key Highlights: 

• All agreements finalized within one year of negotiations, a significant improvement from previous multi-year processes.

• Four-year terms for all 16 contracts, ensuring the longest period of labor stability since the 1980s.

• Enhanced wages and incentives to boost recruitment and retention efforts.

• Built upon the historic pension agreement with the Carmen's Union (March 2023) and similar agreement with the Transit Police Association (Fall 2023).

• The final agreement, ratified with the MBTA Plumbers in June 2024, completes a series of contracts modeled after the August 2023 agreement with the Boston Carmen's Union, ATU Local 589.

These agreements address long-standing labor concerns and aim to stabilize and expand the MBTA workforce.

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration understood from the beginning that rebuilding our workforce was paramount to restoring the reliability of safe public transit. I’m thankful for the efforts across our organization that negotiated and settled these contracts with our labor partners in record time. These contracts provide a level of stability we haven’t seen in decades,” said Eng. “Union workers and the new hires we’re eager to bring on are on the frontline of providing reliable safe service for many communities. I’m so proud to stand side by side with the MBTA workforce.”  

MBTA’s Workforce Development Initiatives

Workforce Development Initiatives taken on by the MBTA include: 

• Over 1,900 new hires since the beginning of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, including more than 1,600 in 2023 alone.

• $20 million investment from a supplemental budget to support hiring efforts and the Local 589 Agreement.

• Comprehensive approach focusing on recruitment, retention, skills training, and leadership development.

• Restructuring of senior leadership and improvement of frontline teams, safety protocols, engineering, and planning.