The workers at Martz Gold Line in Maryland have had enough of this mistreatment and they're going to respond the only way workers know how to, prove their worth by not showing up.
There's a saying, if you want to know just how useful something is, eliminate it and see for yourself.
The workers comprise of Bus drivers, mechanics and service workers, the usual team that get mistreated most of the times and all represented by Transit Union Local 689. They decided to go on strike early one Thursday morning because they are fed up with being treated like machines instead of people.
Apparently these workers have been working under an expired contract since January 20, 2025 even though negotiations with the company started back in December 2024. For months now the company has dragged its feet, offering little to nothing to the workers while those very workers continue to keep the buses running every single day. The latest offer from Martz was rejected by the workers and I would consider that has done rightly so.
What the union said was that the offer of the company didn’t address any of the serious issues workers were actually facing and it clearly showed that Martz doesn’t care about the people who make their business work. Deliberately pretending the real problems don't exist, classic selfish company move.
Unlike some of the wage theft and strike stories I keep reviewing, this one isn’t just about the money. There is no questioning that fair pay is important, but this is also about respect and basic human decency.
These are the people who get you to work on time, keep your kids safe on school buses and maintain the vehicles you rely on to go and come at will. They provide a value that cannot be overlooked.
John Costa, director of ATU, summed the whole thing up perfectly, "workers are fed up".
The reason it had to get this bad is the same story, the company, in this case, Martz has been unwilling to compromise for their workforce. According to the union, the company tried to push workers around at the negotiating table, I'll use the word "bullied" and the workers saw right through it. They know their worth, they know that without them the buses don’t move, the routes don’t run and Martz’s business cannot survive and that's why a strike will definitely call attention.
Sometimes a well organized strike is the only way to make your company realize that workers are what makes a company.
It's not a small protest, it actually affects several critical bus routes in Maryland, including services run for the Maryland Transit Administration and other charter operations.
Do you know what this means? Commuters, students and everyday people are going to feel the impact too. Unfortunate but necessary and maybe that’s the point, the only way companies start to listen is when their profit and convenience are at risk.
Organized labor still matters and without it, communities won't operate efficiently.
Local 689 has been fighting not just for higher pay, but for basic rights and also for protections. The union has even tried to make concessions in hopes of reaching a compromise, but Martz refused so they can keep profits.
Hard to state the obvious but companies only care about profit, not the people who actually make the work happen.
So yes, I agree if you think that this strike is inconvenient. Yes, your bus might be delayed. But maybe it’s time we stop prioritizing convenience over fairness. Maybe it’s time to realize that the people who make our lives easier deserve to be treated well an better than what's happening now.
I'm actually happy with the decision they made not because I'm not living there and my transportation won't be affected but because it's the right thing to do so they don't keep suffering needlessly.
If people don’t stand up for themselves, no one else will.
Screenshot of the strike image taken from this site
