An employee strike may be back on after members of the Teamsters Local 186 overwhelmingly rejected a new contract from the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District last week.  

The MTD offered a contract on July 1 after months of negotiations that were extended until the end of July. Teamsters’ three groups, drivers, maintenance, and supervisors, voted against the contract.

If an agreement is not reached by July 31, all bus services offered by the MTD would be stalled, officials have said. Members of Teamsters Local 186 voted on June 11 to approve a strike authorization.

The decision to reject the latest proposed contract is due to a lack of a pay raise and disagreements over medical benefits and holiday pay, according to Jed Johnson, a negotiator from the Teamsters.

He said another sticking point was the MTD’s policy on doctor’s notes, which required employees to get a doctor’s note even if they were only sick for one day.

The two sides will return to the bargaining table. At the end of the last session, a state mediator was called in to assist the two sides reach an agreement.

The MTD did not comment on the contract rejection, but officials said the organization is working to reach an agreement.

“We are committed to reaching a fair deal by the end of the month,” said Hillary Blackerby, planning and marketing manager for the MTD.

The original contract between the MTD and Teamsters was set to expire at the end of June 2025. On July 1, the two sides agreed to extend the period to the end of July to allow the employees to vote on the contract.