JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A local JTRAN union leader is speaking out following the mass callouts that impacted riders across the City of Jackson on Saturday, May 4.

Charles Tornes, the president of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, said MV Transportation is not holding up their end of the bargain.

MV Transportation was awarded a contract in January 2024 to manage JTRAN. Tornes said MV Transportation is supposed to honor the prior contract the city had with Transdev Services until December 2025.

“We are here to make sure it was executed. People are to be treated fairly. They are being properly compensated. And you guys are just doing your own thing. We’ve had to come in on pay periods and make sure people get their paychecks. We have people that don’t even have insurance. You know, some folks dropped the insurance for some reason. And, you know, ongoing issues that should not be,” Tornes stated.

Tornes said conditions are band, workers are stressed, and pay is inaccurate. He said 29 complaints have been filed against MV Transportation. 

“We have an ongoing issue, and as far as the city is concerned, we’re not city employees. The mayor has said that he hasn’t had any contact with us, so I sent him an e-mail. April the 19th,” said Tornes.

WJTV 12 News reached out to the Jackson mayor’s office for a comment. They said, “The mayor’s office receives dozens of meeting requests each week, and hundreds of emails each day. In this case, after sending one email, JTRAN employees chose to walk off the job. A missed email doesn’t negate the fact that this ‘sickout’ should have been handled differently.”

The mayor’s office is scheduling a meeting with JTRAN representatives soon.