Frustrated with poor wages, unfair treatment and weak benefits, DASH bus drivers have voted to authorize a strike if they fail to reach a fair and just collective bargaining agreement that addresses worker concerns. Represented by ATU Local 689 since last November when they won an NLRB election by an overwhelming margin, the bus operators have been in contract talks since January. DASH bus driver are the lowest-paid fixed route operators in the region. “This strike vote sends a loud and clear message to DASH and the City of Alexandria that these drivers demand to be paid fairly and treated with respect and dignity,” said Local 689 President Raymond Jackson. Adding insult to injury, DASH plans to pay temporary workers greater wages than many DASH drivers by offering to subsidize their rent up to $1,500 per month. Calling the rent stipend offer an “admission by DASH that they don’t pay their own employees enough to live in the community they serve,“ Jackson said that “It is time for DASH to bargain a fair and just contract that recognizes the commitment, expertise and hard work their bus drivers put in every day to safely transport the people of Alexandria.”