Unionized Loudoun County Transit workers say they aren’t taking their employer’s last, best, and final offer at the negotiation table.

The workers have been on strike since Wednesday over wages and other issues. Some bus services, including commuter routes to D.C. and routes connecting to the Silver Line, have been suspended. The transit agency served about 1,250 trips a day in 2021 and 6,821 trips a day pre-pandemic.

Union members walked out of negotiations with Keolis, the contractor in charge of the transit service, on Thursday, according to a press release from ATU Local 689. They say the company offered a package that “did not come close to addressing the key outstanding issues.” The union says Keolis has also refused to set new bargaining dates or continue talks.

The union says Keolis didn’t properly hire enough people to meet the demands for new lines that feed into the new Silver Line extension. Keolis says they hired 30% more operators for the new routes. The union says low wages and subpar benefits are to blame. Keolis is advertising commuter bus driving jobs at $24 an hour, which is less than $50,000 a year. Workers say they can’t afford to live in Loudoun, one of the richest counties in the country where the median household income is $142,000 and median home value is $557,000.

“Keolis’ contract offer was insulting and shameful,” ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson said in a statement. “This company continues to treat our members with disrespect and disdain and continues to bargain in bad faith. … We will continue to stand strong and united on the picket line until our members get the fair and just contract that they deserve.”

The offer included a $2,000 bonus upon ratification of the contract, a 10% wage increase retroactive to last July, and a 401k match up to 5%, up from 2%. Members would also get an additional holiday — Juneteenth — off.

“Keolis is committed to providing safe and reliable service for our passengers who rely on transit,” a spokesperson for the contractor said in a statement. “We look forward to finalizing a contract that supports the wellbeing of our employees and their families with comprehensive benefits and competitive wages.”

Keolis provides transit services across the U.S. and Canada. Locally, they operate Loudoun County Transit, OmniRide in Prince William County, and VRE. The union says Keolis was the lowest bidder to provide transit services to the county back in 2021.

“At that time, Keolis refused to recognize the existence of the union in the workplace and did not adopt the union contract that was already in place,” ATU Local 689 said in a statement. “Keolis unilaterally slashed benefits like retirement and health insurance and began to impose a number of cuts on the workforce, such as the elimination of a weekly guarantee of work hours.”

More than 140 bus operators plus mechanics, dispatchers, and more are in the unit.

Transit agencies across the country, and locally, are facing bus operator shortages. Metro is using hiring bonuses and more to attract new operators. Workers for MetroAccess Paratransit services struck for nine days in August in protest of low wages.

As the strike in Loudoun continues, information about route changes can be found at the county’s site.

This story was updated with details on hiring from Keolis.