BRTA Paratransit Drivers Accept Contract, Reject Strike

Staff Reports08:37PM / Friday, February 23, 2018Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A potential strike by paratransit drivers has been called off after members voted to accept an agreement with Paratransit Management of the Berkshires on Friday.

Robert Malnati, administrator of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, sent a brief notification late Friday that he had been told the tentative agreement settled on Wednesday had been voted by the paratransit union membership. Paratransit Management has operated the bus agency's paratransit services for nearly two years.

The workers represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 404 had rejected a "best and final offer" in early February and called for a strike. If the 18 members had walked, it would also have affected the 35 or so fellow union members employed by BRTA who would not have crossed the picket line.

The BRTA has an annual ridership of more than 600,000, with close to 80,000 of those through the paratransit service that supplements the fixed bus service for those with impaired mobility. A strike would have left thousands with no way to get to work, shopping or appointments.

A federal mediator was called in to work with the negotiators and the strike was delayed several times as the two sides edged closer together. The tentative agreement was reached on Wednesday and union members agreed to continue working until it was put to a full vote on Friday. If it had been rejected, the strike would have likely occurred next week.

It is not clear what issues were at stake in the contract.

"Thank you to the BRTA customers for your patience, understanding, and ridership during this process," Malnati wrote.

Tags: BRTA, contract negotiations, strike,

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Pittsfield Housing Projects Get Extra ARPA Boost

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, March 03, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two affordable housing initiatives are getting $120,000 in leftover American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The Affordable Housing Trust approved the funding on Wednesday to the Westside Legends and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.

These projects had already been awarded funds from the trust, meaning that they could be allocated after the ARPA deadline. Westside Legends will get an additional $70,000 for an affordable housing project underway at 70 Dewey Ave., and Habitat will see an additional $50,000 for its home build on Curtis Terrace.

Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported that while ARPA projects had to be under contract by December 2025, these were under-contract projects that could use the funds.

"I think our Affordable Housing Trust has really done a good job being a catalyst for improving the housing stock in the city of Pittsfield, and we've got a lot of things happening now in Pittsfield that are close," Trustee Michael McCarthy said.

This includes units coming online from the non-profit and private development sectors.

Habitat CEO Carolyn Valli gave the trust an update on its ARPA-funded effort to build five new affordable homes in Pittsfield. Habitat has completed and sold two homes, two are ready for sale, and one home is under construction with the help of Taconic High School career technical education students.

This includes condos at 112 Robbins Ave., units A and B, and 21 and 23 Murphy Place. The stick-built project at 37 Curtis Terrace has run into some delays, and the additional ARPA monies will fund upgrades to the heating system.

The total projected cost to build the five units is nearly $2.2 million, and the affordable mortgages are expected to total about $1,036,000. Valli recognized that there is a significant gap, and said the money Pittsfield invested was "really impactful, and we hope that you'll be able to give us a little bit more cash in order to be able to close that gap a little bit more."

iBerkshires attended the open house at Murphy Place, which offers three-bedroom and one-bathroom homes in a condominium style for about $1,700 per month. All Habitat homes include a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove, over-the-counter microwave, and dishwasher.

The condos will be sold to families earning between 50 percent and 65 percent of the area median income, which ranges between $49,150 and $63,895 for a family of two and $66,350 and $86,255 for a family of five. A monthly payment of $1,673 will cover the principal and interest, property taxes, and home insurance. There is a monthly HOA fee on top of that.

Valli reported that they have had more than 600 pre-screening applications between the Pittsfield project and the Great Barrington project, called the Prosperity Way Community.

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