SFMTA Board Approves 5-Year Contract Package Raising Operator Pay 12% After Marathon Bargaining

29 October 2026

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors voted 6-1 on Oct. 20 to approve a five-year contract package that grants service-critical unions a collective 12% raise beginning in 2027 and extends no-layoff protections through June 30, 2029. After marathon bargaining sessions that centered on wages and job security, the deal extends the agency's contracts with four labor groups: the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 200, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 6, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021, and the Municipal Executives’ Association (MEA).

The contract package affects thousands of workers who keep Muni running, including bus and rail operators, engineers, maintenance workers and managers. The 12% raise comes as a single-level increase scheduled between 2027 and 2031, with the three-step increase occurring in 2027, 2029, and 2031. The Board voted 6-1 in favor of the package, with board member Jackie Greene voting against it.

The same 12% raise was included in a separate contract package covering police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians that the Board approved on Jun 1 in a 5-2 vote. Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, the agency's transit operators' union, is not party to the agreement approved Oct 20, as their current three-year contract was ratified last year after the agency rejected an initial 16.75% wage increase counter offer. The union, which represents over 2,000 transit workers, is instead negotiating a new contract separately.

The 12% wage increase will apply from 2027 to 2031 alongside no-layoff protection through June 30, 2029. The layoff protection does not apply to other transit employees such as the 2,000+ members represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 250-A, whose current three-year agreement was the subject of a separate, extended negotiation.

ConnectSF, a group of SFMTA Board members known for focusing on financial performance, opposed the contract on October 20, saying the agency is projected to face deficits in the coming years. They cited the projected budget shortfalls along with the fact that TWU Local 250-A, SFMTA's largest union by membership, is negotiating a new contract this year. That contract isn't covered in this package, and if TWU Local 250-A demands similar terms - a steep wage increase and a member guarantee - the Board may find itself debating similar measures for the largest branch of Muni workers.