MARTA said it will seek a court injunction after 80 bus drivers stayed home Monday over apparent frustrations regarding contract negotiations.
The sickouts came as thousands of people poured into the city for Super Bowl LIII, which happens Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
According to a MARTA spokesperson, the sickouts stemmed from a miscommunication over the new contract.
Negotiators agreed to a new contract for drivers Saturday, the spokesperson said, but that contract, which includes a raise for bus drivers, still needs to be approved by the union, its members and MARTA's board.
"My understanding in talking with our head of MARTA is that there has been some misunderstanding as to where negotiations ended and that the messaging will go out to all the employees," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. "So we hope that MARTA will be up and functioning as well."
MARTA said in a news release late Monday afternoon that it would file a court injunction to end the slow-down.
"The action today is unacceptable and we will use every tool available to make sure our riders are not harmed by this work stoppage," said MARTA GM/CEO Jeff Parker in the news release.
Rail service was not affected by the call-outs, MARTA said, but dozens of bus delays were tweeted out by MARTA Monday morning. Several passengers also tweeted at MARTA asking about delays.
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The 80 sick calls represent only about 7 percent of MARTA's bus drivers, the spokesperson said. It employs about 1,199 full-time bus operators and 49 part-time operators, according to the spokesperson.