Boston Officials and Unions Demand MBTA Halt Proposed Service Cuts and Fare Increases

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston officials and labor leaders rally to block proposed MBTA service cuts affecting thousands of essential workers. City Council President Kim Janey joined Mayor Martin Walsh, six city councilors, and representatives from Community Labor United, the Machinist Union, the Boston Carmen's Union, and A Better City at a public rally opposing cuts the MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board was set to vote on that week. Janey cited data showing Black commuters already spend 64 more hours per year on buses than white commuters and called fare-free buses a civic priority. Community Labor United Executive Director Lee Matsueda said a recent report found roughly 50 percent of workers facing layoffs are Black, with the largest concentration in Dorchester, and called finalizing FY22 cuts before federal relief arrived "simply reckless." Walsh said he supports taxing ride-sharing companies and pursuing a regional ballot question to raise city-level transit revenue, and expressed confidence Congress and the incoming Biden-Harris administration would pass transit relief. The MBTA board vote had already been postponed by one week, which Walsh cited as evidence the board was listening.