Transit workers at privatized Metro garage in northern Virginia strike Thursday morning

LORTON, Va. - A Metro alert that may impact some riders in northern Virginia as unionized transit workers at a privatized WMATA bus garage in Fairfax County are striking early Thursday morning.

Brian Wivell, a spokesman for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, told FOX 5 on Wednesday that Transdev workers were to begin their strike at 3:30 a.m. at the Cinder Bed Bus Garage located at 7901 Cinder Bed Road in Lorton.

Transit workers at privatized Metro garage in northern Virginia strike Thursday morning

Transdev is a French multinational corporation that manages the Cinder Bed Bus Garage. It is the first privately operated WMATA bus garage in more than 40 years, according to a news release.

Wivell told FOX 5 that bus operators, mechanics, utility workers and facilities maintenance workers are protesting the company's "unfair labor practices."

The Cinder Bed Bus Garage services around five percent of MetroBus routes. Those routes include the REX, 29K, 29G, 29H, 29C, 29N, 29W, 17B, 17G, 17H, 17M, 17K, S80, S91, 18P, 18G, 18J, and 18H.

In August, workers voted unanimously to authorize a strike if the bargaining team thought it was necessary.