6,300 Drivers Go on Strike at Greyhound : Labor: Thousands of travelers were stranded after labor and management failed to reach accord on wages.

Greyhound’s 6,300 drivers went on strike early today at the country’s only nationwide bus company, stopping their buses outside terminals and stranding thousands of travelers.

The walkout over wages began after contract talks in Scottsdale, Ariz., between Greyhound Lines Inc. and the Amalgamated Council of Greyhound Local Unions failed to reach an agreement by the 12:01 a.m. MST strike deadline.

No new negotiations were scheduled.

Stranded passengers complained that they were unaware that a strike was looming and criticized Greyhound for selling them tickets when it was likely they wouldn’t be able to complete their trips.

“They haven’t even apologized,” said Lisa Olkon, who was stuck in Atlanta while trying to get home to St. Paul, Minn., from Florida. “I called about an hour before I went to get on the bus” and was told nothing.

About 200 passengers had been stranded at the Atlanta terminal early today, but by late morning only three dozen or so remained. The others apparently got out on the few buses that did depart or on a southbound Amtrak train that left at mid-morning or found lodging to wait out the strike.

“We went on strike because the company has refused to bargain in good faith, and we have struck because the company insisted on imposing” its original offer, said union spokesman Jeffrey Nelson.

Besides the 6,300 drivers, the strikers include 3,075 of the company’s office and maintenance workers.