Update: Wednesday’s morning results show that BART workers decided to allow union leaders to call a strike if a contract agreement isn’t reached by July 1.
Bay Area Rapid Transit riders braced themselves Tuesday for a possible strike that could tremendously slow down their commute as soon as next Monday. Labor unions gathered at Metro Center in San Francisco on Tuesday to vote to authorize a strike.
Results of the votes are expected to be announced Wednesday morning.
More than 400,000 daily BART riders would be affected by the strike.
Jack Naidu, who lives in Hayward and works in Oakland, said a BART strike would be a major inconvenience. He said BART is his main source of transportation.
“How would I get to work?“ Naidu asked. “I do not know what I would do.”
BART and labor unions have negotiated since April over a new labor contract. The current contract is set to expire July 1.
Riders faced possible strikes in 2005 and 2009, but parties were able to reach a compromise without disruption of service. In 1997 though, BART users had to deal with six days of interrupted service and subsequent major traffic jams throughout the Bay Area.
Although a strike isn’t the goal, according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), union officials say they want to make sure workers’ rights are protected.
“It’s our workers that make BART what it is today,“ SEIU spokesperson Leah Berlanga said. “We’re down 130 vacant positions [on BART], so our folks are working harder and BART isn’t compensating for it.”
The proposed contract would give employees various raises in pay and benefits that would amount to a 23 percent increase in compensation over the next three years.
Berlanga said that safety is another issue that’s important to the labor union and that reaching an agreement on new policies could be difficult. In the last five years, workers have complained about numerous safety issues — primarily poor lighting at stations.
Berlanga said that these issues, along with other proposals that have been brought to the attention of BART management, have been ignored.
On Tuesday afternoon, some commuters in Oakland and San Francisco took the possible strike in stride while others worried.
“They always wait to the last minute with these things,” said Maxine, who declined to give her last name.
If a strike happens, she’ll take AC Transit buses from San Francisco to Downtown Oakland where she works, she said.
At 24th Street BART station, where members of SEIU Local 1021 gathered in support of the strike Tuesday morning, some riders dreaded what might lie ahead.
Phillip, who declined to give his last name, said he would be forced to ride his bicycle if workers go on strike.
“Last time they tried this, their demands seemed unreasonable,” he said. “They get benefits, they make decent wages.”
Berlanga said that the union is doing everything in its power to make striking a last resort. “We just want BART to meet us half way, “ she said.
There is a lot of misinformation in the reader comments, and people upset without seeing the full picture. These same workers have had no raise in the past 5 years, plus gave concessions 4 years ago. Average salaries are currently $60k/year + overtime. The 23% raise over the next 3 years is contingent on a lot of external factors that will influence BART revenue. That actually seems fair to me. Divide that 23% by the 8 years, subtract inflation, and tell me that is unfair?
Try to get your facts straight before going on a rant and trashing people.
That being said, I think BART extended a decent offer and the Union should have accepted or at least continued discussions.
really? Many people are struggling to FIND a decent paying job with WAY more qualifications than 80% of these workers. Teachers make less than what they do and work twice as hard. We are rewarding the wrong people here.
The BART union has lost touch with reality. They want a 23% raise over four years for an AVERAGE wage of around $90k\yr.. The local average HOUSEHOLD here make about $74k\yr.. Also very few folks have pensions anymore especially that they don’t have to contribute to and BART employees have very low contributions to their health benefits. If this was a for profit company I’d say good luck but they expect tax payers and riders to fund their over the top contract!
Also, shame on the public officials who let these ridiculous contracts get negotiated in the first place.
Your right they get a 21,000 dollar pension a year when they retire. But their pay is not 90000 average, that is the total of their benefits+pay. The average pay is around 74000.
Your low wages and bad working conditions are not the fault of Bart employees. If you don’t want to demand better for yourself that’s your own decision.
I couldn’t believe it when I heard they were demanding a 23% raise and not having to contribute at all to their pension. Gee, I wish I was gonna get a pension. I haven’t had a raise in over 12 years. And I’m doing more work in the same job! I’m just grateful to have a job – which won’t be paying me a pension when I retire. I’m 51 and at this rate, I probably won’t ever be able to retire.
I’m not exactly clear on how screwing the hard working commuting folk of the Bay Area will help the union’s position. If they strike, I’ll do my utmost to never give BART a dime again. It’s not like they don’t already enable the plaza at 16th to be one of the worst places in the city by refusing to take any responsibility for it.
Really? a 23% pay raise? That is ABSURD! Those union workers are WAY TOO GREEDY and should be ashamed of themselves, holding the rest of us hostage to their greed!
Yes, I would like a 23% pay raise too, but the rest of us just have to do with working hard (if we can get to work).
Unions are destroying our country, using their power and greed to extract absurd benefits that are pushing our cities and states into bankruptcy. shame on them.
I kind of get what you’re saying, but then again, you couldn’t pay me enough to fix a poop-covered escalator.
Thanks for the right wing libertarian analysis.