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Union officials announced that BART workers intend to strike this morning, leaving hundreds of Pleasanton and other Tri-Valley commuters to find another way to get around.
Pleasanton officials are working in tandem with BART and other agencies to handle commuter traffic and alternative transit options at the two BART stations serving Pleasanton and Dublin riders.
BART is planning alternative commute service referred to as the “bus bridge” that will begin this morning, using six buses at the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to take commuters to San Francisco. The buses will park on westbound Owens Drive.
Also, commuters and car-poolers may park in the BART station parking lots with no fee during a work stoppage, but elevator access is not guaranteed at the East Dublin/Pleasanton parking structures. BART and Pleasanton Park & Ride lots for carpooling will likely fill up fast this morning.
The Pleasanton Police Department will manage traffic flow and any impacts resulting from temporary bus stops.
With the Independence Day holiday Thursday, many companies are giving employees Friday off as well. Often when there’s a two-day holiday break, employees also take the other three as vacation days.
If this occurs, the full impact of a BART strike might not come until Monday, July 8, if the strike is continuing then.
The midnight announcement from BART union Service Employees International Union 1021 came hours after the latest round of talks between SEIU 1021, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 155 and BART management stalled.
Union officials said workers will walk off of the job and BART trains will not run due to the failed
negotiations.
BART officials said union negotiators left the bargaining table and a strike could start at the end of regularly scheduled service Sunday.
BART spokesman Rick Rice said management and union negotiators reached tentative agreements on 11 items today, and that BART remains prepared to return to the table.
“We have a long way to go but we can’t get any closer if we aren’t at the table,” Rice said.
Contracts with BART’s two biggest unions, SEIU 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 155, expired at midnight. Union members voted earlier this week to authorize a strike that could begin as early as midnight.
BART and union officials had returned to the bargaining table Sunday afternoon at the request of Gov. Jerry Brown, after talks broke down yesterday.
Officials with Service Employees International Union 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 155 had walked out of negotiations Saturday afternoon stating that BART had failed to come to the table with an offer for more than 36 hours.
BART presented a new offer Saturday that included an increased salary offer and reduced employee contributions for pensions and medical benefits.
Union leaders rejected it however, saying that the proposal would constitute a “net pay cut” unless numerous hard-to-meet conditions were fulfilled.
“BART management is engaging in what is called ‘surface bargaining,'” said Josie Mooney, spokesperson for SEIU Local 1021. “They’re trying to appear in public like they are working to keep the trains running, but they’re doing nothing to respond to good-faith offers by BART workers aimed at avoiding a strike.”
She said BART workers and the public were hoping for smoother labor negotiations, with the system now projecting an average surplus of $125 million per year over the next 10 years. But she added that BART has refused to present a certified budget for negotiators to work with throughout the process, and seem to have no intention of doing so.
“These past three months were never about contract negotiations for BART, they were about politics,” said Antonette Bryant, president of SEIU Local 1021. “The people of the Bay Area deserve better. They, and we, will have to bear the brunt of BART’s political charade. All we’ve asked for is a fair wage and a safe work environment.”
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit officials said that they would offer some expanded transbay service “to the extent possible, depending on bus and operator availability.”
But AC Transit faces its own strike threat and has limited capacity to absorb additional riders, according to agency officials.
But the best advice for many commuters is to stay home if at all possible, or change their routines, according to transit officials, who are advising companies to allow telecommuting wherever possible or staggered work hours so commuters can avoid peak hours.
All commuters are advised by transit officials to make sure that their Clipper cards are loaded, since some BART tickets may not be honored on
other agencies, and to use Fastrak if driving.
Riders are urged to plan ahead for their commutes and should check http://alert.511.org/ for updates regarding BART service status.
Bay Area News contributed to this report.
Bay Area News contributed to this report.
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We paid tax to build the Bart, we paid much higher fare than New York, we paid them very decent package(better than most private companies compare to their competencies). This is what we get and we don’t deserve this. They have no right for strike since it is public services provided by the government. Why don’t we sell it to private company and let they run in a more efficient way? Fire them all and hire people who don’t join the stupid audicious Union.
Please educate the public about how you feel way inside “FAYE” so that we can all UNDERSTAND your RAGE…tee hee
We live in the United States of America. Unless you’ve forgotten, the strikers are exercising their rights…did you forget?
Isn’t BART management and BART workers one in the same? They both feed from the public trough. What is good for the goose is good for the gander in this case. There is no shareholders to be accountable to except the taxpayer, and when was the last time you saw anyone in government actually care what the taxpayer thinks or gives a damn on how taxpayers’ money is spent.
If the BART union is so interested in safety, the first thing to do is automate the system and do away with the human element. Automated controls are much more reliable then humans. Plus they do not require raises, medical benefits, or pensions….or go on strike.
Regardless of the outcome for this strike, lets hope that steps are taken to make any future strikes illegal. Many major cities already have in place laws that make strikes by transit workers illegal. New York has such a law in place. A strike is illegal under the provisions of an addition to New York State Civil Service Law called the Public Employees Fair Employment Act, more commonly called the Taylor Law. It prohibits municipal workers from striking and provides alternative means for dispute resolution. The law provides for criminal penalties including imprisonment of union officials, and fines against the union and individual striking workers. Such a law here would put an end to such unrealistic demands by a union out of control.