A strike by BART workers that could paralyze the Bay Area's Monday commute grew closer late Sunday evening when contract talks between BART and its two biggest unions broke off just hours before a planned strike deadline.
After union negotiators left the bargaining table in Oakland about 8 30 p.m. BART officials warned that a strike as of midnight appeared likely unless talks began again.
The two sides had resumed negotiations late Sunday afternoon and reportedly had reached tentative agreement on several items. But as of press time the two sides still appeared to be far apart on key issues of pay and benefits.
Union officials saying BART planned no new offers Sunday said they were returning to their union halls to prepare for a strike and wait for the transit district to change its mind. At midnight they said they would decide whether to walk off the job. BART trains would complete their Sunday schedules.
'No progress'We deeply regret that we have made no progress today said Josie Mooney a chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021. BART management continues to bargain in bad faith.
BART officials said they had doubled their salary offer to 8 percent over four years but that the unions had reduced their proposal for a 23.2 percent raise by one half percent. They said it was the unions' turn to make a proposal.
It's not even dark yet and the unions left for the evening said Alicia Trost BART spokeswoman. BART negotiations have a tradition of going until midnight even past midnight. We apologize to our riders. ... We're sorry they've been dragged into this labor mess.
The apparent standoff leaves commuters to puzzle out how they will get around the Bay Area without BART. Transportation officials have suggested that in the case of a strike people who can should work at home for at least part of the day drive during off hours and be patient if taking alternate transit which will be as crowded as the highways.
San Francisco Bay Ferry will add boats from the East Bay and AC Transit in the midst of its own labor troubles will run extra buses. AC's workers were planning to bargain until midnight. If talks failed they said the soonest they would strike would be Tuesday morning.
Earlier talksEarlier in the day union negotiators had returned to the bargaining table after walking away a day earlier. Some carried suitcases or food and appeared to be prepared for a long night.
We are hoping the district brings us something substantive that we feel we can take to our members so we can settle this said Antonette Bryant president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 which represents 945 train operators and station agents.
The other union at the table is Service Employees International Union Local 1021 which represents 1 433 mechanics maintenance workers and professional staff. BART has three smaller unions one that would honor picket lines and two that represent police who are prohibited from striking.
Frustrated by a lack of progress union bargaining teams had previously walked away from negotiations in the Kaiser Center which houses BART headquarters on Saturday afternoon saying a strike was all but inevitable.
After they left the talks BART bargainers sent a new proposal by e mail. But union officials said they were unimpressed and weren't inclined to return to bargaining.
Governor intervenedTalks resumed only after state Labor Secretary Marty Morgenstern called SEIU representatives to say that Gov. Jerry Brown wanted them to return to the table. Brown also told ATU officials he was rejecting their request for a 60 day cooling off period that would delay a strike.
The key issues in the labor dispute are economic wages contributions to pensions and health insurance payments. Currently BART employees union and nonunion make no contribution to their state pension plans and pay $92 a month for health insurance.
BART spokesman Rick Rice said the district's latest proposal offers a 2 percent annual raise up from its initial proposal of 1 percent. The latest proposal compared with the previous proposal also reduces the amounts that the district would require employees to begin contributing to pensions and to pay toward health insurance premiums. Rice said the proposal would mean a raise for every union employee.
Union officials disagreed. Part of the raise BART offered in the latest proposal is contingent they said on factors ranging from ambitious ridership increases and sales tax revenues to reductions in the number of employees seeking Family Medical Leave Act absences. Many employees would lose money every year union officials said.
On the surface it looks like a raise Bryant said. But it's not really a raise. It certainly leaves us in the red 3 to 4 percent lower than our wages now.
BART says it wants to reach a fair deal with its employees but that it needs relief from skyrocketing pension and health benefits. It says that while its operating budget generates a surplus it needs to reinvest that money in modernizing and improving the system which carries 400 000 riders on an average weekday and expects to hit 750 000 within a decade.
To accommodate that growth it needs to raise billions to pay for its share of 1 000 new railcars a new train maintenance facility and a new train control system.
Ridership has risenThe unions say their employees are responsible for keeping the aging system running well enough to transport more passengers than planners envisioned even four years ago.
Unionized workers have gone without raises for five years and four years ago made $100 million in concessions to help the district when the economy was struggling. Now that BART is booming and making a surplus it should share that with its workers the unions say.
A typical BART station agent or train operator is paid a salary in the low $60 000 range. According to BART they also make an average of $11 000 to $16 000 annually in overtime. The value of their benefits the district estimates averages an additional $50 000 a year.
Online updates For information on the status of BART negotiations go to www.sfgate.com.
Commute optionsIn the event of a strike 511.org provides drive time data and transit links. Here are some transit options
DrivingCarpool lanes are expected to stay open all day.
East BayAC Transit plans to run a shuttle every three to five minutes during peak hours between the Transit Center at 20th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland and the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. Note AC Transit workers whose contract was set to expire Sunday could strike Tuesday.
BART plans to run limited charter bus service from some East Bay stations to near the Transbay Terminal. Information www.bart.gov.
San Francisco Bay Ferry is expected to enhance service with extra boats from Oakland Alameda and Vallejo.
Both SolTrans from Solano County and WestCat from West Contra Costa County plan to increase their service to San Francisco.
San FranciscoMuni plans to prioritize service on the 14 Mission and 49 Van Ness corridors.
North BayGolden Gate Larkspur Ferry does not have additional capacity for parking or passengers unless commuters are traveling during off peak hours.
Golden Gate Transit bus service will still provide daily service from outside El Cerrito Del Norte and Richmond BART stations on Golden Gate Transit Route 40/42 no added service regular schedules with available passenger capacity. Connect to other Golden Gate Transit bus service to and from San Francisco at the San Rafael Transit Center.
South BaySamTrans plans to run a free shuttle between the Colma and Daly City BART stations and Mission Street near the Daly City San Francisco border where riders can connect to Muni. Muni also plans to boost service especially along the Mission Street corridor.
Capitol Corridor trains run from Santa Clara north (and from the Sacramento area south) and connect with buses at stations including Emeryville Amtrak.
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E mail mcabanatuan sfchronicle.com Twitter ctuan
No comments:
Post a Comment