BART strike: Unions give 72-hour notice of shutdown (8/8/13)

[DET63]

BART unions late Thursday officially gave 72-hour notice of an impending rail line strike for Monday morning, telling riders they will need to find another way to get around if a deal is not reached this weekend.
The notice, the last formal step needed before a strike can begin, does not guarantee a shutdown but essentially starts a clock that will expire at 11:59 p.m. Sunday for management and unions to reach a deal. They remained far apart on the key issues of pay and contributions to health care and pensions.

"It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in the same situation that we were in 30 days ago, with no real progress made by management to address worker concerns about safety and wage cuts," said Roxanne Sanchez, president of the local Service Employees International Union.

More (with comments)

Many people, even in the politically liberal Bay Area, have little sympathy for the BART employees. They're well-paid and receive generous benefits, rarely seen in the private sector or even elsewhere in the public sector.

 

[DET63]

Related: BART strike ban would need state legislation

The 4 1/2-day BART strike in July gave the Bay Area a taste of the torture that may await Monday if the transit agency fails to reach agreement with its two largest unions. It backed up traffic for miles, created long lines for buses and ferries, and prompted many commuters to take days off or work from home.
It also generated a lot of anger and frustration and caused many commuters to question why public transportation workers are permitted to strike in the Bay Area when transit strikes are illegal in major cities. including New York, Washington and, yes, San Francisco, where Muni employees are not permitted to strike.

Courts in California have upheld the right of public employees to strike with two major exceptions - when a strike "would create a substantial and imminent threat to public safety" or when a law specifically prohibits certain workers from striking. In California, the only state law banning public employees from walking off the job in a labor dispute applies to firefighters. San Francisco city employees, including Muni workers, are prohibited from striking by City Charter.

 

[chakk]

I predict the strike will begin Sunday night and continue through at least Labor Day.

 

[BrianPR3]

from governor brown's office

http://cert1.mail-west.com/yjzL/uzjanmc7rmmY/lowz11mYgtmy/Yk8d5bim58/Yqvnqm/42kewz11m/bewl3eczrp?_c=d|ze7pzanwmhlzgt|11mjrx24pr3yjro&_ce=1375679846.3a7919803e968d8e1eddcc8b02dcd67a

 

[DET63]

BART Strike Averted as Governor Asks for Inquiry

Update: 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4:
The latest:Gov. Jerry Brown has stepped into the deadlocked talks between BART and its two biggest unions and appointed a three-member board of inquiry to examine the unresolved issues in the labor dispute.

Brown's move, made at the request of BART officials, means that workers will not go on strike tonight and trains will roll as usual Monday morning.

In a Sunday night letter to union leaders and BART management, Brown said the three-member board of inquiry will conduct its investigation and report back to him within seven days. Union leaders said during an impromptu press conference outside Caltrans District Four headquarters in Oakland that train service will continue during that time. The inquiry could lead to a formal cooling-off period.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

BART is much more expensive than other US heavy rail systems. And these motormen still want to strike?

 

[George Harris]

BART is much more expensive than other US heavy rail systems. And these motormen still want to strike?

Yup, and not just the motormen.

In one recent news article one of the car cleaners was quoted as saying that it was dark in the tunnels and he ffelt unsafe at times, and felt that $24 an hour was not sufficient for what he had to do. I leave it to others to comment.

 

[user 1215]

Fire them all. Or raise the fares to what needs to be collected to pay for the service. Either way, they will find out real quickly how badly they are needed.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Merely delaying the inevitable?

Judge orders cooling-off period to prevent another BART strike - http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-judge-orders-cooling-off-period-to-prevent-another-bart-strike-20130811,0,553911.story

"Although BART and its biggest unions -- SEIU Local 1021, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and AFSCME Local 3993 -- bargained until late Saturday night, not much progress was made, and the hearing began at 9 a.m. Sunday.

"San Francisco court officials say that in recent memory the courts here have never officially opened on a weekend for a public proceeding.

"After seeing an edited version of the necessary paperwork, Karnow said he signed it and the two-month hiatus began. The parties are scheduled to resume negotiating at 1 p.m."

Westbound at West Oakland, July 2007 (WhoozPhoto):

​

 

[SarahZ]

BART is much more expensive than other US heavy rail systems. And these motormen still want to strike?

Yup, and not just the motormen.

In one recent news article one of the car cleaners was quoted as saying that it was dark in the tunnels and he ffelt unsafe at times, and felt that $24 an hour was not sufficient for what he had to do. I leave it to others to comment.

(Not taking a stance on any of this, just a comment)

To be fair, $24 in the Bay Area is not the same as $24 elsewhere...

 

[Blackwolf]

BART is much more expensive than other US heavy rail systems. And these motormen still want to strike?

Yup, and not just the motormen.

In one recent news article one of the car cleaners was quoted as saying that it was dark in the tunnels and he ffelt unsafe at times, and felt that $24 an hour was not sufficient for what he had to do. I leave it to others to comment.

(Not taking a stance on any of this, just a comment)

To be fair, $24 in the Bay Area is not the same as $24 elsewhere...

Just to weigh in... I make $21.90 an hour ON OVERTIME. And I work a very risky job (firefighter, professional) to boot. Also, I live in Northern California and have to contend with the same cost of living as any in the Bay Area.

No. $24 is NOT so different. And it is WAY too much for a damn coach cleaner. Period. :angry2:

 

[BrianPR3]

apparently from an employee (who will remain nameless) that this is all one sided

I am a BART Train Operator for ATU 1555! We are in the middle of the negotiations of our lives right now! Management hired "union-busting" Tom Hocks to do us in! They are not playing fair, just negotiating in front of the media! We went on strike for 4 and a half days in July! Polls say the public supports management! We are asking for a decent contract with no concessions! We are labeled "Greedy Union Workers"! BARTD has plenty of surplus but says they need the money for the future! They want us to give up 10% of what we make now! The local politicians seem to be on managements' side! We are in "Blue-Collar" country in the San Francisco Bay Area! Where did the reasonable people go? Polls have people responding "Fire their ass like Reagan did"! Governor will ask for 60 Day Cooling Off period! Management does not negotiate! HELP!! If you are in this area, please call your district Board of Director! WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE WORKING CLASS!! In unity, my siblings!

also bart spent 300,000 to spend money on a negoator who has a bias and was caught breaking the law

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/barts-lead-negotiator-has-a-history-of-illegal-behavior/Content?oid=3647205

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-union-s-demands-include-firing-negotiator-4660652.php

 

[DET63]

BART strikes blocked for now; no progress on talks

BART riders got a two-month strike reprieve Sunday when a San Francisco Superior Court judge ordered the 60-day cooling-off period requested by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The injunction, which will stay in effect until midnight Oct. 10, blocks a repeat of the 4 1/2-day walkout in early July that snarled traffic and disrupted the commute of hundreds of thousands of workers across the Bay Area.

So we have until October to get this dispute resolved without the trains being held up. Will negotiations resume only in late September?

 

[SarahZ]

Blackwolf - I'm just saying that people who live outside of NorCal really don't have much perception as to what $24/hour pays for out there. That was my only point. It sounds like a LOT of money to someone from Michigan because rent on a 2-bdr apartment is about $700-800 here. That's all I meant.

 

[Anderson]

I hate to say that I find that quote amusing, but on some level I do find the whining (and that is, in fact, what it comes across as based on my knowledge of the situation) of that poster/writer to be amusing. I wonder what, even controlling for cost-of-living, bus drivers and the like are making in the South or in the Mountain West...

 

[tp49]

In fairness though I think the $24 an hour cleaner (System Service Worker) is someone who is at the top step of the pay scale and not someone who just got hired off the street. Looking at the base wage scale in the recently expired CBA someone in that category making $24 an hour has been working for the district for at least five years.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

They do what they want, I don't care anymore. I'm not going to ride the expensive BART anyways unless I really need to run quick. Muni Metro is a better deal, and pretty fast, too.

Los Angeles has high cost-of-living as well, but LACMTA only costs $1.50 for a ride. You see what I mean?

 

[Anderson]

In fairness though I think the $24 an hour cleaner (System Service Worker) is someone who is at the top step of the pay scale and not someone who just got hired off the street. Looking at the base wage scale in the recently expired CBA someone in that category making $24 an hour has been working for the district for at least five years.

True, though at least to me, $50k/yr (presumably plus benefits) does seem to be a bit much for a glorified janitor considering that my experience is that skilled machinists often don't get more than something in that range.

 

[Ryan]

Pay machinists more, then. 50k in the Bay Area goes about as far as 32k in the Tidewater area.

 

[Anderson]

Pay machinists more, then. 50k in the Bay Area goes about as far as 32k in the Tidewater area.

I didn't realize it was that bad outside of SF. I know San Francisco proper is awful, but I didn't know how bad it was once you got off of the Peninsula.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Pay machinists more, then. 50k in the Bay Area goes about as far as 32k in the Tidewater area.

I didn't realize it was that bad outside of SF. I know San Francisco proper is awful, but I didn't know how bad it was once you got off of the Peninsula.

There is Nowhere in California that's Cheap to LIve! And 50K a year isnt exactly Mitt Romney Money! Texas has a Low Cost of Living compared to the Coasts and Big Cities but also is on the Bottom in almost every Category of Social Measurement including Low Wages and the Most Number of People without Health Insurance! Hence Low Wage/No Benefits Employers are Flocking here! Most of the so called "Jobs" that our Politicians and Boosters tout are Minimum Wage/No Benefits Service Jobs! (for example our Wait Persons are paid $2.13 an Hour plus tips! ) Most Texans would Love to make $50K a Year but Never will!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Still, with the popularity of the system combined with very high fares, I would expect BART to make a profit. An actual operating profit is the only excuse for this.

 

[AlanB]

Still, with the popularity of the system combined with very high fares, I would expect BART to make a profit. An actual operating profit is the only excuse for this.

BART does rather well as transit systems go, covering 64% of its operating costs via the fare box. But 100% is unlikely to ever be practical unless they only run the trains during rush hour. As soon as one runs off peak service the ball game is pretty much over for covering all operating costs.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Still, with the popularity of the system combined with very high fares, I would expect BART to make a profit. An actual operating profit is the only excuse for this.

BART does rather well as transit systems go, covering 64% of its operating costs via the fare box. But 100% is unlikely to ever be practical unless they only run the trains during rush hour. As soon as one runs off peak service the ball game is pretty much over for covering all operating costs.

Then BART still has no excuse for $8.25 to the airport. I guess I'll have to contend with SF congestion while riding a SamTrans bus to the airport. I don't live in SF, so is there any other way to get there? International flight are expensive from here.

 

[DET63]

Then BART still has no excuse for $8.25 to the airport.

Actually, it does have one. Per Wikipedia:

Fares on BART are comparable to those of commuter rail systems and are higher than those of most
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_transitsubways
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_transit, especially for long trips. The fare is based on a formula that takes into account both the length and speed of the trip.
A surcharge is added for trips traveling through the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transbay_TubeTransbay Tube
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transbay_Tube, and/or through

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo_County,_CaliforniaSan Mateo County
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo_County,_California (which access to includes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_International_AirportSan Francisco International Airport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_International_Airport), which is not a BART member.



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