BART Break Over: Back to Table
Saying the two sides are at square one is an understatement
Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 | Updated 12:23 PM PDT
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BART riders may be looking for other means of transportation if BART contract negotiations fall through.
Negotiators for BART management and its 2,800-plus union workers resumed their talks Monday following an 11-day break during which the transit agency's two largest unions voted against management's contract offer by overwhelming margins.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the two sides were to meet with state mediators at 10 a.m. and then start bargaining again.
Talks, which began on April 1, were halted shortly before midnight on July 9, when the contract for BART's unions expired.
Leaders of the BART chapter of Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 1,400 mechanics, custodians, safety inspectors and clerical employees, and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, which represents about 900 train operators, station agents and power workers, said they didn't like management's offer but wanted to give thei members a chance to vote on it.
ATU Local 1555 President Jesse Hunt said about three-quarters of his members participated in a vote last Tuesday and all of those who voted cast "no" votes.
SEIU Local 1021 officials said their members voted against the proposal on Thursday by a margin of 98.5 percent to 1.5 percent, with about 70 percent of their members participating.
Members of Local 3993 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 200 middle managers, and members of two small unions that represent BART police officers and managers, haven't yet voted on management's offer.
Members of ATU Local 1555, SEIU Local 1021 and AFSCME Local 3993 all voted by large margins last month to approve a strike if a settlement isn't reached on a new contract. However, union leaders haven't yet called for a strike and say they want to continue negotiations.
Bay City News
