San Francisco area rail union sets Monday strike

[August 14, 2009]  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The union representing train operators and station agents for the San Francisco Bay area's commuter rail system said Thursday it would go on strike Monday.

The move involving the nation's fifth largest commuter rail service would leave hundreds of thousands of Bay Area Rapid Transit passengers stranded on both sides of the bay and clog highways and bridges with traffic.

Jesse Hunt, head of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, announced the intention to strike at a news conference after talks broke down with BART management.

The union, which has about 900 members, rejected a contract proposal earlier this week that would have frozen salaries, capped health benefits and imposed work rules intended to cut down on overtime.

The union returned to the bargaining table Wednesday, but BART management declared an impasse. The union decided to strike after BART's board voted unanimously Thursday to impose terms on members that Hunt said would amount to a 7 percent pay cut.

"We believe that management has not bargained in good faith throughout this," Hunt said.

Asked whether negotiations were still an option, Hunt said: "Anything's possible at this point."

James Fang, BART board vice president, said outside a rail station Thursday that the board did not force the union's hand to go on strike.

Nonetheless, he wants the two sides to return to the bargaining table.

"Come on in, let's talk," Fang said. "We'll be there 24/7 from now until Sunday."

BART officials say it's facing an 11 percent decrease in ridership and a projected $310 million deficit over the next four years; and it wants to reduce its labor costs by $100 million.

"This is completely in the union's court," said BART spokesman Linton Johnson. "It's their choosing to throw our riders out in the street."

Johnson said the union would have to "offer something" to break the impasse.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom each called on BART and the union to return to the bargaining table.

"Both sides need to resolve their disputes and come to an agreement before taking drastic action that will have an immediate effect on the lives of so many Californians," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

He said state mediators were available to help with negotiations.

Newsom added: "We're going to do everything in our power in the next 72 hours to make sure this (strike) doesn't happen. It will be a backbreaker."

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said the strike could have a "tremendous impact" on businesses.

Fang said he did not want a work stoppage that could linger into the Labor Day weekend when the Bay Bridge is scheduled to be closed for construction. He also described BART's last strike in 1997 as a "terrible mess."

BART has more than 100 miles of rail line and serves about 340,000 commuters a day. The agency planned to set up bus service in case of a strike, Johnson said.

Mark Farrell, 40, who takes BART from Oakland to his job at a life insurance company in San Francisco, said a strike could have a devastating effect for commuters already enduring a tough economy.

"This is going to be a complete mess," Farrell said. "If we can't get to work, a lot of us could lose our jobs."

The California Department of Transportation said it would have more people on traffic duty to monitor stop lights and clear obstructions in case of a strike, said Lauren Wonder, a department spokeswoman. The agency also plans on having more toll booth workers during the morning rush hour and delay construction work until after peak hours.

"The idea is to keep traffic flowing as much as possible," she said.

Wonder said commuters should try to carpool, use public transportation, telecommute or even delay their trips.

AC Transit, which provides bus service to communities east of San Francisco Bay, will be monitoring for areas where additional service is needed in case of a strike. Caltrain, which runs trains from San Jose to San Francisco, is already operating all of its available trains and will not increase service, said spokeswoman Christine Dunn.

Two other BART unions, including the agency's largest, have approved contracts. But their leaders say they would honor Local 1555's decision to strike and not cross the picket line.

[Associated Press; By TERRY COLLINS and SUDHIN THANAWALA]

Associated Press writers Jason Dearen and Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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