But after waiting since Friday for a proposal from BART, they said they were frustrated and tired of waiting for what they had expected would be a meaningful offer from the system's leaders. Union negotiators said it seemed that BART officials were trying to string them along until hours before the 11:59 p.m. Sunday deadline when the existing contract expires.
"We have waited patiently," said Antonette Bryant, ATU Local 1555 president. "Let's none of us 'have a cow'. We are willing to negotiate."
BART spokesman Rick Rice said the transit agency was ready to resume talks when the state mediator informed negotiators that the union bargaining teams had left the building and asked BART officials to e-mail the proposal when it was ready.
"We have an improved offer that we would like to share with them and talk about," he said. "We've been working very hard on that proposal."
Late Saturday, union leaders said they had received the new proposal but that the unions still had no plans to return to the bargaining table. "If we do not respond to the needs of our members, we will be forced into a situation where we didn't do it, nobody saw us do it, and you can't prove anything. That is not where anyone in the area wants its workers to be in this economy," said Josie Mooney, chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents more than 1,433 BART workers, including mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff.
BART typically serves 400,000 people each day across different communities and carries its greatest number of passengers to predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods, where community members affectionately refer to the service as "el barto". The Municipal Transportation Commission approved $20 million in emergency funding Wednesday to provide alternative transportation in the event of a strike. But, officials are warning, those alternatives will not be able to meet the demand.
slothrap posted:
Edited by Bartre ()
there was this one where the cops shot a pedophile rapist
ur breakin my heart
daddyholes posted:3 hrs, 20 minutes to go; reports say no deal in sight yet
D'oh!
swampman posted:D'oh!
catchphrase
Edited by blinkandwheeze ()
tpaine posted:did you know about their new album skylark
Got the vinyl right here.
Barack Obama: We all know how this money should, nay, must be spent.
Glenn Greenwald: Aah! Oh! Barack, we'll do anything you want! Just call off your giant mechanical ants! Aaaaaaah!
Barack Obama: Moohoohoohahaha
Almost 2,400 striking BART workers from the Amalgamated Transit Union and Service Employees International Union went on strike at midnight Sunday after negotiations collapsed hours earlier.
As commuters boarded buses, climbed into carpools, lined up for ferries and crept toward the Bay Bridge on a BART-less Monday morning, striking workers picketed at 15 BART stations as well as rail yards and maintenance shops. Some joined a noon rally with hundreds of striking Oakland city workers at Frank Ogawa Plaza.
Josie Mooney, a chief negotiator with SEIU Local 1021, which represents mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff, said the unions had told the mediator of their willingness to meet but are still waiting for a response.
"The fact that they (BART officials) haven't picked up the phone and called us is telling," she said.
On Day 2 of the Bay Area Rapid Transit strike, after a full day of silence, BART management and two striking unions will go back to the bargaining table at 6 p.m. in Oakland, a system spokesman said Tuesday afternoon.
In response to the letter, the Service Employees International Local 1021 said it would “be willing to consider” a to return to the bargaining table.
SEIU Local 1021 is one of two unions on strike from the 104-mile transit system. The other is the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555. ATU has not yet responded publicly to the letter.
“Our BART workers are intensely proud of the work they do,” said the SEIU letter, which was signed by three top union officials. “They’ve helped build one of the fastest-growing and highest-rated public transit systems in America.
“They’re committed to the work they do and would love to return to the job,” the letter continued. “We appreciate your recognition of the legitimate safety concerns raised by workers and the weakness of the District’s offer.”
6. Everyone’s wrongly complaining about their commute.
which is sure to help the workers, thanks folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
aerdil posted:my bus drove past their protest today, i stuck my head out the window and spit at those greedy commie government workers
Nice. almost as good as the management's master troll of unilaterally telling the 3 or so people left working for blog-roll "newspapers" in the area that both sides were going back to the table immediately and waiting around for "story updates" so they could blame the workers for stealing Christmas
Edited by Panopticon ()