BART workers agreed to keep the nation's fifth-busiest rail system open on Monday but threatened to go on strike Tuesday morning if an agreement with the transit agency's management is not reached by Monday night.
Management and the two unions representing 2,300 blue-collar employees decided to extend talks beyond their 11:59 p.m. Sunday deadline instead of starting a strike at 4 a.m. Monday.
On Sunday, BART General Manager Grace Crunican announced that they have presented unions with their "last, best and final offer," which is $7 million higher than one made Friday, reports the San Jose Mercury News. According to Crunican, their proposal increased its four-year offer for pay hikes from 10.25 percent to 12 percent and calls for employees to make a 4 percent pension contribution and 9.5 percent medical contribution. The deal gives unions two weeks from Sunday to vote on whether to approve it or not.
"We think we have put out a good proposal, but it will be up to the unions to decide if it meets their needs," Tom Hock, BART's chief negotiator, said during a break in the talks.
However, union leaders dismissed the offer as "regressive," saying it was lower than previous offers. They also warned that members would strike if BART did not return to the table ready to negotiate on Tuesday.
"We regret that this action needs to be taken but we have done everything we can do to bargain fairly," said Antonette Bryant, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, ABC News reported. "Our members don't want to go on strike, but we are being backed into a corner."
If there is a strike Tuesday, 200,000 commuters in San Francisco who normally use BART will be left in the lurch. The transit agency announced that it will run buses from 5-8 a.m. from nine East Bay stations. In addition, travelers can use the San Francisco Bay Ferry. Ridesharing services like Lyft and Sidecar are also expecting to see an increase in riders in the event of a strike.
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