The differences between the management of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system and its union workers have not been resolved, but the strike that began Monday will end Friday afternoon—for now. Thanks to a
30-day contract extension, trains will begin running again while negotiations continue. That's a very good thing for San Francisco-area commuters, because it does not sound like negotiations were close to producing a deal for a new contract:
"Unfortunately, the issues that brought us to this point remain unresolved," said BART General Manager Grace Crunican. "We still have a wide gap of disagreements to bridge over the next 30 days." [...]
"The last week has been a complete waste of time," said Antonette Bryant, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, which represents train operators and station agents. "We're still waiting for BART to respond to a proposal we made last Sunday."
The unions will go back to the bargaining table on Monday and drastic changes in BART's bargaining positions are needed if the contract dispute is going to be settled, she added.
"BART needs to understand they have 30 days to right the ship," Bryant said.
BART workers have not had a raise in five years, and four years ago made concessions including the wage freeze to help the transit system overcome a deficit. And after the past week, no one can seriously dispute the central role they play in the Bay Area's economy.