VTA union strike to continue, officials tap Newsom for help
South Bay public transportation workers will continue to strike through the weekend, a union spokesman said, after negotiations between Valley Transportation Authority officials and the union failed Saturday.
“It looks like the agency reached out to the governor’s office for a cooling off period,” Raj Singh, a spokesman for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, said in an interview. “‘They’re exploring all options except for the one that obviously resolves this conflict, which is coming to the table and presenting us a fair contract proposal.”
Transportation workers just finished up nearly a week of picketing when VTA and union officials agreed to meet Saturday evening. But as workers continue to strike for higher wages and a change in their contract’s arbitration language, Singh said the agency remains unwilling to budge. The two sides also met Thursday to negotiate, but to no avail.
“It’s the same offer that they’ve had on the table since Feb. 28th essentially,” Singh said. “They know what the right thing is, but they still refuse to do it. They’re being bullies.”
VTA officials in a news release Saturday said the strike continues to cause “irreparable harm to the community,” impacting 100,000 riders daily throughout the South Bay. The agency filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court, saying the union violated a “no-strike” clause in their expired contract, which union officials refute as out-of-date.
VTA proposed a wage increase of 9.3% over the next three years and a $1,500 one-time payment for members,” VTA officials said in the news release. “This package ensures VTA operators remain among the highest paid in the Bay Area and the nation. Additionally, the offer includes comprehensive benefits and a robust pension plan.”
Singh maintains that VTA refuses to make an offer the union can accept as bus stops throughout Santa Clara County remained vacant on Saturday.
“Now they’re reaching out to the governor instead of doing the right thing,” Singh said. “At this point, the strike will continue through the weekend and will last until an agreement is reached, or an injunction is granted, or if the governor steps in. Then we will comply with whatever order that we have to follow.”