Transportation Unions Say Bosses Negotiating In Bad Faith: BART Management And Labor Leaders Trade More Barbs
http://www.ktvu.com/news/19840006/detail.html
BART Management And Labor Leaders Trade More Barbs
Posted: 7:08 pm PDT June 23, 2009
Updated: 10:00 pm PDT June 24, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. -- BART management and union leaders sent out competing negative press releases Wednesday, indicating that tensions are high with only a few days left before BART's contract with its 2,800 union employees expires.
BART management alleged that two of the transit agency's largest unions have abandoned an offer to freeze employee wages and are now seeking a 3 percent raise over two years.
KTVU learned Wednesday that union leaders have asked state mediators to join labor negotiations starting Friday.
One of those unions, Local 1555 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, then issued a press release accusing BART executives of leaking details of sensitive negotiations to news media, which the union said is consistent with management's pattern of "bad faith bargaining" throughout contract talks, which began on April 1.
The bitter exchange between the two sides comes in the wake of votes by two of BART's three biggest unions to authorize a strike if an agreement on a new contract is not reached by the June 30 deadline.
Ninety-one percent of BART workers with Local 3993 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 200 middle managers, who voted Tuesday approved authorizing a strike.
Ninety-nine percent of ATU Local 1555, which represents about 900 train operators, station agents and power workers, who voted Tuesday also approved authorizing a strike.
Members of Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 1,200, mechanics, custodians, safety inspects and clerical employees, are scheduled to participate in a strike authorization vote Thursday.
Two smaller unions also are in the midst of negotiations with BART management.
The BART Police Managers Association represents sergeants, lieutenants and commanders and the BART Police Officers Association represents rank-and-file officers.
Although strike-authorization votes are common in labor negotiations and do not lead to a strike most of the time, BART spokesman Linton Johnson told reporters in a briefing today that "it's outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times."
In a press release issued later Wednesday, Johnson said ATU Local 1555 and SEIU Local 1021 are asking for a half-percent wage increase for Jan. 1, 2010, another half-percent increase on July 1, 2010, and a salary hike of 2 percent effective Jan. 1, 2011.
Johnson said the cost of the wage proposal would be $17.5 million for those two unions alone.
The cost would be even more if similar increases were given to the other unions as well as non-union employees, Johnson said.
BART Board President Thomas Blalock said in a statement that the proposal by the two unions "could worsen BART's budget problems and indicates that some union leaders are refusing to acknowledge the economic realities that BART, its riders and the public are facing."
Blalock said, "The average union member makes $114,000 in wages and benefits, far more than what many of our riders earn and more than most other transit workers across the country."
But ATU Local 1555 leaders said in their press release that they have proposed a package of benefits cuts and "small" salary increases designed to save BART up to $40 million over the next two years.
They said BART executives themselves had called for similar restructuring, but responded by telling the news media that unions were seeking a 3 percent pay increase without mentioning off-setting savings.
ATU Local 1555 President Jesse Hunt said in a statement, "This is another example of bad faith bargaining by BART executives. They are bargaining in the press and attempting to derail the talks, but we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to workers and maintains the highest level of safety and service for riders."
Johnson said at the media briefing that management and union negotiators are "working around the clock every day" to try to reach an agreement and have scheduled "marathon sessions" until the June 30 deadline.
Johnson said the cost for the three months of labor talks is $1 million, including the cost of renting a space for the negotiations.