Bus and light rail service in the South Bay will remain at a standstill after union workers rejected a contract offer from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Monday.
Since March 10, employees of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, have walked off their jobs to demand a new contract. The strike has halted bus and light rail service across Santa Clara County, resulting in passengers needing to find alternate modes of transportation.
On Sunday, the VTA Board approved a revised offer that includes an 11% wage increase over the next three years, updates to VTA’s conflict resolution process, and a pension plan.
“This represents a meaningful increase from the previous board-authorized offer of 9% over three years,” VTA wrote in a statement regarding the revised offer.
The offer, according to VTA, would ensure its workers remain the second-highest paid transit operators out of 27 transportation agencies in the Bay Area.
“We are focused on working with ATU to finalize a wage proposal that meets their needs and can be approved by their members,” said VTA Board President Sergio Lopez in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the patience of our staff and riders during this challenging time.”
However, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, or ATU Local 265, denied the contract offer, with 83% of voters saying ‘no.’
ATU Local 265 represents 1,500 of the VTA workers on strike.
“ATU members have spoken loudly today, solidly rejecting VTA’s offer by a vote of 188 yeses to 919 noes,” said ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh during a press conference following the counting of ballots.
Singh said that the rejection was primarily due to changes to parts of the contract that were previously untouched. The revised offer introduced reductions to overtime, a change that was not previously up for negotiation.
“In mediation, we had come to an agreement that those sections were going to be dropped,” Singh said. “The fact that they’re bringing items back to the conversation that were removed is proof that they’re the ones who are continuing to stall these conversations instead of trying to come to an agreement and get service restored as soon as possible.”
Singh also noted that the VTA Board did not confirm an agreement that ensures workers would be able to return to work immediately and not face punishment for striking, such as reduced hours or layoffs.
The union wants certainty that workers won’t endure retaliation from management for striking, especially since VTA has filed a legal complaint against the union claiming a breach of contract and act of bad faith.
VTA defended its offer in a statement on Monday.
“VTA has put forward a more than fair proposal that ensures employees receive competitive pay and strong benefits for themselves and their families,” read the statement.
ATU Local 265 is urging VTA to promptly go back to the negotiation table so that bus and light rail service can resume. The union is planning to hold a rally outside of San Jose City Hall at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday to call upon VTA management to bargain in what they describe as a fair way.
“We are asking for the VTA management and Board of Directors to immediately return to mediation so that we can get workers back to work and riders back onto the system,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, the nearly 100,000 riders who take VTA public transportation every weekday will have to continue finding other means to get to and from their destinations.
“The service our members provide this community is invaluable,” Singh said. “Our customers have suffered greatly these past two weeks. We want bus and light rail service restored immediately, but our members will only return to work with a fair contract, one that guarantees their rights, dignity and safety.”
–– Story by Alise Maripuu, Bay City News
