Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) workers are back on the job–at least for now.
BART and its unions reached an agreement late last night to extend current employment contracts for 30 days, which will be sending workers, who were striking since Monday, back on the job.
“The issues that brought us to this point remain unresolved,” a statement from BART General Manager Grace Crunican says. “Despite lots of hard work, BART and its unions have failed to come to an agreement on contract issues that matter to all of us today and into the future. We still have a wide gap of disagreements to bridge over the next 30 days.”
The two unions representing BART workers were demanding a 5 percent raise in each of the next three years. Management, however, was only committed to giving union workers an annual raise of about 2 percent over the next four years.
Joining The Takeaway to discuss the strike and future negotiations–and what the situation is like on the ground for struggling travelers–is Dan Brekke, news editor at KQED.
Stay updated on the latest from The Takeaway–become a Facebook fan & follow us on Twitter!
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!