Union 'encouraged' in San Francisco transit strike talks

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Union 'encouraged' in San Francisco transit strike talks

By Laila Kearney
SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:29pm EDT

(Reuters) - Negotiators hoping to avert a potentially crippling commuter rail strike in the traffic-clogged San Francisco Bay Area were set to return to the bargaining table on Wednesday to try to reach a deal.

Unions agreed late on Tuesday to put off striking for the third day in a row, as talks with management wore on late into the night without a deal on a new contract, ensuring that trains would run as usual on Wednesday.

At the request of a federal mediator overseeing the talks, the sides planned to resume negotiations at 10 a.m. local time, according to a spokeswoman for the largest of two unions representing more than 2,000 Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) drivers and staff.

"We are encouraged by the progress we've achieved, and at the request of the federal mediators we will continue to bargain," the spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union, Cecille Isidro, said. BART workers are also represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/16/us-usa-bart-sanfrancisco-idUSBRE99F07I20131016

[Prism]

1. People here are so tired of the union

It's so odd in the Bay Area, but people sound like Republicans they're so sick of it. Lots of "Fire them all" talk. The union has burnt up a lot of public goodwill. Especially this week with the constant last minute deadlines and announcements.

I've had friends from the peninsula and city staying overnight the past three days at my place in East Bay because they work in Oakland and things. They're apoplectic at the union. I don't think the government shutdown has helped people's mood.

I just hope they get a good deal and end this already. I'm SEIU, so I'm with my brethren on this, but how this has played out was not smart in the slightest. The anger is in every conversation. They've done a lot of damage.