With the union worker strike over, VTA bus service resumed Friday, with light rail services set to restart over the next few days.
VTA officials initially said they yet to determine which bus lines will return Friday, but posted on X Thursday evening that 100% of bus service would resume.
VTA also partnered with Uber to offer two daily $5 vouchers for riders. VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said the partnership ended Thursday at 10 p.m., but VTA removed the requirement that rides start and end at VTA stops.
Bus and light rail services have been down for 18 days since Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 members went on strike on March 10th, but a judge ruled Wednesday the strike must end, saying the workers broke the previous contract's "no strike" clause. The union represents roughly 1,500 frontline VTA workers, including bus drivers and light rail train operators.
Light rail services will take an extra few days to restart because the 42 miles of rail tracks and overhead lines need to be inspected and repaired. A statement from VTA said the agency anticipates light rail services to return by Monday.
Hendler Ross said the rail inspectors were previously on strike, so they began working Thursday on inspecting the Orange Line, from Mountain View to Alum Rock. There's also been a jump in copper wire thefts from the rail lines, she said, particularly on the Green Line from Santa Clara to Winchester.
On Sunday, the VTA Board held a special meeting to drive a higher pay offer to workers. The new proposal included an 11% pay raise over three years, with 4% increases in the first two years and 3% in the final year.
On Monday, workers rejected the latest contract offer from the agency. Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 265 announced that 83% of the over 1,100 members who cast ballots voted to rejected the deal, in a vote held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Both parties met with state mediators Tuesday, but Hendler Ross said they're at a stalemate. In VTA's statement, the agency doubled down on its last offer.
"VTA has gone as far as it can without seriously compromising service and jobs, and we hope that ATU will come to the table with sights set on really getting this resolved," Hendler Ross said.
ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh said he was in contact with VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot after Wednesday's ruling to schedule a negotiations meeting, but hasn't heard back from the agency's labor relations. Singh said he doesn't know when negotiations will restart.
"The judge really took away any motivation the agency has to get an agreement in place," Singh said. "Labor doesn't go on strike and put members in financial hardship until things are at a point where there's an impasse."
He said the union has little to no leverage to get the public transit agency to continue negotiations or compromise with the union's demands. The union plans to appeal the judge's decision, but Singh said getting the case heard in appellate courts could take a year.
Singh said union members are upset about the ruling and the strike, since it's unclear whether any of their demands will be met. The union wanted an 18% increase in wages over three years to meet Silicon Valley's rising cost of living and changes to the contract's conflict resolution process.
The strike left thousands of riders stranded, leaving students, workers and others who rely on public transit walking or biking long distances, or spending on ride-shares.
Source: cbsnews.com
