Over 2,600 employees of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System(BART) struck on September 6, completely paralyzing San Francisco, Oakland and their surrounding suburbs.
Members of the Service Employees International Union and the Amalgamated Transit Union rejected a $28 million offer from BART which would have raised their salaries three percent over three years. The union also wants the elimination of a two-tier salary scale where workers hired after 1995 receive lower wages.
Previously a 90-day injunction was imposed by Republican Governor Pete Wilson in order to get both the union and management to the bargaining table. However, a compromise was unable to be reached and the union struck at midnight last Saturday.
While talks are continuing, the entire BART system remains at a stand-still with workers creating picket lines outside of various BART stations.
