AFP/DPA
Los Angeles
Hundreds of thousands of San Francisco commuters battled through gridlock to get to work yesterday, as the city’s mass transit system workers went on strike for the second time in three months.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which carries 400,000 people a day in and around the West Coast city, closed down from midnight after wage negotiations between unions and bosses fell apart.
“Whether you ride BART, use other public transit services or drive, everyone needs to consider the alternatives and plan their commute,” BART said on its website.
Freeways were snarled from before dawn and the few buses and ferries that were working were packed, as commuters and tourists sought alternative means to get to their destinations.
Talks broke down on Thursday after marathon talks lasting nearly 30 hours failed to reach a deal, notably due to dispute over management’s call for work rule changes, according to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
“BART management blew up negotiations by insisting that employees sacrifice workplace protections in exchange for economic well-being,” said Pete Castelli, head of the SEIU Local 1021 labour union.
“This was a poison pill for workers: choose between your paycheque and your rights. We had a rough deal on economics. We can’t believe BART is willing to incite a strike over their professed desire to implement an electronic pay stub system and handheld computers in the workplace,” he added in a statement.
Commuting bank employee Roberto Lu-Flores blasted the striking BART workers.
“They’re probably making more than I am,” said the 44-year-old, who only just found a job after seven months out of work.
“We’re all trying to get to our jobs, and they’re preventing us. They have jobs,” Lu-Flores, battling to get to work from Oakland, across the San Francisco Bay, told the Chronicle.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen it,” motorcyclist Greg Robinson said. “You could see the frustration, people just kind of tapping on their steering wheel.”
Commuters also took to Twitter to express their anger. “Fire every single current employee, hang a huge ‘Now hiring’ sign outside BART building,” said Twitter user @rtgleeson3m. “Positions filled by Mon.”
The transport system closed down for four days in July when train operators, mechanics, station agents and maintenance workers went on strike seeking a 5% pay increase as well as pensions and health insurance benefits.
That strike was the first to hit San Francisco’s mass transit system in 16 years.
