BART and its unions were tantalizingly close to resolving a long labor dispute two months ago when they reached agreement on a new contract. But a provision overlooked by negotiators has scuttled the agreement and sent both back to the drawing board.
"BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] and its unions return to familiar territory Thursday: back where they started April 1, at the negotiation table with a federal mediator and trying to come to terms on a labor contract," reports Chris Roberts. "Thursday’s talks, which could begin as early as 10 a.m. at BART headquarters in Oakland, are the first formal negotiations between the two sides since a disputed provision allowing workers paid medical leave was removed by BART’s board of directors Nov. 21."
The events of the last two months, which includes a lawsuit filed last week by the unions and claims of "misuse of public funds", has generated bad blood in advance of the negotiations.
“'A lot of things have happened to make this difficult,' said Antonette Bryant, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, which represents train operators and station agents. 'By no means are we letting bygones be bygones.'”
FULL STORY: BART, unions heading back to drawing board
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