Santa Clara VTA asks Gov. Newsom to intervene to get striking workers back on the job
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has requested Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene to get striking VTA employees back to work.
The VTA said it sent the governor a letter Saturday afternoon and is waiting for a response.
In the letter, the VTA has asked for a board to investigate disputes it has had with the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents striking VTA workers.
The letter also disclosed that the VTA asked the court for "injunctive relief to stop the irreparable harm to the community" and that ATU broke the collective bargaining agreement's "no strike" clause.
"ATU's strike has resulted in harm to the public's health, safety and welfare and will cause severe and irreparable harm to VTA and the community it serves as long as it is allowed to continue," VTA said in the letter to Newsom.
ATU said it was notified about the letter to Newsom after VTA scheduled the two sides to meet for negotiations at 5 p.m.
In that meeting, the union said the VTA presented the same deal rejected by ATU during negotiations Friday night.
"The agency (VTA) is exploring every avenue possible except the one that resolves this conflict," ATU said in a statement. "Instead of coming to the table with ATU for a compromise, following the lawsuit, they're now reaching out to the governor for a cooling-off period instead of coming to the table to actually negotiate."
Workers began striking early Monday morning as the two sides have been unable to reach a deal after months of negotiations and the VTA workers' contract expired last week.
Workers are demanding increased wages and improved benefits.
VTA said it proposed a wage increase of 9.3% over the next three years and a $1,500 one-time payment for members, saying it would keep operators among the highest paid in the nation.
With more than 1,500 workers striking, VTA's light rail and bus service was shut down on Monday, a system that about 100,000 people use every day.
