Santa Clara VTA claims union negotiators walked away from latest mediation
The latest attempts at mediation between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the union representing striking VTA workers did not reach an agreement, transit officials said in a release Friday.
VTA workers including operators, maintenance staff, dispatchers, fare inspectors and customer service representatives began striking early Monday morning after announcing their intentions last Friday. The two sides have been unable to reach a deal after months of negotiations and the VTA workers' latest contract had expired last week.
The release sent out by the VTA early Friday evening stated that representatives with the agency held two additional mediation sessions, on Thursday and Friday," with Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 negotiators. The release claimed that the VTA initiated the sessions.
"ATU chose to leave the mediation Friday with no resolution," the statement issued by the VTA said. CBS News Bay Area tried to contact ATU representatives for comment, but have not yet heard back.
Workers have continued to picket outside of VTA locations all week. They are demanding increased wages and improved benefits from the transit agency. The labor action has halted light rail and bus service across the South Bay, impacting an estimated 100,000 riders who use the service regularly.
The agency said it is offering a wage increase of 4%, 3% and 2% over three years, for a total compounded increase of 9.3%.
"It's not about money. VTA is always trying to say it's the money. It's not money. It's protecting our contract of rights," said ATU Local 265 member Chander Mohan.
The agency says giving union drivers the 19.1% raise they want would cripple the system in other ways.
"The reality of a wage increase at this level, or anything close to it would mean service cuts throughout our system and the likely elimination of positions across VTA," VTA spokesperson Greg Richardson said earlier this week.
The strike is upending the lives of thousands of South Bay residents who rely on public transit.
Sarah Laughton has been taking the VTA light rail to her job in Sunnyvale every day for the past year.
"From my house to this light rail stop right down here and then walked a couple of blocks to work," said Laughton.
She says her husband is also a frequent rider. He takes it to his classes at San Jose State. Sarah says both of their commutes were convenient and reliable, until that all changed this week.
"We've been doing some very complicated sort of juggling," said Laughton.
Now instead of easily hoping on the light rail each morning, Laughton and her husband have had to play a nightmare game of logistics, figuring out which of them will take the one car they own.
"Like this day I'll take the car and this day he will drop me off and pick me up and this day maybe I can work from home," said Laughton.
Laughton says the past five days have been a headache to say the least.
On Tuesday, the VTA filed a legal complaint over the ongoing strike, announcing that the union was in breach of the "no strike" clause in the parties' agreement. The release claimed that the legal move was made "with the goal of bringing the strike to an end as fast as possible and to allow for the restoration of VTA bus and light rail services."
The release claimed that the legal move was made "with the goal of bringing the strike to an end as fast as possible and to allow for the restoration of VTA bus and light rail services."
CBS News Bay Area reached out to ATU Local 265 for comment and received the following statement from union president Raj Singh.
"I know the agency for the last couple weeks have spread the narrative the union is the one that has been walking away from negotiations, but that is not true. The agency (VTA) is saying they are interested in coming to a compromise, but they have decided to sue us," Singh said. "That's for the attorneys to deal with but our understanding is the contract is expired and since the contract is expired the union has legal and protected right to strike. And we are exercising that right."
"The agency has zero compassion for the employees, the community and the public. If they were trying to get this issue resolved they would be at the negotiating table, not attempting to sue us and get us into court," he added.
With the complaint the VTA filed against the striking workers' union, Laughton fears this strike could go on a lot longer.
"I was telling my husband, 'The VTA just sued the union.' That doesn't bode well for a speedy resolution in my commute to work," she said.
Those on strike say they feel riders' pain, but are asking for their support.
"We want to get in our trains and buses and get them moving again. Come help us out. Contact your politicians, your congressman, your senators. Contact VTA," said Nevill.
Laughton said she's fully behind the strikers.
"I would like the VTA to pay them so they will go back to running the light rail," she said.
But she knows that could take a while. Laughton told CBS News Bay Area she's already thinking about how she's going to get to and from work next week if the strike continues.
She has a feeling it will, but is still crossing her fingers that the two sides will work out a deal.
"Having gotten through a full week I'm a little less stressed about it than I was at the beginning of the week when we were still trying to figure out how this was all going to work but I'm still hoping to get the light rail back soon," said Laughton.
