Possible strike could stop bus service in OC as soon as Monday
A strike could stop bus service in Orange County as soon as Monday.
The mechanics' union voted to strike, but county negotiators and union leaders are holding last-minute negotiations Sunday in an effort to hold off the strike.
Regardless, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) says passengers should be prepared to make other plans.
The strike was earlier expected to start at midnight after negotiations between the OCTA and union leaders came to standstill.
However, the strike is not expected to begin on Monday, CBSLA Reporter Lauren Pozen has learned.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has urged both sides to go back to the negotiating table and the expectation is that the strike will not take place beginning at midnight, CBSLA has learned.
Leaders from the OCTA and Teamsters Local 952, which represents OCTA employees, have agreed to go back to the negotiating table.
"OCTA has made every effort to avoid a strike, understanding the grave impacts it causes to the thousands of passengers who depend on OC Bus as their only means of travel," said OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy, also the Mayor of Orange. "We have offered the union a fair and competitive deal that rewards our maintenance employees for the great work they perform. For the sake of our riders, we hope the union would reconsider its position and come back to the table."
The OCTA says it had been involved in ongoing negotiations.
"No one wants to see a strike happen," said Joel Slotnik, a spokesperson for the OCTA said. "I think we can all agree on that. Riders depend upon public transit. About 85 percent of our riders use the bus as their primary means of transportation to get to work, to get to school, to doctors appointments. And we don't want to see them hurt by this."
Teamsters Local 952, the union representing the employees, also says it wants to try to avoid a strike. In a statement, the union shared: "We remain committed to doing what it takes to avoid a labor action that would disrupt transportation services for thousands of daily Orange County riders."
Eric Jimenez from Teamsters Local 952 said that its employees do not want to go off the job but they're not getting much choice.
"We explained to the state mediator what we needed. What our major sticking points are health care, wages and a pension. About 1:30 the company came back with a message through the state mediator that they weren't willing to budge," Jimenez told Pozen.
Ultimately, a strike would certainly affect thousands of Orange County residents who use the bus to get to work and get around town.
OCTA says that 85-percent of bus riders use it to get to work.
the hope for riders like Candy Sighn is that both sides will get back to the bargaining table. She's not sure what she'll do if the buses aren't running.
"I don't have a clue. Luckily I have lots of friends but the bus seems to be coinvent and it doesn't take a toll on others," Sighn said.
