Golden Gate Transit Bus Drivers Vote to Authorize Strike
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN/CBS SF) -- Members of the Marin and Sonoma County bus operators union whose members work for the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District voted to authorize a strike this weekend over unresolved contract negotiations related to wages and pensions.
The union has not yet determined when or if a strike will take place, but hopes that voting to authorize one if necessary will spur negotiations.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1575, which represents bus operators in both counties, say they have been in contract negotiations with the Golden Gate Transit for seven months and have been unable to reach an agreement, according to ATU President Shane Weinstein.
According to the union, there are 195 total employees that are affected by the contract and 99% of them voted to authorize a strike.
Weinstein said that drivers should receive at least the same 3% raise that management has been given, though 4% would be in line with recent hourly raises given to operators at similar transit agencies. He said that Golden Gate Transit has so far only offered a 2% raise, or .64 cents per hour.
Weinstein claims that his union represents the lowest-paid hourly operators at a major transit company in the Bay Area.
The union says bus drivers have been on the "front lines" of the pandemic for two years, "helping essential workers get to their jobs and getting community members where they need to go," and that they deserve more money.
A spokesman for the district didn't comment on any of the specifics of the negotiations but said they look forward to an "amicable resolution and agreement on a new contract soon."
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