Economy
Port of Oakland truck drivers are planning to stop work and begin picketing Monday morning. The drivers are protesting chronic congestion at the port, which they say has created dangerous working conditions.
When BART unions went on strike Friday at midnight, San Francisco Bay Ferry workers jumped into action four hours later in anticipation of the increase in ferry commuters.
After months of bargaining and a week of unfulfilled strike threats that kept commuters on edge, BART workers went on strike after unions and management failed to reach a deal on employee contract terms.
Almost a full week of negotiations unraveled Thursday afternoon when union workers and BART management came to a stalemate and talks ended in the threat of a strike set to commence at midnight Thursday.
BART would normally provide over 400,000 rides to people in the Bay Area on an average weekday, according to the group’s most recent ridership report.
In an unexpected twist, BART unions will be going on strike at midnight after federal mediators announced they are returning to Washington after failing to help broker a deal.
Despite the constant threat of transit strikes, all trains will be running as normal tomorrow and negotiations will continue once more for BART workers’ contracts.
A strike by the bus line would have left thousands of riders without their usual transportation on Thursday.
If there was one clear message at the West Coast Economic Summit in downtown Oakland last week, it was this: Latino businesses are booming.