Labor

BART strike frustrates commuters

It’s day two of the BART strike, and commuters across San Francisco are not happy. From the Mission District to the Embarcadero, children, teenagers and adults squeezed onto overcrowded buses, hailed cabs, made phone calls to jobs and loved ones to say they’d be late, and stood in long lines for AC Transit buses and ferries headed across the Bay. “It’s a huge inconvenience for everybody,” said Joe Guthrie, of the East Bay, as he rode the 14L bus to…

BART riders brace for possible strike

Update: Wednesday’s morning results show that BART workers decided to allow union leaders to call a strike if a contract agreement isn’t reached by July 1.  Bay Area Rapid Transit riders braced themselves Tuesday for a possible strike that could tremendously slow down their commute as soon as next Monday. Labor unions gathered at Metro Center in San Francisco on Tuesday to vote to authorize a strike. Results of the votes are expected to be announced Wednesday morning. More than 400,000…

What it really means to move a body at Mountain View Cemetery

At more than 226 acres, Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery is a final resting place for some of the Bay Area’s most notable figures. And docents there are uncovering new and interesting tombstones all the time, helping to piece together Oakland’s rich history. Madeleine Thomas has the story.

Oakland cyclists celebrate Bike to Work Day

Extremely tall pink bikes, decorated beach cruisers, twin bikes and even a Scandinavian model took over the streets of Old Oakland Wednesday evening and clustered at the Happy Hour Bike Party as Oaklanders celebrated the end of the 20th East Bay Bike to Work Day, organized by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC). “With Bike to Work Day, we want to get more people to bike and improve the quality of biking in the East Bay,” said Renee Rivera, director…