Page One
About Town
With at least one BART union ready to strike, the Daily Planet stopped people at the downtown Berkeley BART station and asked them: What would happen to you if BART stopped service because of a union walk out? How do you think the negotiations should be resolved?
Ami Moe, Richmond:
“If BART shut down, I’d probably be out of a job. It would probably add a two-hour commute to my day. The management is trying to monopolize the funds, all the workers want is a day’s pay for a day’s work.”
Leroy Staples, Oakland:
“I ride my bike everywhere, unless it’s a long distance, but if BART shut down I would have to ride the bus more. The workers get paid pretty well, but they work hard; they work a lot of hours, they should be paid more.”
Jamal Muhammad, Berkeley:
“I would have a longer commute to work, I would have to figure out a bunch of other stuff, it would be a huge struggle. The workers enjoy good pay and good benefits, but I can understand them wanting more. I just hope they keep it running.”
Jeff Loew, Berkeley:
“If the BART workers went on strike, it would really affect the way I spend my personal time; since I’m not commuting to work right now, weekends are when it would affect me the most. I don’t know what all the terms are, but I am generally pro-union and I think management is trying to gradually squeeze out workers’ rights.”