Extra

Tentative Agreement Reached on Contracts for BART Workers

Bay City News
Thursday July 30, 2009 - 02:25:00 PM

BART management and union leaders this morning announced a tentative agreement on new four-year contract that, if given final approval, will avoid a strike by BART workers. 

The announcement was made late this morning in Oakland, after 27 straight hours of negotiations, by BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger, Services Employees International Union Local 1021 President Lisa Isler, and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 President Jesse Hunt. 

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993 President Jean Hamilton also issued a statement this morning announcing a tentative agreement. 

The three unions represent more than 2,800 BART workers. 

The officials each noted the tentative agreements still need to be ratified by union members. 

Dugger said during a news conference that an agreement was reached “that was fair, that achieves our goals, that will help put us on financially stable footing.” She said it included changes to work rules and capping the cost of benefits. 

Isler said it included no job cuts and no salary cuts. 

“We can get back to work, and get on with providing service to the public,” Isler said, adding that she hoped SEIU members would ratify the agreement by the end of next week. 

Hunt said all parties made sacrifices to reach the agreements. 

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult negotiations, in extraordinarily poor economic times,” Hunt said.