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Striking Valley Transportation Authority workers will vote Saturday on a new contract offer that union leaders have urged their members to reject.
The VTA’s buses and light rail trains stopped running March 10, affecting thousands of South Bay riders, after the union’s three-year contract expired.
The VTA said it has presented wage increases of 10.5% over three years, according to a news release Friday, about one percentage point above its previous offer.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, representing more than 1,500 VTA workers, is looking for 6% wage increases each year over the next three years.
A bigger stumbling block has been the union’s proposal to settle conflicts by allowing workers to present their grievances to a neutral third party and avoid going to court.
“ATU leadership has held its members and the riders who depend on public transportation for their livelihood hostage for two weeks.”
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority statement
“VTA has gone above and beyond to accommodate union demands, including agreeing to the union’s proposed arbitration language,” the agency said.
“ATU leadership has held its members and the riders who depend on public transportation for their livelihood hostage for two weeks,” VTA said. “It is the responsibility of ATU leadership to ensure their members have the facts.”
Union leaders, in a negotiation update posted online Thursday, urged rejection of the offer.
“Since we have once again hit a deadlock and the agency refuses to budge, we are putting the offer to a membership vote,” the union said. “However, let there be no misunderstanding — your leadership has not agreed to this proposal. Your negotiations team is strongly recommending a unanimous no vote.”
The two sides began negotiations in August 2024 to renew the union’s three-year contract.
The union represents bus and light rail operators, maintenance staff, dispatchers, fare inspectors and customer service representatives.
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