UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.:
BART Stike Will Not Start at Midnight:
As contract talks continued Thursday afternoon between union
representatives and Bay Area Rapid Transit officials, labor groups
signaled that while a strike was possible - it would not occur on
Friday.
Um, guys, are you ready for this? Get your bike out of the shed and dust that Nishiki off.
BART workers could strike starting at midnight tonight. Yes, you read that correctly. Starting tomorrow you might have no ride to work:
As contract talks continued Thursday between union representatives and
Bay Area Rapid Transit officials, at least one of three key labor
groups was apparently poised to walk off the job as a midnight deadline
for reaching a deal approached.
After the current contract for BART's 2,824 union workers expired June
30, both sides agreed to extend the contract through midnight Thursday,
but the chances of reaching an agreement by that deadline appeared to
be slim.
Without an agreement, at least one union signaled it could strike right away.
Carlos Rivera, a spokesman for Local 1021 of the Service Employees
International Union, which represents about 1,200 mechanics,
custodians, safety inspectors and clerical employees, scheduled a late
afternoon news conference.
He told CBS 5 that the union would discuss the possibility of striking
right away once the existing contract expires at midnight.
So, the 72 hour warning of a strike that everyone assumed was required is not actually required, because that stipulation exists within the contract. Which is null and void as of midnight.
What are you gonna do? Drive? Bus? Ferry? Bike? Segway? Skateboard? Let us know below.
