BART and unions resolve remaining labor contract issue

BART General Manager Grace Crunican announced that all contract issues have been settled between BART and its two largest labor Unions.  She will recommend the ratification of a final collective bargaining agreement with SEIU Local 1021 and ATU Local 1555 to the BART Board of Directors.  A Special Meeting of the Board of Directors has been called for Thursday, January 2, 2014 at 9 am. You can view the agenda here.

The last remaining contract difference was resolved with solutions that are administrative in nature and/or will be covered within BART's existing budget.

“After eight months of uncertainty for our riders, this deal will guarantee that every ounce of the Agency’s focus will be directed to providing great service to the Bay Area during the peak holiday period and beyond,” said Crunican.

BART and its Unions have spent the last month working to resolve a disputed tentative agreement which would have added weeks of additional paid leave time to BART employees. The issue was resolved with a series of agreements that 1) expands the District’s Bereavement Leave policy to allow workers paid time off in the event of the death of a grandchild or step-parent of a spouse or domestic partner, 2) upgrades employee break rooms at the Daly City, Millbrae and West Oakland BART stations, to be paid for through the District’s already funded station modernization program, 3) allows qualifying employees more flexibility in how they pay for the costs of their family medical leave, plus additional administrative changes to the contract.

You can view a full copy of the agreements reached on December 21, 2013 here.