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June 26, 2005 Governor Schwarzenegger should step in and request a 60-day "cooling off period" between Bay Area Rapid Transit management and its workers, who are threatening to strike on Monday (June 26). Former California Governor Gray Davis took that route in 2001, averting a commuter and economic disaster. If Schwarzenegger fails to follow suit, portions of the nine county Bay Area will be hit with nightmarish traffic conditions, including gridlock up to 50 MILES. The commute over the Bay Bridge will probably reach gridlock at 5:30 a.m. A BART study issued last year indicates that a strike could make morning rush-hour commutes three hours. The morning backup to the Bay Bridge could stretch for 26 miles. Worse, the labor contracts at other Bay Area transit companies—AC Transit (East Bay) and SamTrans (The Peninsula)—are also scheduled to expire at the end of the month. It is estimated that if all three entities were to walk the picket lines, an additional 600,000 vehicles would be added to the commute. The last BART strike (six days in 1997) affected 335,000 commuters and some say a strike now would add an additional 230,000 cars to the Bay Bridge commute alone. When the 1997 strike ended, it took several months for BART ridership levels to recover. In fact, on he first day after the strike there were 40,000 fewer riders. Some feel no sympathy for BART workers. Recent news articles in the Contra Costa Times exposed how BART workers and their family members are allowed free passes. Workers are also provided other perks, including a 22% raise in 2001 that pushed supervisors annual salaries from 78kto 95k. Being a former union worker, I sympathize with them. I know that well-paid employees arel happy employees. But most corporations are only concerned with maximizing profits, which means cutting or freezing wages. This "Wal-Martzation" of U.S. industry forces employees to accept inferior pay and working conditions in an attempt to weaken unionization. According to the Matier and Ross column at sfgate.com, the unions do not enjoy widespread support, Only half of the train operators interviewed said they would actually strike. If BART management knows this, that is the chink in the armor they were hoping for. A prolonged strike will break the union’s tenuous solidarity—the commuters be damned! Here is an opportunity for Republicans to lift their wingtips off the necks of California’s working men and women. In the past Pete Wilson and his Republican predecessors limited Workers Compensation benefits and changed state laws related to overtime pay. In short, Arnold’s intervention might show the California electorate that he really means it when he says "We can no longer conduct business as usual." ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 46-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and the soon to be released, "The Malice of Cain". His third novel, "Darker Than Blue" is under consideration for publication. Mr. Stelly currently resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. Excerpts from The first two books and the first two chapters of his anthology, "Frankenigga--And Other Urban Tales" can be viewed at: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@sbcglobal.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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