I stayed up for the late news to find out if there were any developments. It really didn't matter to me since I was off today, but my wife had to go to the city, and the strike has caused her lots of misery, like everyone else. Sometime past 10:30pm, I got a text alert informing me that an "agreement" has been reached and that the strike was over. Immediately after, the 10:00pm news I was watching went on a live feed to deliver the breaking news.
Well, there was NO agreement. What they agreed upon was to extend the existing contract by 30 days, and to return to work as early as 3pm Friday. However, negotiations between BART management and unions reps will continue while the extension is in place. Now, if no contract is agreed upon and signed by the end of the extension, then there is a possibility of another strike.
Whether a new contract will even be agreed upon is the $64 question. Knowing how contentious the negotiations have been in the past few days, it will take a lot of concessions and a great deal of patience on both sides. At the end of the day, I hope that both protagonists keep the riding public's interest in mind, and not their personal (selfish) agendas.
To the smart legislators of California, particularly those in the Bay Area, I think it would be prudent to pass legislation banning the striking of union workers in the transportation industry because of the economic impact it may cause (or has caused) in the region. If New York City and Chicago are able to implement this, why can't we?Mr. Congressman and Ms. Senator, you may want to ride BART and see how it feels when it goes offline....
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