The VTA workers union strike is set to continue after union members rejected the most recent VTA terms offer, disrupting travel and commutes for over 100,000 Bay Area residents, including many Foothill students.
The strike began after six months of stalled negotiations, as the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 walked off the job on Monday, March 10th for the first time since the 1960s.
The points of contention between the ATU and the VTA are a failure to address issues such as fair wages, benefits, and grievance procedures, as well as a failure to improve workplace conditions following a mass shooting in San Jose in May 2021 where 9 Local 265 members lost their lives.
ATU officials say their top priority is an arbitration clause in the new contract, allowing for more compromise on what a wage increase will look like in the future.
There have been many negotiations between the ATU and the VTA, yet no meaningful resolutions have been made, leading to 96% of the 1500 ATU Local 265 members to vote to authorize the strike.
“Fair wages, dignified working conditions, and respect for transit workers are the backbone of a just and reliable transit system for our riders,” said ATU International President John Costa.
There has been a 9% increase in wages offered by the VTA, but the union has been asking for a 18% increase.
The VTA system is critical in allowing as many as 100,000 riders a day, as well as many Foothill students to travel to and from campus. Without any other options, many students have been forced to either not attend classes or rely on expensive ride share services like Uber and Lyft.
“I haven’t been able to make it to campus consistently. It’s $25 for an Uber to campus, sometimes up to $35,” said Alexander Martinez, a Sophomore at Foothill and Lead Copy Editor of The Script. “I don’t want to be paying $70 round trip everyday.”
On March 25, all Foothill students received an email from the college announcing the VTA’s offer of Uber vouchers up to $5 per ride, with a maximum two rides per day. They also noted those rides have to start and end at a VTA bus or light rail stop.
The Owls Nest is also offering transportation cards, used for helping students to pay for alternative methods of transportation to get to campus. Yet, the amount of students in need far exceeds the amount they can offer.
Along with unsuccessfully imploring a judge to end the strike by declaring the ATU violated their no-strike clause, the VTA also requested Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint an Investigatory Board to look at the dispute between the VTA and the union.
In a statement, General Manager Carolyn Gonot said, “ATU’s strike has resulted in harm to the public’s health, safety and welfare and will cause severe and irreparable harm to VTA and the community it serves as long as it is allowed to continue.”
Governor Newsom’s office responded to the request by “urging the parties to return to the bargaining table,” foreshadowing more striking and more disrupted transit.
VTA employees have said they will continue to strike, especially following the judge’s denying the request to end the picketing.
If you need assistance with transportation to get to campus, please inquire with the Owls Nest about the availability of transportation cards, or consult alternative methods of transportation listed by the Silicon Valley Transit Users Organization.
