BART Union ATU 1555 Leader Capitulates To BART Board's Union Busting Tactics

BART Union ATU 1555 Leader Capitulates To BART Board's Union Busting Tactics
BART Union Leader Responds to BART Board of Directors & BART General ManagerRegarding Today’s Vote
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1555
President Antonette Bryant: 925-565-8118

November 21, 2013 Contact: ATU Media Line 510-214-2595

BART Union Leader Responds to BART Board of Directors & BART General ManagerRegarding Today’s Vote

Oakland, CA – Today, on behalf of the members of ATU 1555, President Antonette Bryant issued the following statement:

“We sat and negotiated with the BART Board’s designated negotiators for six months. There was give and take. We reached agreements that were written up, signed, reviewed and confirmed by BART managers before our members voted to accept the terms we negotiated – all of them.

We are glad that BART ratified all of the provisions that we still agree on and that we can rest assured that the lion’s share of our new contract will take effect immediately. However, BART’s Directors cannot simply pick and choose which of those agreements it intends to honor. It is outrageous that BART chose to vote down one provision that they don’t like. This is not how negotiations work. It shows a shocking lack of integrity by the BART Board of Directors and a glaring lack of accountability by BART management.

BART may not care about whether we can take care of our family members when we are needed most – but we do. While BART’s attempt to take Family Leave provisions and make them subject to immediate reopener negotiations is an act of bad faith, we will nonetheless consult with our membership to see if there is a way to find common ground with BART’s new chief negotiator on this important issue.”