BART Employees Strike Again Despite Earning $30,000 More Than Typical San Fran Worker

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[h=2]BART Employees Strike Again Despite Earning $30,000 More Than Typical San Francisco Worker[/h] Jess Remington|Oct. 18, 2013 4:45 pm
Employees of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) went on strike again today, after a deadline to resolve contract negotiations passed without a deal. This is the union’s second strike in three months.

Daniel Lobo/FlickrHundreds of thousands of Bay Area commuters turned instead to free city-provided charter buses, ferries, and their cars. The California Highway Patrol and BART officials reported traffic backed up for miles and insufficient public transit alternatives.
The strike followed an impasse between union leaders and BART management, as they were unable to reach an agreement on workers’ salary, benefits, and pension plans.
The New York Times reports:

On Sunday, BART managers presented what they said was their “last, best and final” offer and asked the unions to take it to their membership for a vote. That offer included a 3 percent annual wage increase, a 1 percent annual increase in employee contributions to pensions and an increase of 9.5 percent over the life of the four-year contract in employee contributions to health benefits. On Thursday, BART’s general manager, Grace Crunican, said that offer was still on the table.
​

While the two major unions representing transit workers have accepted some of the proposed terms, they are still not entirely satisfied. Union leaders have expressed concern over some work rules and a desire to get a bigger share of BART’s operating surplus.
However, it seems the patience of many Bay Area riders and residents has been wearing thin. Following the first strike, a Survey USA/KPIX-TV poll found that 44% of residents felt that BART management had made a better case in negotiations compared to 19% in support of the union.
To many living in the area, their demands may seem out of touch. According to BART officials, the 2,300 mechanics, custodians, station agents, train operators, and clerical staff earn an average base salary of $71,000 per year plus $11,000 in overtime pay. Additionally, BART employees pay only $92 per month for health coverage and contribute nothing toward their pensions.
Back in August, the San Francisco Chronicle broke down the numbers on BART employees’ compensation compared to transit workers in other major U.S. cities. Their analysis found that once you “factor in their low-cost health care and lack of pension contributions…they may well be among the best-off in the country."
Critics responded that the analysis didn’t factor in San Francisco’s unusually high cost of living. However, the U.S. Census Bureau says the median salary for a San Francisco worker in 2012 was $40,522 – a far cry below (well, roughly $30,000 below) BART employees’ take-home pay.
BART official Grace Crunican said, "We are not going to agree to something we can't afford. We have to protect the aging system for our workers and the public."

 

[Dr Kynes]

BART Employees Strike Again Despite Earning $30,000 More Than Typical San Francisco Worker

Jess Remington|Oct. 18, 2013 4:45 pm
Employees of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) went on strike again today, after a deadline to resolve contract negotiations passed without a deal. This is the union’s second strike in three months.

Daniel Lobo/FlickrHundreds of thousands of Bay Area commuters turned instead to free city-provided charter buses, ferries, and their cars. The California Highway Patrol and BART officials reported traffic backed up for miles and insufficient public transit alternatives.
The strike followed an impasse between union leaders and BART management, as they were unable to reach an agreement on workers’ salary, benefits, and pension plans.
The New York Times reports:

On Sunday, BART managers presented what they said was their “last, best and final” offer and asked the unions to take it to their membership for a vote. That offer included a 3 percent annual wage increase, a 1 percent annual increase in employee contributions to pensions and an increase of 9.5 percent over the life of the four-year contract in employee contributions to health benefits. On Thursday, BART’s general manager, Grace Crunican, said that offer was still on the table.
​

While the two major unions representing transit workers have accepted some of the proposed terms, they are still not entirely satisfied. Union leaders have expressed concern over some work rules and a desire to get a bigger share of BART’s operating surplus.
However, it seems the patience of many Bay Area riders and residents has been wearing thin. Following the first strike, a Survey USA/KPIX-TV poll found that 44% of residents felt that BART management had made a better case in negotiations compared to 19% in support of the union.
To many living in the area, their demands may seem out of touch. According to BART officials, the 2,300 mechanics, custodians, station agents, train operators, and clerical staff earn an average base salary of $71,000 per year plus $11,000 in overtime pay. Additionally, BART employees pay only $92 per month for health coverage and contribute nothing toward their pensions.
Back in August, the San Francisco Chronicle broke down the numbers on BART employees’ compensation compared to transit workers in other major U.S. cities. Their analysis found that once you “factor in their low-cost health care and lack of pension contributions…they may well be among the best-off in the country."
Critics responded that the analysis didn’t factor in San Francisco’s unusually high cost of living. However, the U.S. Census Bureau says the median salary for a San Francisco worker in 2012 was $40,522 – a far cry below (well, roughly $30,000 below) BART employees’ take-home pay.
BART official Grace Crunican said, "We are not going to agree to something we can't afford. We have to protect the aging system for our workers and the public."

yet another fine example of San Francisco's liberalism being the model for the nation.

 

[Red1966]

So has Pelosi commented on this? She's pro-union, but probably afraid to piss off her constituents.

 

[GOD HERE]

I've spent the whole weekend writing an essay on this. I've listened to hours of the two sides arguing on public radio over the course of three months, read BART's financial section on it's website, read all the articles I can find on it, and I just have to say this is the fucking driest subject I've ever had to do a paper on. Both sides are guilty of lying.

 

[Red1966]

Ain't that how it always goes?

 

[GOD HERE]

Ain't that how it always goes?

Yeah, but with most things of this nature it's obvious who's lying. With this the bullshit is pretty thick.

 

[ChesusRice]

two non union maintenance guys just died this weekend on Bart while working

 

[Red1966]

Yeah, but with most things of this nature it's obvious who's lying. With this the bullshit is pretty thick.

It's always the other side, right? Frankly, $71,000 + benefits (very good benefits) is plenty for skilled work. Most of them aren't skilled.

 

[tokeprep]

Unions have disappeared from workplaces because they were destroying them. Government is the last refuge because it can meet union demands simply by passing on the costs to taxpayers who have no choice but to pay them. Transit systems are notorious examples--"Just raise the fare!"

 

[UncleBuck]

yet another fine example of San Francisco's liberalism being the model for the nation.

livable wages?

not everyone has two brothers, 3 cousins and 4 nephews to share rent costs with.

 

[tokeprep]

livable wages?

not everyone has two brothers, 3 cousins and 4 nephews to share rent costs with.

$70,000 isn't a liveable wage in San Francisco...?

 

[UncleBuck]

$70,000 isn't a liveable wage in San Francisco...?

you're not very bright.

 

[tokeprep]

you're not very bright.

The liberal Economic Policy Institute says a family of four can live comfortably in San Francisco for $84,000 a year.

You must not be very bright, Buck, if you couldn't even be bothered to look into the matter.

 

[UncleBuck]

The liberal Economic Policy Institute says a family of four can live comfortably in San Francisco for $84,000 a year.

You're must not be very bright, Buck, if you couldn't even be bothered to look into the matter.

you're just proving how not bright you are.

 

[tokeprep]

you're just proving how not bright you are.

I lived in Washington, DC, where the cost of living is 47% higher than the national average; the cost of living in San Francisco is only a bit more expensive, at 61% higher than the national average. And I lived very comfortably with a miniscule salary, albeit in a two person household--$70,000 would have enabled me to live like a prince.

I think you're just proving how not bright you are, Buck. You seem to have no clue what you're talking about, which is why you're so short on facts in response to mine.

 

[UncleBuck]

I lived in Washington, DC, where the cost of living is 47% higher than the national average; the cost of living in San Francisco is only a bit more expensive, at 61% higher than the national average. And I lived very comfortably with a miniscule salary, albeit in a two person household--$70,000 would have enabled me to live like a prince.

I think you're just proving how not bright you are, Buck. You seem to have no clue what you're talking about, which is why you're so short on facts in response to mine.

you're still not getting it.

 

[tokeprep]

you're still not getting it.

You haven't said anything that could be understood. You aren't presenting any facts or any argument, just throwing insults because I called your bullshit suggestion that $70,000 in San Francisco was not a liveable wage. Even the liberal Economic Policy Institute clocked a comfortable living for a family of four at $84,000!

 

[GOD HERE]

Just to set this straight, the AVERAGE pay of a BART employee is about $56,000 a year. That means upper management (those who are involved in the negotiations against the union) are making more, while the lowly BART workers are making far less. I just want to make sure everyone understands what an average is. The AVERAGE overtime pay for a BART employee is about $10,000 a year. The union conceded about $100 million in different cuts when the recession hit, and agreed to a 4 year pay freeze/different pay reductions. That 4 year period is now up, so the union is renegotiating it's contract.

I just want to make those facts perfectly clear for this debate.

 

[UncleBuck]

You haven't said anything that could be understood. You aren't presenting any facts or any argument, just throwing insults because I called your bullshit suggestion that $70,000 in San Francisco was not a liveable wage. Even the liberal Economic Policy Institute clocked a comfortable living for a family of four at $84,000!

it's funny to watch and see how many posts you will make before you realize.

 

[tokeprep]

Just to set this straight, the AVERAGE pay of a BART employee is about $56,000 a year. That means upper management (those who are involved in the negotiations against the union) are making more, while the lowly BART workers are making far less. I just want to make sure everyone understands what an average is. The AVERAGE overtime pay for a BART employee is about $10,000 a year. The union conceded about $100 million in different cuts when the recession hit, and agreed to a 4 year pay freeze/different pay reductions. That 4 year period is now up, so the union is renegotiating it's contract.

I just want to make those facts perfectly clear for this debate.

Alright, we're going to need to square these facts then. See this article from the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-san-francisco-transit-strike-20131018,0,608333.story. This says the union was claiming average worker pay of $64,000 while BART was claiming $79,000. The implication, though, is that management salaries are excluded from these averages, which you just contradicted.

I found this article from earlier in the summer as well: http://www.mercurynews.com/bart/ci_23742276/bart-workers-paychecks-already-outpace-their-peers. This puts the average worker's salary at $76,000, and they explicitly say that management and police officers have been excluded such that the number reflects only line-level union workers.