SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority workers walked off the job Monday after negotiations for a new contract ended in an impasse, leaving commuters scrambling to find other ways to get to work.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 notified VTA last week that they would go on strike, citing concerns over the cost of living and the high rate of inflation, as they sought a more significant raise than VTA was offering in negotiations.
Bus and light rail services were suspended at 12:01 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from VTA. These services will remain shut down across the county for the duration of the strike. Paratransit services will continue to operate as usual.
“We understand the hardship this service disruption causes, and we are pursuing as many avenues as possible to mitigate the impact to the riding public as quickly as we can,” the VTA said in a statement Sunday night.
As commuters traveled through San Jose’s Diridon Station Monday morning, a crowd of people waited for ride shares, walked or rode scooters in place of their normal bus routes.
John, a 58-year-old county employee who declined to give his last name, said that he commutes from Palo Alto to San Jose by taking the Caltrain and then a VTA bus. On Monday morning, he took an Uber from the station to his office instead.
“It’s a little frustrating, but I understand they have a right to strike and bargain for what they what they deserve. I know it’s a tough job,” he said. “I ride the bus twice a day, every day for the last 12 years … I see what they deal with. I think they need to get paid more. I’m sorry they have to strike.”
He estimated the lack of bus services would add an extra 15 minutes to his commute, but he noted that he normally arrives early anyway. He also had to pay for the Uber fare when normally he can take the bus for free with a pass provided by his job, he said. But he noted that he is still paying less to commute than a person who drives.
John also said that when his union was on strike in 2019, bus drivers would honk in solidarity as they drove past.
“I really feel the need to reciprocate for that,” he said. “I hope they can resolve it because the busses are definitely necessary.”
Shane Nicole Homez, a 21-year-old San Jose State University student, was “scrambling” to find an alternative route to her 8:30 a.m. class Monday morning, she said. Usually, she commutes to San Jose from Santa Cruz five days per week and takes a bus or light rail from the Diridon Station to campus. On Monday morning, a friend was picked her up.
“Luckily, we take the same class, so I asked them if they could pick me up from Diridon and drive me to campus,” Homez said. “At least I do have some options. There are some people who are more unfortunate.”
Homez added that many of her classmates and professors would also be impacted, as many take the train to commute to San Jose, then use VTA services to get to campus.
Homez said she noticed that there were more scooters placed outside the station than normal. Another commuter said that her rideshare price was twice as expensive as usual due to the influx of commuters taking Uber or Lyft.
Anthony Jordan, of Redwood City, took Caltrain and a Lyft in place of his normal VTA bus route. He said that the commute was costing him more money and taking more time than usual.
“The bus is usually here right now taking off,” he said. “Now I have to factor the traffic too. Because I mean obviously the bus is impacted – that means more traffic.”
VTA’s final contract offer to workers last week included a wage increase of 9% over three years, keeping the employees as the second-highest paid in the Bay Area and the fifth-highest paid in the country. The union is seeking a 6% raise per year over three years and wants to add a clause guaranteeing arbitration for contract disputes.
Further negotiations held with ATU Sunday did not result in any “meaningful negotiations,” VTA officials said.
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