Ok, BART just may be on strike tomorrow due to contract negotiations have broken down.

The article in everything I read stated the operators and stations agents just may strike tomorrow.

How are you going to get to work?

Telecommute, hopefully.

Tell Bart to get off his lazy ass and go to work.

I will be screwed and so will be the traffic in the area! I work in downtown San Francisco and my shift starts at noon everyday, so I don't know how I'll find parking - without paying $22 to park in a pay lot. I'm sure if the BART strike happens, all the parking downtown will be GONE!

I seriously want to get some eggs and rotten veggies and go out there and pelt these greedy fuckers if they go on strike. In a year where my union voted to take a pay cut to avoid further layoffs, I have NO sympathy for these overpaid BART people.

jesus fucking crhist! Again? God just do it or don't already! fuck! I'm tired of this!

What does BART stand for?

Bart operators make 114K starting salary with great benefits. WTF is wrong with these people? I would NEVER go on strike with a job like that

Alex, an ex boyfriend works for BART and he actually agrees.  He says that he makes a ridiculous salary for what he does, and when they strike he rolls his eyes and joins them because that's what he has to do.

Alex "Are You Edible?" C. says:

Bart operators make 114K starting salary with great benefits. WTF is wrong with these people? I would NEVER go on strike with a job like that
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If that's true they are fucktarded. How can I get a job as a BART driver?

All these people are going to be pissed:

yelp.com/topic/castro-va…

Alex, they don't make a salary of 114k.  Some number popped up that w. benefits added to their salary, it's around that number.  But with most people, add your benefits and your salary jumps considerably.

That being said, good.  I hope they strike and I hope they get temps to replace their dumb asses or management finds another work around.
they're unbelievable.

Ryan, would you really want a temp driving the train you're on?  What if the temp hits the brake instead of the gas and everyone on the train goes flying into one another?

BART and their unions can go to hell.  In an economy where people are literally losing the shirts off of their back, these assholes want more.  Child please...

I hope BART does go on strike.  Then, I can park for free at the BART station and walk to my job.

If you wanna check out the salaries of BART employees, here you go:

contracostatimes.com/ci_…

fuck, how am i gonna get to the strip club?!?!

ac transit i guess...

15 minutes ago Alexandra "the Tsaritsa" N. says:

Bay Area Rapid Transit, or Brutually Awful Regional Terror
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I like teh second one better.

Andrew, do what I do, take a cab. If you go to showgirls and spend a little, they give a complimentary towncar to take you to your destination when it's time to go!!

4 minutes ago K "Oh it's on now!" G. says:

Ryan, would you really want a temp driving the train you're on?  What if the temp hits the brake instead of the gas and everyone on the train goes flying into one another?
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I might really like this, I foresee many pregnancies

no we're going to gold club. and a cab ride from el cerrito? im not really down to spend $50 when i could take as transit for $4

Diana "Muchacha Sucia!" G. says

Andrew, do what I do, take a cab. If you go to showgirls and spend a little, they give a complimentary towncar to take you to your destination when it's time to go!!
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Screw that I would just stay put!

I hope they strike next week....then Ill tele-not work, I mean tele-commute.

This is laaaaame.

Oh snap! guess that means I'm hitting the road early to avoid traffic!

traffic's gonna be horrible.

Glad I'm no longer in the Bay Area.  Try taking the bus.  Just leave 3 hours earlier than usual.

I'm supposed to go to a party in Hayward on Saturday and I really didn't want to drive :-(

Tom "Accepting all friend requests" R. says:

I'm supposed to go to a party in Hayward on Saturday and I really didn't want to drive :-(
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AC Transit has 24 hr bus lines that go over the bay bridge.

Any news sources/official channels of BART news picked this up yet?  Where would I watch for an official "Yep, they're striking" notice?  

(I'm new to the area, but my husband relies on BART to get to work in downtown SF)

Thanks!

I've been watching sfgate.com for updates.

What's the best site to keep track of? I do not want a shocker in the morning, I want to be able to wake up, turn on my computer, and see if I have to hoof it to the Transbay.

so the 72 hour thing is out the window?

This will really screw me over, I just saw the SFGate article. I'm so bummed.

thank god for muni

BART press conference at 4PM, hopefully we will have more info then.  I take AC Transit express bus to/from the city...but I know they'll be packed.  The Oakland/Alameda Ferry is another option.

Fingers crossed.

It's amazing that workers who rarely have a pulse are actually striking

This BART union needs a reality check. Fire them all and hire new employees.

I have the day off tomorrow so it's no biggie.  If they don't resolve it over the weekend then I'll ride my motorcycle in until they do, or I'll take the AC Transit bus with free wifi.

If they vote on a strike then they will give 72 hrs notice.  If BART officials impose a contract or start laying off people then they will walk out on the spot.  They are willing to walk out in the middle of the day, I heard from a source involved in these shenanigans.

Baroque "Obama" B. says:

AC Transit has 24 hr bus lines that go over the bay bridge.
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Thanks but if BART is down I'll probably drive out there and hopefully someone will stop me from driving home drunk.

14 minutes ago May "2009-The Year The 80's Died" T. says:

This BART union needs a reality check. Fire them all and hire new employees.
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I say again, do you really want some newbie driving your train 150 feet underwater from West Oakland to Embarcadero at 80 mph?  Or worse, right after Lake Merritt where the tracks switch up at?  What if they go too fast and hit the wall?  That's where they've got us all by the you-know-whats.

May "2009-The Year The 80's Died" T. says:

This BART union needs a reality check. Fire them all and hire new employees.
***
Ah, the Hilterian approach.

when unions complained about wanting armistice day off he granted it. The next day he abolished all unions.

I'll work for them once these people go on strike.

A Bart crash in the Tube would make a great movie.

We're not in Hitlerian times, and we don't have a lack of skilled labor in the country at the moment. What does it take to train a new driver or manager? I'd be willing to wait for a new group.

It's not like BART is running as effiiciently as it can when it is operating at capacity anyway. They're always delayed and Sunday service is a joke, with trains running every half an hour.

While we're at it, why don't we redirect some funds that were supposed to go to increases to new interiors for the trains? The crappy cloth seats and carpeting as well as ventilation systems all need to be replaced.

They raised fares on the 1st of July. They now make people pay for parking at many of the stations. Many of us have to settle for less these days and the continue to ask for me. Sorry, just hard to sympathize these days. Many of us are just trying to ride out the storm until things turn around. I just find it hard to believe that people at BART are just that out of touch with the reality of our times. If they go on strike, they're going to unleash some serious chaos on the roads - it will suck, but should be interesting to see if it actually goes down. I think I'll just camp out in my company's conference room for the duration of any possible strike.

seems like it is really expensive to ride bart nowadays.

Many of us have to settle for less these days and the continue to ask for me

..**Many of us have to settle for less these days and they continue to ask for more**

@May T. -BART management (not the unions) has admitted that it would take 16 weeks to fully train brand new train conductors.  That's just the training.  They acquire the full on-the-job experience each time they drive a train full of fare-paying passengers.  Think of your current job and how unsure you were of EVERYTHING when you first started.  Think of the number of mistakes you made simply because the job was new to you.  Now add in high speeds and people's lives.  I say BART needs get the experienced people to do the work, no matter what it takes.

May "2009-The Year The 80's Died" T. says:

This BART union needs a reality check. Fire them all and hire new employees.
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IT wouldn't be fair to fire all the employees.  Imagine if you were working for BART.  Perhaps the union needs some sort of reform, but to direct your anger at the employees is misdirected anger.

5 minutes ago K "Oh it's on now!" G. says:

@May T. -BART management (not the unions) has admitted that it would take 16 weeks to fully train brand new train conductors.  That's just the training.  They acquire the full on-the-job experience each time they drive a train full of fare-paying passengers.  Think of your current job and how unsure you were of EVERYTHING when you first started.  Think of the number of mistakes you made simply because the job was new to you.  Now add in high speeds and people's lives.  I say BART needs get the experienced people to do the work, no matter what it takes.

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So, put an end to BART service, train the new workers and in the time we've stopped service, reallocate funds saved during this period to make the trains better and the stations cleaner.

As a BART rider, I'm fed up enough to chance the 2 months before we get public transport back on line, and I would sacrifice my commute for that time to ensure THE RIDERS' needs are fulfilled.

Like I said, there's already skilled labor out there, they just need BART-specific training.

BART union workers need to know the RIDERS are the ones who pay their wages, not management.

Baroque "Obama" B. says:

May "2009-The Year The 80's Died" T. says:

This BART union needs a reality check. Fire them all and hire new employees.
____________________________
IT wouldn't be fair to fire all the employees.  Imagine if you were working for BART.  Perhaps the union needs some sort of reform, but to direct your anger at the employees is misdirected anger.

***********************

It's a union, right? So the employees who work within the union system need to start motivating their union to work with management to settle the problems. At this point, I don't care about the individual employee if he/she is not going to speak up and help the process along.

This thread has inspired me to apply for a job on the BART website.

Supposedly strike on Sunday. Waiting for the full story.

This is a Joke!! Bart employees need to get over themselves. I been laid off for a while. Hey, move over if you don't want to work!! I will be happy to take your place!

BART should be renamed FART : F*CK ALL RIDERS TOMORROW  LOL!  One of my best friends works for BART, oh the grief he he gets from all of us.

Their website is pretty useless in regard to this matter, too.  The news articles are all buried.....

@May-okay, I concede.  Your last post @ me was well written and clear; it made a lot of sense.  Perhaps a 16 week break without pay would make the workers appreciate the job a little more and thus a bit more pliable when the next negotiation begins.  Also, it would help the riders if the current conductor could see that someone else has been trained and is ready and willing to take their place. AND you made an excellent point about those funds being reallocated.  I've got a laundry list of things I'd suggest that money could be used for.

its a go...
sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic…

Where do I sign up to be a scab?

I thought bart was run automatically and there isn't even really a need for the drivers?

Bart trains are DRIVEN by the computer. They CAN operate without the drivers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi…

Automation

BART was one of the first U.S. systems of any size to have substantial automated operations. The trains are computer-controlled via BART's Operations Control Center (OCC) and headquarters at Lake Merritt and generally arrive with regular punctuality. Train operators are present to make announcements, close doors, and operate the train in case of unforeseen difficulties.

As a first-generation system, BART's automation system was plagued with numerous operational problems during its first years of service. Shortly after revenue service began, an on-board electronics failure caused one two-car test train (with car 143 as the lead car) to run off the end of the elevated track at the Fremont station and into a parking lot. This incident was dubbed the Fremont Flyer, and there were no serious injuries.[15][25] When revenue service began, "ghost trains" (or false occupancies), trains that show up on the computer system as being in a specific place but don't physically exist, were common, and real trains could at times disappear from the system, as a result of dew on the tracks and too low of a voltage (at 0.6 volts rather than the industry standard 15 volts) being passed through the rails for train detection.[25] Under such circumstances, trains had to be operated manually and were restricted to a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). Enhancements were made to the train control system to address these "ghost trains" (or false occupancies). However, manual blocking that kept trains in stations until the train ahead had left its station were mandated for several years.

The original signaling technology and subsequent enhancements used to control the trains was developed by Westinghouse.

During this initial shakedown period, there were several episodes where trains had to be manually run and signaled via station agents communicating by telephone. This caused a great outcry in the press and led to a flurry of litigation among Westinghouse, the original controls contractor, and BART, as well as public battles between the state government (advised by University of California professor Dr. Bill Wattenburg), the federal government, and the district, but in time these problems were resolved and BART became a reliable service.[25] Ghost trains apparently still persist on the system to this day and are usually cleared quickly enough to avoid significant delay, but occasionally some can cause an extended backup of manually operated trains in the system.[26] In addition, the fare card system was easily hackable with equipment commonly found in universities, although most of these flaws have been fixed.[27]

Getting my Harley ready for Monday...

7 minutes ago Alexis "dating god" B. says:

Where do I sign up to be a scab?

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I'll follow right behind ya ;)

Thanks for the link Juv.  340,000 more people are gonna be on the roads; that's just f*ckin great!

Luis can I ride into SF on the back of your motorcycle?  Even if I don't have tattoos?  Uh, I'll make you coffee!?

WELL SINCE I WORK IN THE LIMO BUSINESS, I GUESS THIS MIGHT BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS.....no,  bart riders can't afford us anyways.

I have no sympathy for the ATU, the union that is striking.  These guys are are the Station Agents and Train Operators.  These guys, for the most part is a pure customer service job.  A typical announcement from a BART train operator is:

"Coliseum... Fremont"

What the hell is that supposed to mean?  If Iwas a tourist, how could I make sense of that?

I guess what the train operator meant is:

"Oakland Airport/Coliseum station,  this is a transfer point to the Amtrak Capitol Corridor.  Passengers headed to the Oakland Airport must board the AirBART bus at street level for an additonal $3.00.  This a Fremont bount train."

They get paid so much money and they can't even get announcements right.

I love it when there is a system-wide service issue when central control makes announcements, so polite and professional.  Then the train operator comes in and says "Uhh...we're uh... pulling into Lake Merritt, the train ahead of us was taken out of service... wow there's a lot of people on the platform, can you make way for them?"

Seriously ATU, do you jobs well and you will deserve your pay.  At this rate, you don't deserve jacksh*t.

The BART board needs to take a page out of Ronald Reagan's playbook and fire them all and train up people who want to work. Selfish of them to vote down a deal in these tough economic times. It's not like the counties are flush with cash right now.

Fuck ATU BART station agents and all the fuckin train operators for BART. Why the hell are we paying these uneducated people such large sums of money when all they do is make your life a living hell. Have you ever tried to talk to a station agent about an issue you have, or maybe the ticket got demagnatized or what ever. They all look at you with this disdain painted on their face, and talk down to you like your a dumb ass or something. They all have no customer service skills whatsoever! I'm in customer service and I work my ass off even if some idiot is giving me problems, I'm required to keep smiling and be courteous and empathetic, not be a jerk! They get paid so much money for doing hardley anything! Let me get paid the way they do and watch me  never complain. They want to strike because of no wage increases for the next four years?! Go to hell man!! when everyone I know is losing their jobs deffering checks, furloughs, salary cuts you name it. On average these train operators make 56% more than the train operators in LA, and 60% more than the train operators in New York! WTF!!! To make it hard for everyone else to make money and go to work because of this is ridiculous at best and offensive at worst!! We are all taking one for the team in this economic climate, maybe these babies at BART will wipe the shit from their eyes and fall in line like the rest of us! Times are tough, but it could be a lot worst than not making 100k and not getting a raise. I got a raise for your BART! come here and get it!

I'm going to get up at 4am, drive to my office and take a nap there... Bart fails!