BART, unions back to bargaining table after lawsuit
Attempting to resolve a dispute over a contract provision that included a family medical leave clause, which the agency says it cannot afford. Unions are not ruling out the option of a third strike.
Photo courtesy Jon "ShakataGaNai" Davis, Wikimedia Commons
SAN FRANCISCO — Reuters reported that Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) managers and union leaders resumed talks on Thursday to resolve a dispute over a contract provision that included a family medical leave clause that led to a lawsuit.
In October, soon after union members ratified the deal, BART voted to approve the contracts without the clause, which they said they hadn’t meant to leave in the agreement. The unions then filed a lawsuit to enforce the contract with the family leave term, which they said BART unlawfully reneged on.
A BART spokesperson said the agency could not afford the paid six weeks, which would cost between $1.4 million and $44 million over the four-year contract, depending on how many employees used it. Union officials told Reuters that they would not rule out the option of a third strike over the dispute. For the full story, click here.
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