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On July 1 2013, BART workers went on strike. BART workers last struck in September 1997 for six days. The strike ended on July 5, when both sides agreed to a 30 day cooling off period.  From August to October, negotiations continued, until a second strike began on October 18, this one lasting for 4 days, until October 22, when both sides agreed to some concessions.

City of Oakland workers also went on strike for one day on July 1 after months of fruitless negotiations with the City.  .

Media Coverage

The mass media surrounding the 2013 strikes focused mainly on the inconvenience to BART riders and on what they characterized as excessive demands on the part of BART unions, rather than on the real issues about worker compensation and benefits, and on the conflicting political motivations of BART District Board members.

UPDATES

  • August 4- BART negotiates until the 11th hour (literally) until governor Jerry Brown appointed a board to investigate the contract dispute which stops the threat of a strike, for now.
  • August 1, 7pm- BART gives mandatory 72 hour notice that they may strike again.
  • July 5th 3 pm – strike is OFF for 30 days, to allow renegotiation time.
  • Follow along on twitter with the hashtag #BARTStrike.
  • July 4th: a holiday, so no one cared! People are starting to forget that they can even go to San Francisco.… As of 6:48PM, negotiators from both sides took a dinner break [source].
  • July 3rd was another strike day. Who can even keep track anymore?
  • July 2nd – As of late today, negotiations were underway, but no agreement was reached. As a result, the strike is expected to continue into a third day [source].
  • July 2nd is day 2 of the BART strike. City of Oakland workers returned to work. The weary citizens of the environs surrounding our fine bay struggled to heave themselves in any way possible to and fro across it in whichever way they could. They tried by bus, across bridge, in their cars, on some ferries, and by some other bridges, but despite their best efforts, they were not able to hurl forth at ~60-70mph through a tube (not a tunnel!) that lies heavily on the floor of the bay’s murky depths, silently unused.
  • As of 9PM, still no contract in sight; it appears that there will be a second day of BART strike [source].
  • As of 12PM, workers had already blocked off the intersection of 14th and Broadway and were starting a rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza.
  • As of 8:42 AM, July 1st, BART is on strike. City of Oakland workers returned to work after a one day strike; AC Transit is not. on strike.

Public Service Announcements

  • The City released an announcement on June 30th, 2013. The announcement explains the strike from the Mayor’s point of view and lists which services will be open or closed on the 1st in the event of a strike.
  • Message about library closures.
  • Clipper card sent out a message to riders about the possible strike, writing “BART normally serves over 400K people daily, so a strike could have a huge impact … We urge you to plan ahead for your commute at alert.511.org and be prepared to seek other transportation options.

     

    Prepare Your Clipper Card

    Clipper customers, please note that your BART High Value Discount (HVD) tickets can only be used on BART. We recommend that you add cash value to your Clipper card so you are prepared to take an alternative transit service during the strike. For more information about how to use Clipper on different services, visit clippercard.com.

     

    Know Your Transit Options

    Transit operators will have limited capability to expand services during the strike. For updates regarding available transit services (including scheduling, routes, and stop changes), visit alert.511.org and check back often.

     

    If you plan to ride transit during the strike, you may also take advantage of free parking at BART stations and Park & Ride lots to meet your local transit bus.

     

    Plan Ahead For A Strike

    For more information and tips to plan ahead for a BART strike, including alternative travel modes, visit alert.511.org.”

  • ABC News has a transit resource page.

Background Info & History

The BART contract expired at midnight on June 30th, 2013. As no new contract was successfully negotiated before that deadline, BART workers went on strike. Here’s a message from Oakland Public Library Workers in SEIU 1021 about why they’re striking.

Possible August Strike

Management speaks:

Take a rider survey.

News Coverage

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