Bay Area transit workers go on strike after weekend talks fail, traffic snarls expected

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BART station agent Mark Madrigal helps a customer at the Lake Merritt station in Oakland, Calif., Friday, June 28, 2013. Two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit\'s largest unions gave notice that they plan to go on strike if they don\'t reach a new contract deal over the weekend. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

OAKLAND, Calif. – Two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit’s largest unions have gone on strike after weekend talks with management failed, ensuring a nightmarish journey ahead for Monday morning commuters.

Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 went on strike around midnight Sunday.

The unions had been asking for a 5 per cent annual raise over the next three years.

BART management rolled out several offers over the course of negotiations, including an 8 per cent salary raise over the next four years. ATU Local President Antonette Bryant on Sunday dismissed the proposal as “surface bargaining.”

BART’s last strike lasted six days in 1997. On Friday, other area transit agencies urged commuters to consider carpooling, taking buses or ferries, working from home and, if they must drive to work, to leave earlier or even later than usual.

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