Entering the third week of an ongoing strike from Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265, the union denied the most recent proposal at the board’s special meeting on Sunday morning from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
In a Monday press release from the VTA sent to the Spartan Daily, the board said that they were convening to resolve negotiations through a wage proposal that would be approved by the ATU.
“The Board proposed an increase to the agency’s most recent proposal with authorization to go up to an 11% offer paying out at 4%, 4%, 3% over three years, conditional upon agreeing to proposals that reduce absenteeism to guarantee reliability of service,” the VTA said in
the press release. “This also represents a meaningful increase from the previous board-authorized offer of 9% over three years. The new proposal has been sent to the union.”
The proposal put forth an increase of wages from an initial 10.5 percent over three years in which the ATU demanded more, according to a March 22 article from The Mercury News.
“VTA has put forward a more than fair proposal that ensures employees receive competitive pay and strong benefits for themselves and their families,” the VTA said in a statement sent to the Spartan Daily.
ATU rejected the agency’s proposal of an 11% increase of wages with 83% of voting members opposing the deal, according to a March 24 article from The Mercury News.
Workers with the ATU began their strike over two weeks ago after not reaching a deal with VTA for months of negotiations, putting a halt to all VTA operations in the area, according to a March 11 article from CBS News Bay Area.
“VTA’s latest proposal reflects our commitment to our workforce, and we urge our employees to embrace this chance to secure their future and return to work,” the VTA statement said. “Negotiations remain open for ATU to come to the table with a request.”
Public transportation is the primary method of transportation for commuter students at SJSU, according to the Associated Students’ Transportation Solutions Fall 2023 Student Survey.
The Spartan Daily contacted A.S. Transportation Solutions for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
As of publication, all VTA bus and light rail services are not operating because of the ongoing strike.
