2 Month Cooling-Off Period : Deukmejian Will Likely Intervene in RTD Dispute

Gov. George Deukmejian is expected to intervene early next week to avert for at least two months a threatened strike by nearly 5,000 bus drivers against the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

A spokesman for the governor’s office said Friday that “there is no reason to expect him not to act favorably” on the request from both the union and the RTD that he name a special panel of up to five members to investigate the dispute.

Drivers who are members of the AFL-CIO United Transportation Union voted Thursday by a 91% margin to authorize a strike. If the governor fails to act on the request for intervention, the strike--the seventh in 15 years--could begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Both sides have said they expect Deukmejian to intervene.

The special panel would have seven days to complete its inquiry before the governor is empowered to ask the state attorney general to seek a court injunction delaying a possible strike for a 60-day cooling-off period.

In the past, the cooling-off period has seldom been an effective way to get both sides to accept an agreement without a strike. The last walkout was in 1982 and lasted five days. The longest strike, in 1974, lasted 68 days. Both walkouts had been preceded by the cooling-off period.

The union is asking for pay hikes of 4% a year, plus maintenance of present medical benefits and some improvements in pensions and working conditions. Management is asking for a basic pay freeze but said some increases could be paid if the drivers improve productivity.

Top drivers now earn $12.72 an hour, and the district said the average driver earns $11.90 an hour.

The contract was due to expire Jan. 31, but was extended until midnight Tuesday to allow more time for bargaining.