The State : Court’s Strike Freeze to End

A court-imposed freeze on a strike that would halt Bay Area Rapid Transit commuter trains between San Francisco and the East Bay will expire Tuesday with little progress reported in talks. But leaders of two unions poised to strike have indicated a willingness to keep talking for another week rather than walk out and cut service for 200,000 daily passengers. A walkout could virtually paralyze rush-hour automobile commuting by overloading the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, already backed up 30 minutes at peak hours. The two-month cooling off period that ends Tuesday was ordered by a Sacramento County Superior Court judge when a strike appeared imminent. The order also prevented BART from hiring any replacement workers.