LOS ANGELES COUNTY : MTA Union Authorizes Strike if Negotiations Fail

Bus and train operators for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted overwhelmingly Thursday to authorize union negotiators to schedule a strike date if agreement on a new labor contract cannot be reached before their contract expires Thursday.

Members of the United Transportation Union voted 2,843 to 265 to set the date, union officials said. However, they added, they still hope to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table.

The UTU is one of three union whose contract agreements with the MTA expire at midnight at the end of this month. Union officials initially requested a 3% raise and retention of a cost-of-living increase. MTA officials, who are considering a fare increase to help ease a $126-million operating deficit, oppose both demands.

Earlier this week, the MTA announced a strike contingency plan, saying the agency has trained 100 substitute bus and train operators in the event of work stoppages.

However, UTU General Chairman Earl Clark said the bus and train operators “have no desire or intention of disrupting public transportation unnecessarily.” Rather, Clark said, the union plans to ask Gov. Pete Wilson to intervene in the dispute to give both parties more time to negotiate.