Uneasy Riders Fear Strike

As Akemi Martin stood Wednesday morning waiting for bus No. 42 at the Orange Mall to take her to work in Los Alamitos, she and other passengers fretted over the looming threat of a bus drivers’ strike.

For Martin, who relies on the public transportation system to get to work, a cancellation of the route would be disastrous.

“I work for a law firm and my boss expects me to come to work,” said Martin, who added that if the strike results in a temporary cancellation of the route, she might have to quit her job and find one in Riverside.

Orange County Transportation Authority officials announced Monday that if the 744 county bus drivers strike rather than accept a pay cut, they will immediately begin hiring new drivers and take steps to privatize bus services. The bus drivers have scheduled a strikevote for Saturday, just two days before their current contract expires. A strike could come as early as next week.

County transportation officials have said that Route 42, like others not along major thoroughfares, could be temporarily disrupted if there is a strike. Officials said “a significant number” of the system’s 50,000 daily riders could face service interruptions because full service will be promised on only four of the agency’s 52 routes.

If a strike is called, OCTA officials say, they will do their best to find quick replacements and will also put out bids for private contractors to keep disruptions to a minimum.

In the meantime, riders on Route 42 are sure any service interruption would complicate their lives.

Route 42 traverses 26 miles from Orange to Seal Beach, serving a mix of passengers that includes commuters, students and Leisure World residents.

“This is the way for most people to get to work,” said Stacy Johnson, 22, who leaves her son at a day-care center conveniently located where the bus drops them off near her work in Cypress. “This is [affecting] our lives.”

For others, like Evelyn Lindquist, a Leisure World resident, bus service provides a chance to get out of the house. Every morning Lindquist rides No. 42 to the Seal Beach Pier to take a walk and eat breakfast with friends.

“I would be stuck in Leisure World” if there is a temporary cancellation, said Lindquist. “It would be awful. I don’t know what I would do.”

The riders also seem to share a special relationship with Rosalie Harkey, their morning driver, whom they affectionately call Rosie.

Many of the passengers seem to appreciate Harkey’s attention to their needs. Whether it is the blind woman who seeks Harkey’s help in finding an empty seat, the young woman seeking comment on the short story she has just completed, or senior citizens like Lindquist who consider the bus drivers their friends, Harkey seems to have a bond with regular riders.

“It makes a difference who drives the bus,” said Martin. Harkey “knows who needs to transfer. She knows the route. That is a very cavalier attitude [that OCTA officials] are taking. That’s not the way you treat people.”

“I take a lot of pride in my job,” said Harkey, who begins her shift at 4 a.m. “It is a put-down when [OCTA officials] don’t appreciate what you do. This has been my profession for 23 years.” Although Harkey does not think a strike would benefit the drivers or the passengers, she said she would probably honor a decision to strike.

But for people like Lindquist, who recently moved to Seal Beach from Minnesota, bus drivers like Harkey are not replaceable.

“I came here and didn’t know a soul,” said Lindquist. “The drivers were my friends.”

As she stepped off the bus to meet her friends at the pier, Lindquist turned to Harkey and said:

“Don’t you go on strike now. We need you to come and pick up an old lady.”