MTA Workers Union Sets Strike Deadline for Tuesday

Union leaders representing Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and train operators Saturday set a strike for 12:01 a.m. Tuesday unless agreement is reached on a new contract.

Negotiators for management and labor met Saturday at a downtown Los Angeles hotel in an effort to prevent a repeat of the nine-day walkout in 1994 that stranded tens of thousands of workers who rely on public transit and created a killer commute for everyone else. Further talks are scheduled for today.

“We’re still convinced that we can reach a settlement without a work stoppage,” James Williams, general chairman of the United Transportation Union, said, pledging to negotiate around the clock. He said the strike date was set to give those who depend on public transit time to make other arrangements.

Raman Raj, MTA managing director of employee and labor relations, said the two sides “are getting closer. I don’t think there’s a whole lot keeping us apart.”

Neither side would discuss the issues, but MTA management has previously said it wants to increase contracting out bus lines, step up the use of part-time drivers to reduce overtime costs, eliminate automatic cost-of-living increases and implement other measures to save $20 million a year.

MTA officials noted that they are prepared to put 350 buses on the street in the event of a strike, using replacement drivers and non-union workers. But that would still leave four-fifths of riders without their usual service. The MTA on a typical day rolls out 1,750 buses.

The drivers union has asked Gov. Pete Wilson to seek a court order imposing a 60-day cooling-off period to delay a strike. But unlike Bay Area Rapid Transit officials in San Francisco, who got the governor to intervene last week, the MTA board has urged Wilson not to intervene here for fear that delaying a strike until September would come at a time when students are returning to school.

*

Last Monday, just hours before contracts were to expire at midnight, the drivers union agreed to a one-week extension of the labor agreement.

Under the MTA’s strike contingency plan, the rail lines would continue to run but at a reduced level. Bus and train service would operate only from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the fare would be 50 cents for all riders except senior citizens and disabled people, who would pay 25 cents. Metrolink and municipal and private bus operators would continue to operate normally.

The MTA bus and rail network averages 1.1 million boardings a day.

Negotiations are continuing with the Amalgamated Transit Union representing mechanics and the Transportation Communications International Union representing clerks.

Riders can obtain information by dialing 1-800-COMMUTE or calling up the MTA World Wide Web page at www.mta.net/