Reprinted from the ANSWER Coalition website, slightly edited for style.
Monday, July 1
San Francisco actions
All locations, start at Civic Center BART at UN Plaza:
6 a.m. Strike lines, passing out leaflets to riders
12 p.m. Lunch-time picket
5 p.m. Convergence rally and action to end Day 1 of strike at Civic Center BART, UN Plaza
Oakland actions:
7 a.m. Strike lines go up at Frank Ogawa Plaza
10 a.m. 300 Lakeside (BART HQ) kick-off, march to Frank Ogawa Plaza
12 p.m. Frank Ogawa Plaza major convergence rally and action
Bay Area Rapid Transit workers have gone on strike seeking a fair contract—one that speaks for the rights of workers and the safety of riders and workers. BART officials and the corporate media have tried to blame the workers for the strike, painting the workers as greedy and inflexible—playing off commuter fears about a strike. This is an unfair, untrue characterization of the workers and the strike. It is BART management that is responsible.
One major issue is safety. In the last three years, in five stations, 2,400 serious crimes have been committed, including 1,000 physical attacks on riders and 100 on BART workers. Also, BART workers are running more trains that carry more people but with a reduced workforce. BART officials have refused to respond to worker concerns over safety—spending dollars on outside attorneys to fight safety rulings. At the bargaining table, officials have all-out refused to consider the union’s rider and worker safety proposals.
Another is wages, which includes pensions and benefits. Four years ago, workers sacrificed $100 million in wage increases and work rules. They haven’t had a wage increase in five years. The workers are asking for a fair wage—increases of 5 percent a year. BART officials have been offering minimal wage increases of 2 percent a year, while demanding increased pension and healthcare contributions—meaning that workers would actually see their pay cut!
BART officials have released inflated salary estimates and averages for workers. According to the SF Examiner, train operators and station agents make a maximum annual salary of $62,000. A BART general manager makes $399,000 minimum!!
A 2011 report showed that a family of four in the Bay Area needed $74,341 a year just to get by. That was up from $62,517 in 2008. The same report said that the cost of basic needs—rent, food, health care, childcare, transportation and taxes—had risen 18.9 percent from 2008 to 2011. That trend has not changed. According to the Economic Policy Institute that number is now $84,133 a year.
The ANSWER Coalition calls on community members to support the BART workers. Join the picket lines and rallies. All of us are workers who understand how important transportation is to our lives and how inconvenient it is when BART doesn’t run well. But the BART workers are standing up for all workers as more and more employers demand that we pay for our own health care and pensions, and survive on minimal wages in one of the most expensive places in the country. The BART workers are the ones who will make sure BART does run well. They have the right to do so in safety and to be paid fairly for their work. Demand that BART officials get BART running by supporting workers’ safety and guaranteeing a fair, living wage.
More information at www.wemakebartwork.com and www.keepbartrunning.com.
Issued as a public service by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
