BART, Unions Add More Meeting Dates As Deadline Nears
OAKLAND (KCBS) – In the seemingly contentious back and forth between officials from Bay Area Rapid Transit and its unions, the latest twist is whether the two sides should meet every day of the week.
The unions said they have been calling for daily meetings, which they said is being met with resistance by BART officials.
BART, Unions Add More Meeting Dates
BART spokesperson Alicia Trost disputes that claim, saying they have been following the mediator's schedule.
"In fact, we told the mediator yesterday, if you'd like to set up a meeting for Thursday or Friday, we will be happy to join," she said.
Antonette Bryant, President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 told KCBS on Thursday, "We just got notification late last night (Wednesday) that BART is willing to meet Friday."
As of Thursday evening, it remained unclear whether a meeting on Friday will take place.
BART management and unions continue to have conflicting opinions on how close they are to reaching a deal, before the 60-day cooling off period expires on October 10th.
"You crunch the numbers, it's over $100 million," said Trost.
However, Bryant is a bit more optimistic. "Our figures are nowhere near that far apart," she said.
The one thing the two sides agree on – it's a positive that they are still at the table.
Trost said two more meetings have been added for next week.
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