Report Finds High BART Union Compensation
As negotiations continue, riders and taxpayers focus on BART employee compensation. Could there be another BART strike on Monday, August 5 ?
SEIU 1021 President Roxanne Sanchez complained about the “unwillingness to bargain” of Thomas Hock, BART management’s chief negotiator. “Thomas Hock has been involved in negotiations that resulted in seven other transit system strikes over the past 11 years.”
As the threat of a renewed strike looms over riders, media and others have taken the opportunity to examine some of the issues finding large disparities in BART compensation with comparable workers in other transit systems. BART employees are currently the “highest-paid transit operators in California” according to the San Jose Mercury News report on July 27. In addition to making no contribution to their pension plans, the article finds the average gross pay for blue collar union employees (excluding BART police and executives) was $76,551 in 2012. “BART’s top-paid train operator grossed $155,308 … BART had offered a wage increase of 5 to 8% … Unions had countered with a pay increase of 20.1% over three years…”
Comments to the BART Board of Directors may be emailed through the following link: http://www.bart.gov/about/bod/contact.aspx
This sort of demand for pay raise without contributing a minimum of 50% toward pension plans is creating a system that cannot be sustained. I thought greed was limited to those in
corporations, but I see it thrives with the blue collar worker as well. Considering many of the employees I have met during my long years of riding BART have been rude, had no knowledge of the system, and mumbled so they could not be understood, I find it hard to be sympathetic or EVEN understanding of their justifications for these demands.
It would be interesting to discover whether management salary increases and benefits cost-sharing is related/linked in any way to those of the union members.
In other words, is management disincented from holding the line in the negotiations and approval of final settlements?