Workers with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority went on
strike midnight Monday, shutting down Los Angeles County’s
largest bus system and potentially leaving thousands of commuters
““ including UCLA students and workers ““ stranded.
The MTA operates the main bus lines in Los Angeles County,
including Metro Rapid ““ a subway and a light rail system that
spans from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. Municipal bus
lines, such as the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and the Culver
CityBus, are not expected to be affected by the strike.
The MTA carries about 500,000 riders a day, or about 75 to 80
percent of commuters in the county, said Marc Littman, a spokesman
for the MTA.
Although only the MTA mechanics union will be striking, the two
unions representing MTA drivers and clerks have vowed not to cross
their picket lines.
“MTA is not going on strike. It’s our unions that
are threatening to walk out and deny service to our customers who
depend on them,” said Roger Snoble, the CEO of MTA, in a
statement.
The strike could impact UCLA students and workers who rely on
Metro buses to commute outside of the Santa Monica area.
Ryan Murphy, a fourth-year biochemistry student who takes the
Metro Bus Line 2 to his home in West Hollywood, said he would
probably have to drive to school today and pay for parking.
The MTA mechanics union wants the MTA to increase contributions
to its health fund, which helps pay for the medical coverage of
2,000 employees and retirees.
Although MTA currently contributes $17 million a year to the
fund, the union says it needs more money to cope with rising health
care costs. The MTA said the union mismanaged its health care fund
in the past, which has created a financial hole.
Negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union ““ the
organization representing MTA mechanics ““ broke down Sunday.
On Monday, the MTA also entered negotiations with the drivers and
clerks unions over their health care plans, said Goldy Norton, a
spokesman for the United Transportation Union, which represents MTA
drivers.
Despite the negotiations, Norton said MTA drivers would stand
behind the mechanics.
“We will observe their picket lines,” he said.
However, Norton also emphasized the difference between the
mechanics union ““ which is striking ““ and the drivers
union, which is not striking, but is honoring the picket lines. The
drivers union reserves the right to strike sometime in the future,
he said.
This not the first time Los Angeles-area bus workers have gone
on strike. In 2000, a walkout by MTA bus drivers shut down much of
the county’s mass transportation for 32 days and stranded
about 400,000 riders.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.