After the latest fiasco maybe our legislators can now be forced to put forth a bill to prevent any strikes in the future by demanding arbitration to labor conflict while the trains keep moving. We cannot have our Bay Area economy held hostage by the very system that we voted on and funded. NYC and other municipalities have legislation preventing this type of hostage taking. The only think preventing this is our legislators that are so controlled by the unions. We can circumvent them by putting an initiative on the ballot and voting on it. What do you think?

After all of these months of contentious striking and high demands for money and controlling power, the Union spent a huge amount of time thanking and naming numerous liberal politicians.
The Unions and the Politicians are deeply in each other's pockets.
Customers have no say and no representation. We are just a "Big Wallet".
Unions "won" a contract. Guess who lost?

Why is it that BART government workers can strike but Lawrence Livermore Lab workers, also government workers, cannot strike. My spouse has not had a raise or cost of living increase in 7 years.

Vote against ALL union supporting politicians---take back our country starting at the local level.. Swalwell supports obamacare the biggest fiasco---get him out.

The unions have outlived their need. They are thugs. Union workers are lazy. See the attitude on Bart every day.

If you think legislation restricting transit workers strikes is gonna pass in this state take a look at who was standing beside the over paid and under worked union reps at last nights news conference. I agree with Bill's comments about initiative based change is the only way this ransom can be stopped. The problem however, as it always is, will be public memory and voter apathy.

please everybody remember newell arnerich comments regarding the strike...the man is owned by union money!

just say no!

I agree that the strikes which result in mass disruption to public service do a disservice to all - particularly the corresponding union. However, I have no doubt in my mind that virtually all who took the time to denigrate any and all union efforts were just thrilled with the Republican lead 'strike' to shut-down the Federal government for nearly three weeks. Makes no sense.

Remember, if you hate any and all union / bargaining unit governed workplaces, turn-off the World Series game tonight and also stop payment on your Niner's / Giants season tickets...unless of course those unions are actually ok by some form of unprincipled thinking.

Although some of the earlier posts have blasted "unions", without qualifying the statement, there is a huge and fundamental difference between unions that represent employees of private companies (I'm including publically-traded corporations in this), and unions that represent public employees (where some or all of their compensation comes from taxpayers).

The problem with unions representing public employees is that there isn't really anyone representing the real "employer" (i.e., the taxpayers) in the negotiations. Put another way, BART management wasn't really negotiating with THEIR money, they were negotiating with riders money, and taxpayers money. (As an aside, various forms of taxpayer subsidies account for a bit over 1/3 of BART's total "funding", with ticket revenues making up a bit less than 2/3, as I understand it.)

So this really has nothing to do with watching the World Series, or NFL games, even though "union members" are definitely involved in putting on, and televising, those events. And although I can't read the minds of previous posters, in MY case, I am referring only to public-employee unions.

It was refreshing to see (in today's paper) an editorial from the Bay Area Newsgroup editorial staff, that basically blasted BART management for "caving in" to the unions. They realize that BART management conceded too much in the way of salary and other financial considerations, for modest concessions (by the unions) on work rules, etc. The editorial also listed many of the local politicians (all of one party - guess which one?) who apparently leaned on BART management, in one form or another. The paper basically advised us to have long memories, the next time BART raises fares, or looks for more taxpayer funding. And also, to remember which politicians leaned on BART management. Actually, they did NOT have unkind words to say about Gavin Newsom, saying that he had remained more or less neutral, while still pushing for an agreement. (Newsom of course was prominently on display at the announcement of a strike resolution - he never is one to pass up on an opportunity to get air time. But in his remarks, he didn't favor one side or another, and basically just said that "we need to make sure this doesn't happen again", which can be interpreted in several ways....)

Newson's "need(ing) to make sure this doesn't happen again" could mean that BART management and its rules should be changed so that it caves into Union demands earlier in the process and more silently and beyond scrutiny of the public.

I don't think these same politicians are going to pass an Anti-Strike bill against their Union "friends".
Perhaps they would pass Anti-BART management legislation of some sort.....or help hinder any Citizen-lead Anti-Strike initiative. That would be more like their true colors.

Even with a 25% across-the-board pay cut BART employees would be grossly overpaid. Instead they received a 16+% pay increase! Guess who pays for this ludicrous settlement, YOU the rider and taxpayer. Vote NO against any politician who takes a dime from a public employee Union. The stranglehold these unions have on our state has to end!! Our one-party state is a shame.

If you care about the BART union's stranglehold on the public, DO NOT VOTE FOR NEWELL ARNERICH for Assembly. He was quoted in yesterday's SRV Times as saying that anti-strike legislation applying to BART workers is "not a solution".

Come on, Arnerich. Of course it is a solution: a solution to the nightmare that BART workers continually inflict on the innocent commuter. BART workers have all the power. The taxpayer has none. Stop being a shill for the unions. The so-called "negotiation" between overpaid BART management and the overpaid BART Board and the union is a total farce. As many have already pointed out, the taxpayers and the commuters have to backfill the shortfalls between revenues and the out of control expenditures on union workers.