<p>I'm commuting to San Francisco this summer for work and
if Bart train operators go on strike (highly likely given the
circumstances) I'm screwed. I know this will affect
over half a million people every day, so I would like to know how
you guys feel about it. </p>
<p>BTW BART train operators get paid around 100k , bonuses included</p>
<p>While strikes are usually unproductive and silly, the idea of BART employees striking is just the height of mindless, greedy, blue-collar stupidity. If BART stopped running, the countless people who rely on it here would be immediately impacted. Tons of people would miss work, job interviews, school, and anything else important in their lives that requires leaving their immediate vicinities. BART has a huge responsibility on its shoulders, and this is what happens when you put that kind of responsibility in the hands of people who do not see beyond their own selfish desires.</p>
<p>And as far as their timing goes, are they serious? Did they not get the ‘CA is dead broke’ memo?. If they do strike, the governator should terminate them all and hire illegal aliens; they work harder for less.</p>
<p>yeah i agree with hiring aliens, but they probably don’t have a high school diploma. you need some credential to indicate that you know how to push a few buttons and say: Not in service train now approaching platform 2.</p>
<p>this has no bearing on my take on the potential BART strike, but babydragon, you could always take the F bus to SF. I do that everyday and it’s free.</p>
<p>thx for the info, but did it not occur to you that due to the strike, everyone will do something like that. and if everyone thinks like that than Bay Bridge will blow up!. no commute, no bridge, 1,000,000 people stuck in traffic, and a really happy Arnold</p>
<p>I think you’re severely exaggerating the effects of a BART strike, but it would obviously cause an influx in traffic. Also, you’re not accounting for the fact that AC transit could scale-up transbay operations in the event of a BART strake.</p>
<p>“you need some credential to indicate that you know how to push a few buttons and say: Not in service train now approaching platform 2.”</p>
<p>I’m not so sure about that man. I was on a BART that crashed into another train in February. One was being controlled by a computer and the other manually.</p>
<p>Wow did not even know about this accident until now. i think one train was supposed to stop and allow the other to move forward, and since the robot does not know any better i’d say the operator didn’t look “both ways.” which train were you on? richmond or pittsburgh/baypoint?</p>
<p>I was on the Richmond train, coming from Lake Meritt.</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty harsh to attribute this whole thing to greed and “blue-collar stupidity.” Keep in mind that there are 3,200 of these employees, many of whom clean the cars (not envious), do maintenance work, handle customer service, and probably make significantly less than the aforementioned 100k. And who knows what the hours, health-care benefits, and retirement plans are like.</p>
<p>In any case, it looks like the problem is pretty much averted for now:
[BART</a> settlement reached / Strike averted as management agrees to union’s last-minute proposal](<a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/06/BART.TMP]BART”>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/06/BART.TMP)</p>
<p>Glad everything could be worked out. :]</p>
<p>Harsh but honest. I’m glad everything worked out too.</p>