BART, unions settle final contract dispute

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and its two largest unions have resolved all of their labor contract issues, agency and union representatives announced over the weekend.

BART General Manager Grace Crunican said she will recommend ratification of a final collective bargaining agreement with Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555. The agreement was reached Saturday with the assistance of the Federal Mediation Conciliation Service, BART and union officials said.

"After eight months of uncertainty for our riders, this deal will guarantee that every ounce of the agency's focus will be directed to providing great service to the Bay Area during the peak holiday period and beyond," said Crunican in a prepared statement.

The two sides believed they had reached an agreement this fall, only to discover that the contract previously approved by the union members inadvertently contained a paid family-leave provision. After union members voted on the agreement, BART's board removed the provision. The unions then sued BART's board members, claiming they unlawfully removed the provision.

ATU 1555 and SEIU Local 1021 will ask their members to ratify the new agreement after BART's board votes to approve it, union officials said.