SAN JOSE — As the strike of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers reaches the end of its second week, union members are set to vote on a new proposal Saturday following several days of contract talks.
The Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 265 walked off the job March 10 after negotiations with the transit agency fell apart the week before. The sticking points between the union and the agency were the language of an arbitration clause and the raise amount.
In the VTA’s new proposal to the union, employees would receive a 10.5% raise over three years, according to a press release from the agency. That would be broken down into a 4% raise in the first year, a 3% raise in the second year and a 3.5% raise in the third year, VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said.
The new proposal also includes arbitration language that was agreed upon by both the union and the agency, the VTA said. Revising the language of an existing arbitration clause has been the union’s top concern and the primary subject of negotiations over the past several days.
“ATU leadership has held its members and the riders who depend on public transportation for their livelihood hostage for two weeks,” the VTA press release reads. “It is the responsibility of ATU leadership to ensure their members have the facts.”
The new proposal also includes “significantly enhancing” dental coverage, the VTA said. The transit agency’s officials also said they will continue to cover all healthcare costs for 93% of ATU employees, as well as provide a pension and medical care for retirees.
The union’s membership is set to vote on the proposal Saturday, the VTA said. If approved, the proposal will then go to the VTA’s board for a vote. Union workers can return to their roles before the proposal is approved by the board, if union leadership permits it, Hendler Ross said.
“VTA is open, and we want our workers back on the job,” Hendler Ross said.
Union leaders could not be immediately reached for comment.
The VTA added that the proposal keeps the union as the second-highest paid in the Bay Area.