SAN JOSE — Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail service will likely be delayed Monday as inspections on the tracks continue following a historic two-and-a-half week strike, the agency announced on social media.
The orange line may potentially return to service Monday afternoon, while the blue and green lines will take more time before resuming, the VTA said on social media.
Bus service resumed Friday and was met with the gratitude of riders who were left without their normal transportation routes for more than two weeks.
The resumption of service came two days after the striking workers were ordered back to their jobs by a Santa Clara County judge. About 1,500 workers returned to their roles Thursday, and the VTA commenced inspections of its buses and trains ahead of service resuming.
The agency said Friday that, as inspections began, they found “increased incidence” of copper wire theft, which will be investigated and repaired.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 went on strike March 10 after negotiations fell apart the week before. The union was seeking higher pay and other benefits such as a revised arbitration policy.
An agreement on a new contract has yet to be reached. Last week, the union rejected the agency’s most recent offer, which included an 11% raise but added in revisions to the attendance and overtime policies that had been previously removed from negotiations in January.