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"content": "\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors has failed to properly manage, oversee and financially control the project that is further expanding BART into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s according to a newly released report from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury this week, which found that the project “exposes VTA to financial risks” and that its own board of directors knows that oversight needs to be improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is building a 6-mile extension that will add four stations, connecting the Berryessa/North San José BART station through downtown San José and to the city of Santa Clara. But the project has come with delays and rising costs — a price tag of $4.7 billion in 2014 has ballooned to $12.75 billion, according to the report. VTA is targeting the project to be done in 2037, though an oversight consultant estimates completion in 2039.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no realistic plan to deal with foreseeable financial risks,” the report said, “including significant uncertainty about BSVII’s construction and operating costs, reliance on expiring voter-approved sales tax measures, uncertain federal government support, cash flow, and declining ridership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the project’s funding sources, the report adds, are subject to risks. The project was banking on $6.3 billion from the Federal Transit Administration, but it only got $5.1 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066417\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction crews work at the West Portal Site of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project in San José on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project also relies on the regional sales tax measure that would help fund AC Transit, BART and other Bay Area operators, even though it won’t be decided by voters until the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA said that it takes the recommendations, including adopting a strategy that reduces “dependency on new sales tax measures” and preparing an alternative funding strategy, “seriously and remain[s] committed to continuous improvement, transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of the issues identified in the report have been raised previously in various forums,” VTA said in a statement. “Most have been resolved, while others are actively being addressed.”[aside postID=news_12053738 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-4_qed.jpg']VTA said that it included establishing the board’s Oversight Committee, which looks to provide guidance and oversee things like the costs of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another civil grand jury report in the past found problems with oversight, during which “its lack of transparency around changes to project scope and cost were identified as significant deficiencies,” the report added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of a few deliberations or actions providing guidance and VTA staff receiving private input from individual board members, the report found that “the full Board does not benefit from Oversight Committee analysis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan serves as vice chair of the board and chairs the Oversight Commission. He said that VTA “must earn the public’s trust today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The greatest risk to this project is time delay. I’ve encouraged the Committee and VTA staff and contractors to accelerate actual building rather than endless second-guessing that does more for the consultant class than our constituents,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The civil grand jury said that the longer it takes for the project to be completed, the more likely costs associated with the construction and reliance on local sales taxes will grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors has 90 days from June 17 to respond to the findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors has failed to properly manage, oversee and financially control the project that is further expanding BART into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s according to a newly released report from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury this week, which found that the project “exposes VTA to financial risks” and that its own board of directors knows that oversight needs to be improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is building a 6-mile extension that will add four stations, connecting the Berryessa/North San José BART station through downtown San José and to the city of Santa Clara. But the project has come with delays and rising costs — a price tag of $4.7 billion in 2014 has ballooned to $12.75 billion, according to the report. VTA is targeting the project to be done in 2037, though an oversight consultant estimates completion in 2039.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no realistic plan to deal with foreseeable financial risks,” the report said, “including significant uncertainty about BSVII’s construction and operating costs, reliance on expiring voter-approved sales tax measures, uncertain federal government support, cash flow, and declining ridership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the project’s funding sources, the report adds, are subject to risks. The project was banking on $6.3 billion from the Federal Transit Administration, but it only got $5.1 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066417\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction crews work at the West Portal Site of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project in San José on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project also relies on the regional sales tax measure that would help fund AC Transit, BART and other Bay Area operators, even though it won’t be decided by voters until the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA said that it takes the recommendations, including adopting a strategy that reduces “dependency on new sales tax measures” and preparing an alternative funding strategy, “seriously and remain[s] committed to continuous improvement, transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of the issues identified in the report have been raised previously in various forums,” VTA said in a statement. “Most have been resolved, while others are actively being addressed.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>VTA said that it included establishing the board’s Oversight Committee, which looks to provide guidance and oversee things like the costs of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another civil grand jury report in the past found problems with oversight, during which “its lack of transparency around changes to project scope and cost were identified as significant deficiencies,” the report added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of a few deliberations or actions providing guidance and VTA staff receiving private input from individual board members, the report found that “the full Board does not benefit from Oversight Committee analysis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan serves as vice chair of the board and chairs the Oversight Commission. He said that VTA “must earn the public’s trust today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The greatest risk to this project is time delay. I’ve encouraged the Committee and VTA staff and contractors to accelerate actual building rather than endless second-guessing that does more for the consultant class than our constituents,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The civil grand jury said that the longer it takes for the project to be completed, the more likely costs associated with the construction and reliance on local sales taxes will grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors has 90 days from June 17 to respond to the findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> Valley Transportation Authority is offering free rides on its buses and trains all day Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Free Fare Day,” as the VTA is calling the event, starts at the beginning of service in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 23, and will run through 3 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a VTA spokesperson, said Free Fare Day is a way for the agency to thank existing riders, and a way to attract potential new riders with the hope of reviving sluggish train ridership figures and boosting revenue during its current multi-year budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They may say, ‘OK, well I’ll take the train this day, or I’ll take the bus this particular day because I don’t have to pay,’ and that may turn them into a new regular customer,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The daylong free rides also coincide with All Aboard Transit Day, part of the larger \u003ca href=\"https://sftransitriders.org/transitmonth/\">Transit Month \u003c/a>celebrations in September by more than 20 of the region’s public transit agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057154\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A VTA bus rolls down First Street in San José on June 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/ KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During \u003ca href=\"https://allaboardbayarea.com/\">All Aboard Transit Day\u003c/a>, various agencies are hosting events, participating in panel discussions and giving away transit-branded swag, among other efforts, to drum up interest and boost transit use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transit Month is something to just raise the consciousness of transit in people’s minds, to let them know that it’s here, to remind them that it is environmentally a great way to get around the Bay Area,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA buses and light rail trains move tens of thousands of people around the South Bay each day, but the agency has faced major challenges, including the tightening financial picture and a 17-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030584/santa-clara-county-transit-grinds-to-a-halt-as-vta-workers-strike\">strike\u003c/a> by its bus drivers and train operators in March that only came to an end by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">order of a judge\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12053738 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-4_qed.jpg']The agency has seen steady growth in its bus ridership after the pandemic, and currently sits at about 90% of pre-pandemic levels, with some days exceeding those prior totals, Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Light rail trains, however, have faced a harder road to recovery, remaining about 60% as full as they were before the pandemic, which she attributed to the rise in remote work and partial shutdowns for improvements in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s board approved a two-year budget earlier this summer that includes using reserves to cover a roughly $868,000 hole in fiscal year 2026, and millions more in reserves, along with cost-saving measures, to patch a nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/Biennial-Budget-FY26-FY27.pdf\">$15 million gap\u003c/a> in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is also heading up the effort to build a 6-mile, four-station \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051730/the-vta-is-all-in-on-one-tunnel-to-connect-san-jose-by-bart\">extension\u003c/a> of the BART system through downtown San José and into Santa Clara. That project, expected to be finished in 2037, would complete a long-held vision to encircle the Bay with transit options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The extension project is currently expected to cost roughly $12.7 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riders can plan trips on \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/\">VTA\u003c/a> buses and light rail trains through the agency’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/trip-planner\">Trip Planner \u003c/a>or on the agency’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/go/transit-app\">app\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> Valley Transportation Authority is offering free rides on its buses and trains all day Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Free Fare Day,” as the VTA is calling the event, starts at the beginning of service in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 23, and will run through 3 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a VTA spokesperson, said Free Fare Day is a way for the agency to thank existing riders, and a way to attract potential new riders with the hope of reviving sluggish train ridership figures and boosting revenue during its current multi-year budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They may say, ‘OK, well I’ll take the train this day, or I’ll take the bus this particular day because I don’t have to pay,’ and that may turn them into a new regular customer,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The daylong free rides also coincide with All Aboard Transit Day, part of the larger \u003ca href=\"https://sftransitriders.org/transitmonth/\">Transit Month \u003c/a>celebrations in September by more than 20 of the region’s public transit agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057154\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250626-VTAFILE-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A VTA bus rolls down First Street in San José on June 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/ KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During \u003ca href=\"https://allaboardbayarea.com/\">All Aboard Transit Day\u003c/a>, various agencies are hosting events, participating in panel discussions and giving away transit-branded swag, among other efforts, to drum up interest and boost transit use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transit Month is something to just raise the consciousness of transit in people’s minds, to let them know that it’s here, to remind them that it is environmentally a great way to get around the Bay Area,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA buses and light rail trains move tens of thousands of people around the South Bay each day, but the agency has faced major challenges, including the tightening financial picture and a 17-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030584/santa-clara-county-transit-grinds-to-a-halt-as-vta-workers-strike\">strike\u003c/a> by its bus drivers and train operators in March that only came to an end by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">order of a judge\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The agency has seen steady growth in its bus ridership after the pandemic, and currently sits at about 90% of pre-pandemic levels, with some days exceeding those prior totals, Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Light rail trains, however, have faced a harder road to recovery, remaining about 60% as full as they were before the pandemic, which she attributed to the rise in remote work and partial shutdowns for improvements in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s board approved a two-year budget earlier this summer that includes using reserves to cover a roughly $868,000 hole in fiscal year 2026, and millions more in reserves, along with cost-saving measures, to patch a nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/Biennial-Budget-FY26-FY27.pdf\">$15 million gap\u003c/a> in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is also heading up the effort to build a 6-mile, four-station \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051730/the-vta-is-all-in-on-one-tunnel-to-connect-san-jose-by-bart\">extension\u003c/a> of the BART system through downtown San José and into Santa Clara. That project, expected to be finished in 2037, would complete a long-held vision to encircle the Bay with transit options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The extension project is currently expected to cost roughly $12.7 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riders can plan trips on \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/\">VTA\u003c/a> buses and light rail trains through the agency’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/trip-planner\">Trip Planner \u003c/a>or on the agency’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/go/transit-app\">app\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "BART Slams VTA for Cost-Cutting Secrecy in $12.7 Billion Silicon Valley Extension",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the midst of a critical moment for BART’s long-delayed $12.7 billion Silicon Valley extension, the agency’s leadership is calling out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> transit officials for a lack of communication about cost-cutting measures and other key elements of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shane Edwards, BART’s assistant general manager, wrote a scathing Aug. 15 letter to Carolyn Gonot, general manager of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which is building the six-mile extension through downtown San José and into Santa Clara for BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards wrote that his agency is “gravely concerned” that VTA failed to alert BART of an Aug. 11 press release about a report of the costs of a potential twin-tunnel design for the extension. VTA managers used the report to justify \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051730/the-vta-is-all-in-on-one-tunnel-to-connect-san-jose-by-bart\">doubling down\u003c/a> on a single-tunnel approach for the project, despite concerns from some independent experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards also said VTA publicly presented the project’s oversight committee board members with a cost-saving proposal to significantly scale down the planned Newhall Yard in Santa Clara without having advanced discussions with BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both actions violate established protocols, undermine the trust and coordination that have guided this partnership, and represent serious breaches of process,” Edwards wrote in a letter obtained by KQED. \u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/bart-voices-frustrations-about-lack-of-transparency-from-vta/\">\u003cem>San José Spotlight \u003c/em>first reported \u003c/a>news of the letter to VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051900\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051900\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers and machinery are seen at VTA’s West Portal construction site in San José on June 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“These lapses are incompatible with the level of transparency and cooperation expected between primary project partners,” Edwards continued, saying VTA’s actions could affect BART’s ability to safely operate the extension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the scale, complexity, and visibility of this project, these failures are not minor oversights; they are unacceptable breaches of trust,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA is nearing the final stages of a nearly yearlong process to look for ways to cut as much as $1 billion off its total project cost, to bring the extension in line with an approximately $12.1 billion budget, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">$5 billion pledge\u003c/a> from the federal government. The agency originally hoped to receive as much as $6.3 billion in federal money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also announced earlier this summer that it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043328/vta-officials-want-to-ditch-contractor-on-south-bay-bart-extension\">plans to ditch\u003c/a> its primary tunneling and trackwork contractor to find a new one, due to a dispute over cost.[aside postID=news_12051730 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-5_qed.jpg']Edwards also said he was “formally notifying VTA” that BART rejected the yard redesign that was floated at the oversight meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, VTA said it “remains committed to a strong partnership with BART and to delivering the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project to the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statement said VTA takes communication concerns seriously, and highlighted regular updates made to its oversight committee and detailed monthly reports on the progress and finances of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are addressing the concerns raised in BART’s August 15 letter and are ensuring the Newhall yard design fully supports BART’s safe and efficient operations,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barney Smits, a retired engineer who worked for BART for 25 years, said “it’s about time that BART management stepped up” to raise concerns about communication, transparency and the apparently stressed partnership between the two agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They always, for either political reasons or whatever, paint it as they’re getting along,” Smits told KQED. “But VTA has not followed the BART standards, and does not comply with the comprehensive agreement” between the two agencies focused on safety, convenience and customer service standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Assistant General Manager Edwards slammed them, but unfortunately, it’s too little too late, if you ask me,” he said, adding that BART’s rejection of the Newhall Yard redesign is significant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a pretty strong stand from this partner that supposedly you always work with hand in hand,” Smits said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA, in its statement, said the two agencies “continue to work closely, with BART staff embedded in the project office and BART has been actively involved in the design process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the midst of a critical moment for BART’s long-delayed $12.7 billion Silicon Valley extension, the agency’s leadership is calling out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> transit officials for a lack of communication about cost-cutting measures and other key elements of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shane Edwards, BART’s assistant general manager, wrote a scathing Aug. 15 letter to Carolyn Gonot, general manager of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which is building the six-mile extension through downtown San José and into Santa Clara for BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards wrote that his agency is “gravely concerned” that VTA failed to alert BART of an Aug. 11 press release about a report of the costs of a potential twin-tunnel design for the extension. VTA managers used the report to justify \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051730/the-vta-is-all-in-on-one-tunnel-to-connect-san-jose-by-bart\">doubling down\u003c/a> on a single-tunnel approach for the project, despite concerns from some independent experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edwards also said VTA publicly presented the project’s oversight committee board members with a cost-saving proposal to significantly scale down the planned Newhall Yard in Santa Clara without having advanced discussions with BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both actions violate established protocols, undermine the trust and coordination that have guided this partnership, and represent serious breaches of process,” Edwards wrote in a letter obtained by KQED. \u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/bart-voices-frustrations-about-lack-of-transparency-from-vta/\">\u003cem>San José Spotlight \u003c/em>first reported \u003c/a>news of the letter to VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051900\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051900\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers and machinery are seen at VTA’s West Portal construction site in San José on June 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“These lapses are incompatible with the level of transparency and cooperation expected between primary project partners,” Edwards continued, saying VTA’s actions could affect BART’s ability to safely operate the extension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the scale, complexity, and visibility of this project, these failures are not minor oversights; they are unacceptable breaches of trust,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA is nearing the final stages of a nearly yearlong process to look for ways to cut as much as $1 billion off its total project cost, to bring the extension in line with an approximately $12.1 billion budget, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">$5 billion pledge\u003c/a> from the federal government. The agency originally hoped to receive as much as $6.3 billion in federal money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also announced earlier this summer that it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043328/vta-officials-want-to-ditch-contractor-on-south-bay-bart-extension\">plans to ditch\u003c/a> its primary tunneling and trackwork contractor to find a new one, due to a dispute over cost.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Edwards also said he was “formally notifying VTA” that BART rejected the yard redesign that was floated at the oversight meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, VTA said it “remains committed to a strong partnership with BART and to delivering the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project to the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statement said VTA takes communication concerns seriously, and highlighted regular updates made to its oversight committee and detailed monthly reports on the progress and finances of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are addressing the concerns raised in BART’s August 15 letter and are ensuring the Newhall yard design fully supports BART’s safe and efficient operations,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barney Smits, a retired engineer who worked for BART for 25 years, said “it’s about time that BART management stepped up” to raise concerns about communication, transparency and the apparently stressed partnership between the two agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They always, for either political reasons or whatever, paint it as they’re getting along,” Smits told KQED. “But VTA has not followed the BART standards, and does not comply with the comprehensive agreement” between the two agencies focused on safety, convenience and customer service standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Assistant General Manager Edwards slammed them, but unfortunately, it’s too little too late, if you ask me,” he said, adding that BART’s rejection of the Newhall Yard redesign is significant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a pretty strong stand from this partner that supposedly you always work with hand in hand,” Smits said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA, in its statement, said the two agencies “continue to work closely, with BART staff embedded in the project office and BART has been actively involved in the design process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "VTA Officials Want to Ditch Contractor on South Bay BART Extension",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 5:19 p.m. Monday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Bay transit officials overseeing the $12.7 billion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">BART extension\u003c/a> through downtown San José are looking to cut ties with the project’s primary contractor due to a dispute over cost, a move that could cause even more delays for the backed-up public works project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leadership of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will recommend to its board of directors in upcoming meetings that the public transit agency take an “offramp” out of the contract it has in place with Kiewit Shea Traylor — a joint venture of three large and well known contractors charged with the major tunneling and track work of the massive project — and find a new one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe it’s time to explore a fresh start,” Tom Maguire, VTA’s head of megaprojects, told reporters on Monday during a briefing of the plans. The VTA is responsible for planning and building the extension project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contractor has been on the project since 2022, and is responsible for large portions of work that are already underway, including the building of a $76 million tunnel boring machine, and the preparation of a launch structure where the boring machine would be put into the ground in Santa Clara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency officials said KST would be owed a maximum of about $1 billion for the work it has already begun and would still plan to complete if the VTA board decides to end the contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Maguire said VTA and KST have not been able to come to an agreement about the “lump sum” cost of the rest of the planned work, including the tunneling and excavation needed for underground stations, and the tracking and creation of entrances and exits, despite negotiating since last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11998675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11998675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1.jpg\" alt=\"The mayor of San Jose stands behind a podium. A poster breaking down the project budget is displayed next to the speaker.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a gathering in Santa Clara on Aug. 2, 2024, to announce a nearly $5.1 billion funding commitment from federal transit officials toward the VTA BART Silicon Valley Phase II extension project. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is about making sure that a contractor who can’t give us a price that is within our budget, that we hold them accountable,” Maguire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency created an internal task force to seek out other contracting opportunities and has begun conversations with 10 national tunnelling contractors that have shown “strong interest in taking this project on in a way that fits within VTA’s budget and model,” Maguire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for KST declined an interview Monday, but in an emailed statement to KQED said, “KST remains focused on safely and successfully delivering its current scope of work” on the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cost of the project’s second phase — which is planned to extend BART six miles from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and run west to create four new stations ending in Santa Clara — has been a major stumbling block for transit officials and local and regional leaders almost since its inception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While originally pegged at a budget of $4.7 billion in 2014, with an intended completion date in 2026, the entire project is currently estimated to cost $12.7 billion and is expected to be completed in 2037.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the potential change of contractors, Maguire said tunneling work, which was expected to start this year in recent estimates, is likely to be pushed out to 2027. However, Maguire said the completion date for the project overall is not being changed for the moment, and that a potential redesign with a new contractor could accelerate the timeline.[aside postID=news_12043139 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250606-SJICEPROTEST-JG-2-KQED.jpg']The BART extension notched a major milestone in August when the Federal Transit Administration said it would commit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">$5.1 billion\u003c/a> to help pay for the project. While significant, the pledge also left a roughly $1.2 billion gap in funding for the project, which is also being largely paid for with regional tax measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transit officials and local leaders said at the time they were confident the budget hole could be addressed, in part by allocating $500 million more from a regional tax measure into the project than was previously committed. The remaining gap of roughly $700 million is still pending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the federal funds were pledged under President Joe Biden’s administration, the agency would need to apply for a grant agreement to access the money from the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While officials said the agency is confident the project will still be a viable one in the eyes of the federal government as it works through balancing its budget, Maguire noted that VTA “has gotten some pretty clear advice” against asking for $5 billion from a Trump-controlled Federal Transportation Administration right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump’s administration has recently pulled back billions for the state’s long-delayed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042706/california-high-speed-rail-is-a-track-to-nowhere-us-says-in-move-to-pull-funding\">High Speed Rail project\u003c/a>, and a $20 million grant to improve transit between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997068/sf-planned-to-improve-treasure-islands-transit-trump-took-back-the-funds\">Treasure Island and San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot said the decision to hold off on applying for the funds is largely based on needing to cut costs, but acknowledged it is partially political.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We also need to get a clear and better understanding about what the administration wants to see,” Gonot said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez, the chair of the VTA board and the vice chair of the oversight committee, said that by evaluating tough decisions like this one, the agency is showing the leadership necessary to keep the project going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He acknowledged that there haven’t been major problems with KST’s work to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not about quality, it’s not about safety. There’s complete alignment on those. It’s really just disagreements about the costs and the services,” Lopez told KQED Monday. “But when we went out to multiple respected independent cost estimators, there was just a stark gulf in terms of the expected cost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maguire didn’t share details about how much the agency expects to save through finding a new contractor, but said it would be one part of an overall price reduction strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to shopping around, the agency is looking at reshaping the tunneling contract package, as well as changing the risk-sharing agreement between VTA and a potential new contractor, and adjusting the schedule of the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We remain fully committed to finding ways to cut costs and reduce the overall program schedule to ensure that we stay within our overall funding and budget,” Maguire said. “We do think that the offramp and restructuring the tunnel contract is going to give us a better price, and that better price is going to help us secure the long-term viability of the project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oversight committee and board will also hear more details about other potential cost-saving measures in upcoming meetings, including a value engineering report. The agency also plans to share long-awaited results of an independent consultant’s analysis of the VTA’s twin-bore construction alternative and cost estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has long been committed to a huge, single tunnel design that would be deeper underground than standard BART tunnels, but has faced increasing criticism for previously dismissing a shallower, two-tunnel approach, which could disrupt businesses and traffic on city streets for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if KST would sue VTA over the ending of the contract or other aspects of the agreement with the agency. Maguire acknowledged “you can never say never,” about being sued, but said the agency is confident “we’ve got a very, very strong case moving forward, and we’re not deeply concerned about an action from [KST].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, the chair of the oversight committee, said in a statement he supports VTA’s efforts to control costs on this “once in a generation” project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have a blank check for this project, and it’s important that everyone — from the agency to its contractors — is held accountable for staying within budget,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA officials will first make the offramp recommendation to the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Oversight Committee at its meeting on June 12 at noon. The full VTA Board of Directors, who have the final say on the decision, will consider the recommendation at its meeting on June 27 at 9 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA remains unwavering in its commitment to complete this extension of the BART service to Silicon Valley and produce these last six miles in a way that is financially responsible, technically sound, and fully accountable to the public,” Gonot said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So every decision we make is rooted in our responsibility to deliver a project that transforms our region with transparency, efficiency and lasting benefits.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "VTA officials are recommending that transit agency leaders find a new contractor to head up major tunneling and track work due to a dispute over cost.",
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"title": "VTA Officials Want to Ditch Contractor on South Bay BART Extension | KQED",
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"headline": "VTA Officials Want to Ditch Contractor on South Bay BART Extension",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 5:19 p.m. Monday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Bay transit officials overseeing the $12.7 billion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">BART extension\u003c/a> through downtown San José are looking to cut ties with the project’s primary contractor due to a dispute over cost, a move that could cause even more delays for the backed-up public works project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leadership of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will recommend to its board of directors in upcoming meetings that the public transit agency take an “offramp” out of the contract it has in place with Kiewit Shea Traylor — a joint venture of three large and well known contractors charged with the major tunneling and track work of the massive project — and find a new one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe it’s time to explore a fresh start,” Tom Maguire, VTA’s head of megaprojects, told reporters on Monday during a briefing of the plans. The VTA is responsible for planning and building the extension project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contractor has been on the project since 2022, and is responsible for large portions of work that are already underway, including the building of a $76 million tunnel boring machine, and the preparation of a launch structure where the boring machine would be put into the ground in Santa Clara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency officials said KST would be owed a maximum of about $1 billion for the work it has already begun and would still plan to complete if the VTA board decides to end the contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Maguire said VTA and KST have not been able to come to an agreement about the “lump sum” cost of the rest of the planned work, including the tunneling and excavation needed for underground stations, and the tracking and creation of entrances and exits, despite negotiating since last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11998675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11998675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1.jpg\" alt=\"The mayor of San Jose stands behind a podium. A poster breaking down the project budget is displayed next to the speaker.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240802-VTAFEDFUND-JG-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a gathering in Santa Clara on Aug. 2, 2024, to announce a nearly $5.1 billion funding commitment from federal transit officials toward the VTA BART Silicon Valley Phase II extension project. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is about making sure that a contractor who can’t give us a price that is within our budget, that we hold them accountable,” Maguire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency created an internal task force to seek out other contracting opportunities and has begun conversations with 10 national tunnelling contractors that have shown “strong interest in taking this project on in a way that fits within VTA’s budget and model,” Maguire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for KST declined an interview Monday, but in an emailed statement to KQED said, “KST remains focused on safely and successfully delivering its current scope of work” on the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cost of the project’s second phase — which is planned to extend BART six miles from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and run west to create four new stations ending in Santa Clara — has been a major stumbling block for transit officials and local and regional leaders almost since its inception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While originally pegged at a budget of $4.7 billion in 2014, with an intended completion date in 2026, the entire project is currently estimated to cost $12.7 billion and is expected to be completed in 2037.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the potential change of contractors, Maguire said tunneling work, which was expected to start this year in recent estimates, is likely to be pushed out to 2027. However, Maguire said the completion date for the project overall is not being changed for the moment, and that a potential redesign with a new contractor could accelerate the timeline.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The BART extension notched a major milestone in August when the Federal Transit Administration said it would commit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998646/feds-commit-5-1-billion-to-south-bay-bart-extension\">$5.1 billion\u003c/a> to help pay for the project. While significant, the pledge also left a roughly $1.2 billion gap in funding for the project, which is also being largely paid for with regional tax measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transit officials and local leaders said at the time they were confident the budget hole could be addressed, in part by allocating $500 million more from a regional tax measure into the project than was previously committed. The remaining gap of roughly $700 million is still pending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the federal funds were pledged under President Joe Biden’s administration, the agency would need to apply for a grant agreement to access the money from the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While officials said the agency is confident the project will still be a viable one in the eyes of the federal government as it works through balancing its budget, Maguire noted that VTA “has gotten some pretty clear advice” against asking for $5 billion from a Trump-controlled Federal Transportation Administration right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump’s administration has recently pulled back billions for the state’s long-delayed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042706/california-high-speed-rail-is-a-track-to-nowhere-us-says-in-move-to-pull-funding\">High Speed Rail project\u003c/a>, and a $20 million grant to improve transit between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997068/sf-planned-to-improve-treasure-islands-transit-trump-took-back-the-funds\">Treasure Island and San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot said the decision to hold off on applying for the funds is largely based on needing to cut costs, but acknowledged it is partially political.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We also need to get a clear and better understanding about what the administration wants to see,” Gonot said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez, the chair of the VTA board and the vice chair of the oversight committee, said that by evaluating tough decisions like this one, the agency is showing the leadership necessary to keep the project going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He acknowledged that there haven’t been major problems with KST’s work to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not about quality, it’s not about safety. There’s complete alignment on those. It’s really just disagreements about the costs and the services,” Lopez told KQED Monday. “But when we went out to multiple respected independent cost estimators, there was just a stark gulf in terms of the expected cost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maguire didn’t share details about how much the agency expects to save through finding a new contractor, but said it would be one part of an overall price reduction strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to shopping around, the agency is looking at reshaping the tunneling contract package, as well as changing the risk-sharing agreement between VTA and a potential new contractor, and adjusting the schedule of the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We remain fully committed to finding ways to cut costs and reduce the overall program schedule to ensure that we stay within our overall funding and budget,” Maguire said. “We do think that the offramp and restructuring the tunnel contract is going to give us a better price, and that better price is going to help us secure the long-term viability of the project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oversight committee and board will also hear more details about other potential cost-saving measures in upcoming meetings, including a value engineering report. The agency also plans to share long-awaited results of an independent consultant’s analysis of the VTA’s twin-bore construction alternative and cost estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has long been committed to a huge, single tunnel design that would be deeper underground than standard BART tunnels, but has faced increasing criticism for previously dismissing a shallower, two-tunnel approach, which could disrupt businesses and traffic on city streets for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if KST would sue VTA over the ending of the contract or other aspects of the agreement with the agency. Maguire acknowledged “you can never say never,” about being sued, but said the agency is confident “we’ve got a very, very strong case moving forward, and we’re not deeply concerned about an action from [KST].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, the chair of the oversight committee, said in a statement he supports VTA’s efforts to control costs on this “once in a generation” project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have a blank check for this project, and it’s important that everyone — from the agency to its contractors — is held accountable for staying within budget,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA officials will first make the offramp recommendation to the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Oversight Committee at its meeting on June 12 at noon. The full VTA Board of Directors, who have the final say on the decision, will consider the recommendation at its meeting on June 27 at 9 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA remains unwavering in its commitment to complete this extension of the BART service to Silicon Valley and produce these last six miles in a way that is financially responsible, technically sound, and fully accountable to the public,” Gonot said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So every decision we make is rooted in our responsibility to deliver a project that transforms our region with transparency, efficiency and lasting benefits.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "south-bay-transit-workers-approve-new-vta-contract-ending-stalemate",
"title": "South Bay Transit Workers Approve New VTA Contract, Ending Stalemate",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 12:19 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>‘s largest labor union has approved the transit agency’s latest contract offer, bringing an end to nearly a year of negotiations that included a historic and disruptive 17-day strike in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, including bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers, voted 689-298 to ratify the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042427/south-bay-transit-workers-to-vote-on-new-vta-contract-offer-after-historic-strike\">new proposal from the VTA\u003c/a>, which includes a 14.5% wage increase spread over four years. The voting took place all of Tuesday, and the results were tallied by the early morning hours on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Per the agreement, if the union returns the signed version of the contract to the agency by noon Wednesday, the VTA will present the contract to the agency’s board of directors for final approval at their meeting on Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once approved by the board, the contract would go into effect on June 9 and run through June 4, 2029.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Richardson, VTA’s deputy general manager, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that officials are “delighted” that the union supported the contract, which he said will allow for the agency to predictably manage labor costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This agreement achieves an important and necessary balance to allow VTA to operate within the financial limits of declining sales tax-based revenue, while also providing meaningful wage increases that reflect the vital contributions of our employees,” Richardson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh was not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the union, Singh thanked members for voting and sharing their voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We acknowledge and recognize that these past several months have been really difficult, that this offer did not completely address all of our needs. However, you, the majority, have spoken and the democratic process must be recognized,” Singh wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 President Raj Singh shares the results of a vote on a contract offer from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San José on March 24, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pact puts an end to months of tense and at times bitter contract talks between the agency and the union that began in August but didn’t result in a contract, leading to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030584/santa-clara-county-transit-grinds-to-a-halt-as-vta-workers-strike\">a historic strike\u003c/a> on March 10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work stoppage by roughly 1,500 ATU members ground VTA services to a halt, leaving tens of thousands of riders across Santa Clara County without the buses and trains they rely on. Large proportions of VTA riders represent populations with fewer options for transportation, including many who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">earn very low incomes\u003c/a> or are students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA almost immediately \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030759/vta-sues-to-end-historic-south-bay-transit-workers-strike\">sued the union\u003c/a>, claiming the action violated their contract’s “no-strike” clause. A county judge initially denied the agency’s request for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">a temporary restraining order\u003c/a> against the union, but he approved a preliminary injunction on March 26 that abruptly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">brought the strike to an end\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the ruling, workers were quickly ordered back to their roles, and service has run as normal for the past two months while negotiations continued.[aside postID=news_12042427 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/240409-VTAfile-02-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg']The union later filed an appeal of the county court’s decision, which is still pending. However, under the new contract, the VTA and the ATU agreed to drop their respective legal actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prior to the court ruling, the union had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">rejected the agency’s previous offer\u003c/a> on March 24, which proposed 11% raises spread over three years. The newly approved contract adds a fourth year but no additional increase in pay over each year of the deal, compared to the prior offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sergio Lopez, the VTA’s board chair and the mayor of Campbell, acknowledged Wednesday that the drawn-out labor dispute and negotiations showed there is still work to be done on employee relations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it unearthed underlying tensions that came out through this process, and in my perspective, that added to some of the challenges in getting to resolution in the time that we would have hoped,” Lopez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lopez noted there are complex issues from past grievances that won’t all be solved by one contract deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the agency is working to address the tensions on multiple fronts, including through a Culture and Climate Change Committee that will include board members, VTA management and union leadership collaborating to solve workplace issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA officials have emphasized throughout negotiations that the agency is contending with financial difficulties that don’t allow for higher increases, and characterized the current deal as competitive and fair, maintaining workers as the second-highest paid transit employees in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said Monday that the agency is dealing with a roughly $800,000 deficit in the coming year but could be facing a deficit as high as $14 million in the 2027 budget year, with sales tax revenue projections lagging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the new contract, the agency and union also agreed that VTA wouldn’t seek punishments or charges against the union members for their strike actions, which the prior contract offer didn’t include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh, in his letter to members, also thanked them for their “perseverance” and their patience through the lengthy labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we move forward, our hope is that the VTA and the Board of Directors appreciate our commitment, dedication and the value we all have brought and continue to bring to this Agency,” he wrote. “We are the backbone of this organization, we demand and deserve respect!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Nearly a year after contract negotiations between the VTA and its largest labor union began, an agreement has been reached.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 12:19 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>‘s largest labor union has approved the transit agency’s latest contract offer, bringing an end to nearly a year of negotiations that included a historic and disruptive 17-day strike in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, including bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers, voted 689-298 to ratify the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042427/south-bay-transit-workers-to-vote-on-new-vta-contract-offer-after-historic-strike\">new proposal from the VTA\u003c/a>, which includes a 14.5% wage increase spread over four years. The voting took place all of Tuesday, and the results were tallied by the early morning hours on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Per the agreement, if the union returns the signed version of the contract to the agency by noon Wednesday, the VTA will present the contract to the agency’s board of directors for final approval at their meeting on Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once approved by the board, the contract would go into effect on June 9 and run through June 4, 2029.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Richardson, VTA’s deputy general manager, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that officials are “delighted” that the union supported the contract, which he said will allow for the agency to predictably manage labor costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This agreement achieves an important and necessary balance to allow VTA to operate within the financial limits of declining sales tax-based revenue, while also providing meaningful wage increases that reflect the vital contributions of our employees,” Richardson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh was not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the union, Singh thanked members for voting and sharing their voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We acknowledge and recognize that these past several months have been really difficult, that this offer did not completely address all of our needs. However, you, the majority, have spoken and the democratic process must be recognized,” Singh wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 President Raj Singh shares the results of a vote on a contract offer from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San José on March 24, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pact puts an end to months of tense and at times bitter contract talks between the agency and the union that began in August but didn’t result in a contract, leading to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030584/santa-clara-county-transit-grinds-to-a-halt-as-vta-workers-strike\">a historic strike\u003c/a> on March 10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work stoppage by roughly 1,500 ATU members ground VTA services to a halt, leaving tens of thousands of riders across Santa Clara County without the buses and trains they rely on. Large proportions of VTA riders represent populations with fewer options for transportation, including many who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">earn very low incomes\u003c/a> or are students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA almost immediately \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030759/vta-sues-to-end-historic-south-bay-transit-workers-strike\">sued the union\u003c/a>, claiming the action violated their contract’s “no-strike” clause. A county judge initially denied the agency’s request for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">a temporary restraining order\u003c/a> against the union, but he approved a preliminary injunction on March 26 that abruptly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">brought the strike to an end\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the ruling, workers were quickly ordered back to their roles, and service has run as normal for the past two months while negotiations continued.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The union later filed an appeal of the county court’s decision, which is still pending. However, under the new contract, the VTA and the ATU agreed to drop their respective legal actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prior to the court ruling, the union had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">rejected the agency’s previous offer\u003c/a> on March 24, which proposed 11% raises spread over three years. The newly approved contract adds a fourth year but no additional increase in pay over each year of the deal, compared to the prior offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sergio Lopez, the VTA’s board chair and the mayor of Campbell, acknowledged Wednesday that the drawn-out labor dispute and negotiations showed there is still work to be done on employee relations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it unearthed underlying tensions that came out through this process, and in my perspective, that added to some of the challenges in getting to resolution in the time that we would have hoped,” Lopez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lopez noted there are complex issues from past grievances that won’t all be solved by one contract deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the agency is working to address the tensions on multiple fronts, including through a Culture and Climate Change Committee that will include board members, VTA management and union leadership collaborating to solve workplace issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA officials have emphasized throughout negotiations that the agency is contending with financial difficulties that don’t allow for higher increases, and characterized the current deal as competitive and fair, maintaining workers as the second-highest paid transit employees in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said Monday that the agency is dealing with a roughly $800,000 deficit in the coming year but could be facing a deficit as high as $14 million in the 2027 budget year, with sales tax revenue projections lagging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the new contract, the agency and union also agreed that VTA wouldn’t seek punishments or charges against the union members for their strike actions, which the prior contract offer didn’t include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh, in his letter to members, also thanked them for their “perseverance” and their patience through the lengthy labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we move forward, our hope is that the VTA and the Board of Directors appreciate our commitment, dedication and the value we all have brought and continue to bring to this Agency,” he wrote. “We are the backbone of this organization, we demand and deserve respect!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "south-bay-transit-workers-to-vote-on-new-vta-contract-offer-after-historic-strike",
"title": "South Bay Transit Workers to Vote on New VTA Contract Offer After Historic Strike",
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"headTitle": "South Bay Transit Workers to Vote on New VTA Contract Offer After Historic Strike | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 1,500 transit workers in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> — who staged a historic 17-day strike in March over wages and benefits negotiations with the Valley Transportation Authority — are set to vote on a new contract offer from the agency on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, which represents bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers, confirmed its members will vote on the latest offer from the VTA, which includes a 14.5% wage increase over a period of four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I couldn’t even tell you confidently which way the vote’s going to go,” Raj Singh, the president of ATU Local 265, said Monday afternoon. “I think it’s going to be a very divided vote.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes more than two months after Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya issued a preliminary injunction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">end the union’s strike\u003c/a>. The VTA had sought the injunction, claiming the union breached the “no-strike” clause of their contract by walking off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling brought an abrupt end to a grueling work stoppage that left tens of thousands of daily riders in the region without transportation and was marked by bitter exchanges between the union and the agency, which often blamed each other for the dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032416\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hundreds of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers and represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 raise fists during their historic 17-day strike in early March, in front of the VTA headquarters, on N First St, in San José, to demand a better contract and an increase in wages, on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Workers were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033549/all-vta-bus-routes-rolling-after-strike-some-light-rail-returns-monday\">forced back to their jobs on March 27\u003c/a>. Singh said the agency and the union leadership had met three times since early April to continue contract negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA, said Monday the agency is hopeful for a positive vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been several months now that employees have gone without a contract. We are eager to get this settled and have people move on and get the raises they deserve and kind of put this behind us,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the contract offer is based on the agency’s “financial realities,” as the VTA, which is primarily funded by sales taxes, is facing a potential $14 million budget deficit in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These financial constraints have made it essential for all labor agreements, not just ATUs, to remain within sustainable budget limits,” she said. “We want to be able to pay employees a fair, competitive contract and, at the same time, we need to be able to continue to serve our customers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12033248 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prior to the court ruling, union members overwhelmingly rejected the agency’s previous contract offer, which included an 11% raise over a period of three years. The current offer adds a fourth year onto the deal, which matches the contract lengths of other VTA labor groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the agency and union also negotiated terms ensuring the agency won’t seek punishments or retaliation against the union members for their strike actions, which the prior offer didn’t include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it includes some positive changes, Singh said he doesn’t feel the wage proposal is a fair deal for the union, but felt compelled to bring the latest offer to a vote so members can voice their opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He accused VTA of “politely threatening” the union by noting there might not be another chance to get a deal approved by the agency’s board of directors for a month or more because of the Fourth of July holiday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are at the point where we’ve been negotiating over eight months, and the agency is using the time and the injunction against us at this point,” Singh said. “They want to continue dragging their feet, and we owe it to our members to put this offer in front of them and let them decide if they are acceptable to the terms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said the agency has “been eager and open” to negotiating the entire length of the contract dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is nothing that VTA has done or would do to drag its feet or to draw this out. It’s not to anyone’s benefit to do that,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said voting will likely take place all day Tuesday to give members on different shifts a chance to cast their vote, and results could be ready by early Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 1,500 transit workers in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> — who staged a historic 17-day strike in March over wages and benefits negotiations with the Valley Transportation Authority — are set to vote on a new contract offer from the agency on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, which represents bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers, confirmed its members will vote on the latest offer from the VTA, which includes a 14.5% wage increase over a period of four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I couldn’t even tell you confidently which way the vote’s going to go,” Raj Singh, the president of ATU Local 265, said Monday afternoon. “I think it’s going to be a very divided vote.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes more than two months after Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya issued a preliminary injunction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\">end the union’s strike\u003c/a>. The VTA had sought the injunction, claiming the union breached the “no-strike” clause of their contract by walking off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling brought an abrupt end to a grueling work stoppage that left tens of thousands of daily riders in the region without transportation and was marked by bitter exchanges between the union and the agency, which often blamed each other for the dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032416\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hundreds of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers and represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 raise fists during their historic 17-day strike in early March, in front of the VTA headquarters, on N First St, in San José, to demand a better contract and an increase in wages, on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Workers were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033549/all-vta-bus-routes-rolling-after-strike-some-light-rail-returns-monday\">forced back to their jobs on March 27\u003c/a>. Singh said the agency and the union leadership had met three times since early April to continue contract negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA, said Monday the agency is hopeful for a positive vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been several months now that employees have gone without a contract. We are eager to get this settled and have people move on and get the raises they deserve and kind of put this behind us,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the contract offer is based on the agency’s “financial realities,” as the VTA, which is primarily funded by sales taxes, is facing a potential $14 million budget deficit in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These financial constraints have made it essential for all labor agreements, not just ATUs, to remain within sustainable budget limits,” she said. “We want to be able to pay employees a fair, competitive contract and, at the same time, we need to be able to continue to serve our customers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prior to the court ruling, union members overwhelmingly rejected the agency’s previous contract offer, which included an 11% raise over a period of three years. The current offer adds a fourth year onto the deal, which matches the contract lengths of other VTA labor groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the agency and union also negotiated terms ensuring the agency won’t seek punishments or retaliation against the union members for their strike actions, which the prior offer didn’t include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it includes some positive changes, Singh said he doesn’t feel the wage proposal is a fair deal for the union, but felt compelled to bring the latest offer to a vote so members can voice their opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He accused VTA of “politely threatening” the union by noting there might not be another chance to get a deal approved by the agency’s board of directors for a month or more because of the Fourth of July holiday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are at the point where we’ve been negotiating over eight months, and the agency is using the time and the injunction against us at this point,” Singh said. “They want to continue dragging their feet, and we owe it to our members to put this offer in front of them and let them decide if they are acceptable to the terms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said the agency has “been eager and open” to negotiating the entire length of the contract dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is nothing that VTA has done or would do to drag its feet or to draw this out. It’s not to anyone’s benefit to do that,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said voting will likely take place all day Tuesday to give members on different shifts a chance to cast their vote, and results could be ready by early Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Less than two days after a judge\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\"> issued an injunction to force striking transit workers back to their jobs\u003c/a> with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, bus service in the region has fully resumed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immediately following the court ruling, the agency said it might only be able to offer partial bus service by Friday, but VTA Spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said all bus routes are now running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s largest labor group, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 – which represents more than 1,500 bus drivers, train operators and maintenance workers – was on strike for 17 days over contract disputes, leaving tens of thousands of riders without critical public transit service, until the Wednesday injunction ended the work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for light rail trains, the agency expects at least partial service will be up and running by Monday, but more time may be needed for inspection and repairs to the system of tracks and overhead power cables before all three lines are back in operation, Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper wire that’s integral to the operation of the trains appears to have been stolen from different sections of all three VTA light rail lines, but the green line that runs from Santa Clara to Campbell was hit the hardest, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032416\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hundreds of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers and represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, raise fists during a second-day strike, in front of the VTA headquarters, on North First Street, in San José, demanding a better contract and an increase in wages, on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“As our crews continue to inspect the light rail system, they’re looking for any problems that may have arisen because we weren’t running service over the last two weeks and they’re checking the tracks and they are checking other equipment near the system,” Hendler Ross said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crews found “increased incidences of copper wire missing in multiple locations along the system,” she said, which are under investigation. “We are working to replace that copper wire because the trains can’t run without it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the few days a ride-hailing voucher program was active from Monday night through Thursday night, Hendler Ross said 6,130 trips were taken with Uber between VTA transit stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program was a partnership between VTA and Uber, with the transit agency paying up to $5 per ride in the form of vouchers to help ease the burden on riders who were without bus and train service. The total cost to the agency was $30,405, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12033248 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While service has resumed, the agency and ATU still have not hammered out a new contract, despite more than six months of negotiations and ongoing mediation and swapping of proposals during the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Negotiations can start any time ATU is willing to come back to the table with something that can help resolve the conflict,” Hendler Ross said. “So in the meantime, we’re focused on getting service back to our customers. But that doesn’t impede getting back to the negotiating table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raj Singh, the president of ATU Local 265, didn’t respond to calls for comment. The union said in a statement after the injunction was issued that the group intends to appeal the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jean Cohen, the executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, which has been helping ATU with negotiations, said in a statement that the council and ATU Local 265 “remain committed to negotiating with VTA management in good faith to secure a contract that guarantees transit workers a fair wage, as well as the dignity, due process and safety they deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will continue to put pressure on VTA Board members who engage in regressive bargaining or who retaliate against workers for exercising their constitutionally-protected rights,” Cohen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Full bus service has resumed across Santa Clara County as VTA drivers returned to work after a judge ended their strike, but light rail service won’t begin until Monday. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Less than two days after a judge\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033248/vta-strike-will-end-after-judges-order\"> issued an injunction to force striking transit workers back to their jobs\u003c/a> with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, bus service in the region has fully resumed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immediately following the court ruling, the agency said it might only be able to offer partial bus service by Friday, but VTA Spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said all bus routes are now running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s largest labor group, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 – which represents more than 1,500 bus drivers, train operators and maintenance workers – was on strike for 17 days over contract disputes, leaving tens of thousands of riders without critical public transit service, until the Wednesday injunction ended the work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for light rail trains, the agency expects at least partial service will be up and running by Monday, but more time may be needed for inspection and repairs to the system of tracks and overhead power cables before all three lines are back in operation, Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper wire that’s integral to the operation of the trains appears to have been stolen from different sections of all three VTA light rail lines, but the green line that runs from Santa Clara to Campbell was hit the hardest, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032416\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-6_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hundreds of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers and represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, raise fists during a second-day strike, in front of the VTA headquarters, on North First Street, in San José, demanding a better contract and an increase in wages, on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“As our crews continue to inspect the light rail system, they’re looking for any problems that may have arisen because we weren’t running service over the last two weeks and they’re checking the tracks and they are checking other equipment near the system,” Hendler Ross said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crews found “increased incidences of copper wire missing in multiple locations along the system,” she said, which are under investigation. “We are working to replace that copper wire because the trains can’t run without it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the few days a ride-hailing voucher program was active from Monday night through Thursday night, Hendler Ross said 6,130 trips were taken with Uber between VTA transit stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program was a partnership between VTA and Uber, with the transit agency paying up to $5 per ride in the form of vouchers to help ease the burden on riders who were without bus and train service. The total cost to the agency was $30,405, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While service has resumed, the agency and ATU still have not hammered out a new contract, despite more than six months of negotiations and ongoing mediation and swapping of proposals during the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Negotiations can start any time ATU is willing to come back to the table with something that can help resolve the conflict,” Hendler Ross said. “So in the meantime, we’re focused on getting service back to our customers. But that doesn’t impede getting back to the negotiating table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raj Singh, the president of ATU Local 265, didn’t respond to calls for comment. The union said in a statement after the injunction was issued that the group intends to appeal the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jean Cohen, the executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, which has been helping ATU with negotiations, said in a statement that the council and ATU Local 265 “remain committed to negotiating with VTA management in good faith to secure a contract that guarantees transit workers a fair wage, as well as the dignity, due process and safety they deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will continue to put pressure on VTA Board members who engage in regressive bargaining or who retaliate against workers for exercising their constitutionally-protected rights,” Cohen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Historic VTA Strike Will End After Judge’s Order, Some Service to Resume by Friday",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 6 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">historic strike\u003c/a> by South Bay transit workers that has affected tens of thousands of people who rely on public transportation will come to an end after a Santa Clara County Judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt it Wednesday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The injunction, signed by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya in a San José courtroom, means Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employees will need to return to work immediately, but it wasn’t clear how long it would take for all transit services to resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leaders of the union representing the workers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, said they were disappointed in the outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll determine what happens tomorrow shortly, but we believe that the judge got this wrong,” ATU President Raj Singh said outside a downtown courthouse on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, the workers lost today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said the agency is pleased with the outcome for riders and for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are appreciative of this ruling so that our employees can get back to work. They’ve been two weeks without paychecks and tens of thousands of people have been two weeks without affordable transportation,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033241\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya listens to an attorney speak during a hearing in San José on March 26, 2025. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority asked the court to halt a strike by workers represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said Nishigaya’s injunction means striking VTA workers need to return to work right away. She said workers would be required to report to work on Thursday, and partial bus service would resume by Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t immediately clear when light rail trains will begin rolling again, as Hendler Ross said the tracks and overhead lines would need to be inspected before service can start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA initiated the legal process on March 10, the first day of the strike, by filing a complaint asking for an injunction and a temporary restraining order to halt the strike, claiming it violated a “no-strike clause” of a collective bargaining agreement between the agency and the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nishigaya, on March 17, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">denied the agency’s request for a restraining order\u003c/a> but required the parties to come back to court on Wednesday so ATU could argue why its strike was not a violation of the contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12032851 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/VTA-Day-15-Singh_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s attorneys alleged in court filings that the union never gave VTA proper notice that it wanted to end or change the agreement and said the no-strike conditions remain in “full force and effect” for another year while negotiations for a new contract continue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement — which expired on March 3 — said the contract continues from “year to year” after its expiration and requires the two sides “continue to negotiate until there is a successor agreement,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The court does believe that there is at least a reasonable interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement that would lead to the conclusion that the agreement, including the no-strike provision, remains in full force in effect until agreement is reached,” Nishigaya said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ATU countered that the contract rules were no longer applicable because bargaining for a new contract had ended, and the union declared an impasse a few days before the strike began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union also pointed to instances in which the agency’s officials seemed to telegraph the potential for a strike, like in a Feb. 27, 2025, memo to employees from the VTA’s Chief People Officer Sonya Morrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033250\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Attorneys for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, Xudong (Brian) Fan (left) and Benjamin K. Lunch. Right: Ruth M. Bond, an attorney for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, are seen during a hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Morrison’s memo said if a contract agreement was not reached by the expiration, “‘there is the potential for a work stoppage,’” the union’s attorneys wrote. “VTA thus acknowledged to all of its employees that the union may go on strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of that would be necessary if VTA truly believed the contract was not expiring,” Benjamin Lunch, an attorney for the union, said to Nishigaya during the hearing. “For them to then turn around and say that the contract somehow did not expire, is a wild about-face for the agency to take.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA claimed Morrison’s statements do not change the rules of the contract agreement and disagrees that the two sides have reached an impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenica Maldonado, an attorney for VTA, emphasized to Nishigaya that there was no impasse but noted that any impasse “would have evaporated by virtue of the fact that the parties continued to meet for bargaining sessions all last week to make additional proposals, and the union took votes on those proposals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lunch also argued that VTA’s interpretation of how the contract should be enforced would take away the union’s right to strike and would create “an indefinite contract.” The agency has consistently pushed back on that claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While issuing his ruling, Nishigaya underscored that, in this case, it’s not the court’s role to litigate the entire case. His decision was based on the “reasonable probability of success” VTA has with its claim that the union is in breach of contract with its strike, and considering the harm that would occur if he did not issue the injunction, weighed against the harm to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not a final decision on the merits of any claims or lawsuits, but only to determine whether there is at least a colorable and reasonable probability that plaintiffs’ claims have merit,” Nishigaya said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033237\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033237\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Deputy General Manager Greg Richardson is seen during a hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ruling comes two days after ATU members \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">roundly rejected\u003c/a> the latest contract offer from the VTA, with more than 80% of those who voted shooting it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That contract offer was finalized in a special closed-session meeting by the VTA board of directors on Sunday and included an 11% raise for the union members over three years while also asking for some concessions from workers, such as potential restrictions on overtime pay in certain circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh previously said Monday afternoon that VTA’s “aggressive bargaining” is part of why that offer was voted down, including the agency’s refusal to drop its lawsuit to stop the strike and to guarantee workers wouldn’t be disciplined for striking after returning to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The injunction represents a success for VTA, which has pursued multiple concurrent avenues to try and end the strike, including the legal challenge, as well as asking for the governor’s intervention and offering revised contract deals to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also announced late Monday a deal with Uber, in which people ordering rides between transit stops through the Uber app would get a $5 voucher during the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said the voucher would be paid for by VTA, up to two per day per person, and was aimed at reducing the cost of car transportation while transit services were unavailable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was unfortunate that lawyers had to get involved because we were doing this on behalf of the tens of thousands of people who rely on public transportation,” Hendler Ross said. “They need public transportation, there are so many people who have no other option.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The order means South Bay transit workers must return to work immediately — but it’s unclear how long it will take for all transit services to resume.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 6 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">historic strike\u003c/a> by South Bay transit workers that has affected tens of thousands of people who rely on public transportation will come to an end after a Santa Clara County Judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt it Wednesday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The injunction, signed by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya in a San José courtroom, means Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employees will need to return to work immediately, but it wasn’t clear how long it would take for all transit services to resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leaders of the union representing the workers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, said they were disappointed in the outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll determine what happens tomorrow shortly, but we believe that the judge got this wrong,” ATU President Raj Singh said outside a downtown courthouse on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, the workers lost today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said the agency is pleased with the outcome for riders and for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are appreciative of this ruling so that our employees can get back to work. They’ve been two weeks without paychecks and tens of thousands of people have been two weeks without affordable transportation,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033241\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya listens to an attorney speak during a hearing in San José on March 26, 2025. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority asked the court to halt a strike by workers represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said Nishigaya’s injunction means striking VTA workers need to return to work right away. She said workers would be required to report to work on Thursday, and partial bus service would resume by Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t immediately clear when light rail trains will begin rolling again, as Hendler Ross said the tracks and overhead lines would need to be inspected before service can start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA initiated the legal process on March 10, the first day of the strike, by filing a complaint asking for an injunction and a temporary restraining order to halt the strike, claiming it violated a “no-strike clause” of a collective bargaining agreement between the agency and the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nishigaya, on March 17, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">denied the agency’s request for a restraining order\u003c/a> but required the parties to come back to court on Wednesday so ATU could argue why its strike was not a violation of the contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s attorneys alleged in court filings that the union never gave VTA proper notice that it wanted to end or change the agreement and said the no-strike conditions remain in “full force and effect” for another year while negotiations for a new contract continue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement — which expired on March 3 — said the contract continues from “year to year” after its expiration and requires the two sides “continue to negotiate until there is a successor agreement,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The court does believe that there is at least a reasonable interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement that would lead to the conclusion that the agreement, including the no-strike provision, remains in full force in effect until agreement is reached,” Nishigaya said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ATU countered that the contract rules were no longer applicable because bargaining for a new contract had ended, and the union declared an impasse a few days before the strike began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union also pointed to instances in which the agency’s officials seemed to telegraph the potential for a strike, like in a Feb. 27, 2025, memo to employees from the VTA’s Chief People Officer Sonya Morrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033250\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-14-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Attorneys for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, Xudong (Brian) Fan (left) and Benjamin K. Lunch. Right: Ruth M. Bond, an attorney for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, are seen during a hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Morrison’s memo said if a contract agreement was not reached by the expiration, “‘there is the potential for a work stoppage,’” the union’s attorneys wrote. “VTA thus acknowledged to all of its employees that the union may go on strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of that would be necessary if VTA truly believed the contract was not expiring,” Benjamin Lunch, an attorney for the union, said to Nishigaya during the hearing. “For them to then turn around and say that the contract somehow did not expire, is a wild about-face for the agency to take.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA claimed Morrison’s statements do not change the rules of the contract agreement and disagrees that the two sides have reached an impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenica Maldonado, an attorney for VTA, emphasized to Nishigaya that there was no impasse but noted that any impasse “would have evaporated by virtue of the fact that the parties continued to meet for bargaining sessions all last week to make additional proposals, and the union took votes on those proposals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lunch also argued that VTA’s interpretation of how the contract should be enforced would take away the union’s right to strike and would create “an indefinite contract.” The agency has consistently pushed back on that claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While issuing his ruling, Nishigaya underscored that, in this case, it’s not the court’s role to litigate the entire case. His decision was based on the “reasonable probability of success” VTA has with its claim that the union is in breach of contract with its strike, and considering the harm that would occur if he did not issue the injunction, weighed against the harm to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not a final decision on the merits of any claims or lawsuits, but only to determine whether there is at least a colorable and reasonable probability that plaintiffs’ claims have merit,” Nishigaya said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033237\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033237\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250326-VTACOURT.-JG-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Deputy General Manager Greg Richardson is seen during a hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ruling comes two days after ATU members \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032851/transit-standoff-continues-union-vta-blame-each-other-as-riders-struggle\">roundly rejected\u003c/a> the latest contract offer from the VTA, with more than 80% of those who voted shooting it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That contract offer was finalized in a special closed-session meeting by the VTA board of directors on Sunday and included an 11% raise for the union members over three years while also asking for some concessions from workers, such as potential restrictions on overtime pay in certain circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh previously said Monday afternoon that VTA’s “aggressive bargaining” is part of why that offer was voted down, including the agency’s refusal to drop its lawsuit to stop the strike and to guarantee workers wouldn’t be disciplined for striking after returning to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The injunction represents a success for VTA, which has pursued multiple concurrent avenues to try and end the strike, including the legal challenge, as well as asking for the governor’s intervention and offering revised contract deals to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also announced late Monday a deal with Uber, in which people ordering rides between transit stops through the Uber app would get a $5 voucher during the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said the voucher would be paid for by VTA, up to two per day per person, and was aimed at reducing the cost of car transportation while transit services were unavailable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was unfortunate that lawyers had to get involved because we were doing this on behalf of the tens of thousands of people who rely on public transportation,” Hendler Ross said. “They need public transportation, there are so many people who have no other option.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The strike by South Bay transit workers will continue for a 16th consecutive day on Tuesday, after Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 members voted down the latest contract offer from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contract proposal, which included an 11 percent wage increase over three years, was rejected by more than 80%, according to union officials who said 1,117 votes were cast with 919 members turning it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our members want to get back to work. The service our members provide this community is invaluable, and our customers have suffered greatly these past two weeks,” Raj Singh, president of the union, said Monday afternoon outside the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds building where ATU members cast their votes. “Our members will only return to work with a fair contract, one that guarantees their rights, their dignity and their safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a difficult time and a difficult vote.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic strike by more than 1,500 bus drivers, light rail train operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers represented by ATU has halted transit for tens of thousands of daily riders in Santa Clara County, forcing many to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">find alternate transportation\u003c/a>, sometimes at an increased cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rejection comes one day after VTA’s Board of Directors held a special meeting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032652/vta-slightly-boosts-raise-offer-union-says-it-falls-far-short\">up their wage offer\u003c/a> to the union members while also including some concessions, such as potential restrictions on overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a more than fair proposal for employees and we at this point are very concerned about the tens of thousands of riders who are not getting to their minimum wage jobs and we need people to come back to work,” Stacey Hendler Ross, a VTA spokesperson, said Monday after the results of the vote were announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the offer was likely rejected, in part, because of what he called the agency’s “aggressive bargaining,” including that the VTA declined to guarantee workers wouldn’t be disciplined for striking after returning to work, refused to drop its lawsuit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">stop the strike\u003c/a>, as well as overtime restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Had they not done that, we might have had a different outcome,” Singh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Baypointe light rail platform in San José has been vacant since March 10, 2025, the first day of a strike by the union representing VTA’s bus drivers and light rail train operators. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The two sides continued to blame one another for the lack of a resolution and said new offers could be made to help resume negotiations. When asked about his message to riders who have been struggling without transit for more than two weeks, Singh pointed the finger at VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The agency has continued to play games and not put forth a serious effort in resolving things,” he said. “They are the ones that continue to stall these conversations instead of trying to come to an agreement and get service restored as soon as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said the agency is “not interested in negotiating the contract in the media,” and added that “negotiations remain open for ATU to come to the table.”[aside postID=news_12031632 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-4.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the vote, the agency said in a statement that its most recent offer provides “stability and opportunity” to its workers in an uncertain time across many industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA’s latest proposal reflects our commitment to our workforce, and we urge our employees to embrace this chance to secure their future and return to work,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said about 100,000 riders use bus and light rail services every weekday, a large proportion of whom earn lower incomes and are students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA sued the union on the first day of the strike, alleging that the work stoppage violated a no-strike clause in the bargaining agreement between the agency and ATU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A county judge rejected VTA’s request for a temporary restraining order to halt the strike on March 17, but asked ATU to come back to court on Wednesday to argue why the strike is not a violation of the agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The strike by South Bay transit workers will continue for a 16th consecutive day on Tuesday, after Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 members voted down the latest contract offer from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contract proposal, which included an 11 percent wage increase over three years, was rejected by more than 80%, according to union officials who said 1,117 votes were cast with 919 members turning it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our members want to get back to work. The service our members provide this community is invaluable, and our customers have suffered greatly these past two weeks,” Raj Singh, president of the union, said Monday afternoon outside the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds building where ATU members cast their votes. “Our members will only return to work with a fair contract, one that guarantees their rights, their dignity and their safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a difficult time and a difficult vote.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic strike by more than 1,500 bus drivers, light rail train operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers represented by ATU has halted transit for tens of thousands of daily riders in Santa Clara County, forcing many to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">find alternate transportation\u003c/a>, sometimes at an increased cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rejection comes one day after VTA’s Board of Directors held a special meeting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032652/vta-slightly-boosts-raise-offer-union-says-it-falls-far-short\">up their wage offer\u003c/a> to the union members while also including some concessions, such as potential restrictions on overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a more than fair proposal for employees and we at this point are very concerned about the tens of thousands of riders who are not getting to their minimum wage jobs and we need people to come back to work,” Stacey Hendler Ross, a VTA spokesperson, said Monday after the results of the vote were announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the offer was likely rejected, in part, because of what he called the agency’s “aggressive bargaining,” including that the VTA declined to guarantee workers wouldn’t be disciplined for striking after returning to work, refused to drop its lawsuit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">stop the strike\u003c/a>, as well as overtime restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Had they not done that, we might have had a different outcome,” Singh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Baypointe light rail platform in San José has been vacant since March 10, 2025, the first day of a strike by the union representing VTA’s bus drivers and light rail train operators. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The two sides continued to blame one another for the lack of a resolution and said new offers could be made to help resume negotiations. When asked about his message to riders who have been struggling without transit for more than two weeks, Singh pointed the finger at VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The agency has continued to play games and not put forth a serious effort in resolving things,” he said. “They are the ones that continue to stall these conversations instead of trying to come to an agreement and get service restored as soon as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said the agency is “not interested in negotiating the contract in the media,” and added that “negotiations remain open for ATU to come to the table.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the vote, the agency said in a statement that its most recent offer provides “stability and opportunity” to its workers in an uncertain time across many industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA’s latest proposal reflects our commitment to our workforce, and we urge our employees to embrace this chance to secure their future and return to work,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said about 100,000 riders use bus and light rail services every weekday, a large proportion of whom earn lower incomes and are students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA sued the union on the first day of the strike, alleging that the work stoppage violated a no-strike clause in the bargaining agreement between the agency and ATU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A county judge rejected VTA’s request for a temporary restraining order to halt the strike on March 17, but asked ATU to come back to court on Wednesday to argue why the strike is not a violation of the agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is offering striking transit workers 11% raises over three years, a half a percentage point increase from the agency’s prior bid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a press conference Sunday following a special-closed session meeting, VTA Board Chair and Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez said the offer would not include overtime pay for sick and injury time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is, as I shared, a significant stretch of our resources,” said Lopez. “But we are committed to our riders and to the public, to getting to resolution, to ending the strike, and getting riders back on the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raj Singh, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, was pessimistic about the offer’s chance with workers, describing it as a meager wage increase accompanied by several steps backward in others areas — including overtime, as well as what he called a verbal promise from VTA leadership to include a memo containing assurances that the agency will not discipline or sue striking workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A VTA spokesperson confirmed to KQED that the memo was not included in the Sunday offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The agency has been saying that the ATU leadership is the one that’s holding … negotiations hostage,” Singh said. “So we were going to remove ourselves from the conversation and let the members decide.”[aside postID=news_12031623 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTAStrikeDay2_GC-7_qed-1020x680.jpg']The more than 1,500 transit workers were originally slated to vote on the VTA’s previous offer — 10.5% raises over three years — on Sunday, but Singh said the agency asked them to hold off after it decided to hold the special meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He criticized the fairness of wages at VTA, saying supervisors and upper management are “essentially making double what our employees are making.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But VTA officials said their latest offer could cause financial pain for the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whichever number, whether a previous offer or now at 11 [percent], there’s going to have to be difficult conversations about our fiscal responsibility to maintain service and protect that for our riders while also making sure that we’re offering a fair package,” Lopez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the union last offered to accept 15% wage increases over three years, but said “the agency would not budge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The transit union's response means the historic strike will continue into its third week.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is offering striking transit workers 11% raises over three years, a half a percentage point increase from the agency’s prior bid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a press conference Sunday following a special-closed session meeting, VTA Board Chair and Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez said the offer would not include overtime pay for sick and injury time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is, as I shared, a significant stretch of our resources,” said Lopez. “But we are committed to our riders and to the public, to getting to resolution, to ending the strike, and getting riders back on the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raj Singh, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, was pessimistic about the offer’s chance with workers, describing it as a meager wage increase accompanied by several steps backward in others areas — including overtime, as well as what he called a verbal promise from VTA leadership to include a memo containing assurances that the agency will not discipline or sue striking workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A VTA spokesperson confirmed to KQED that the memo was not included in the Sunday offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The agency has been saying that the ATU leadership is the one that’s holding … negotiations hostage,” Singh said. “So we were going to remove ourselves from the conversation and let the members decide.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The more than 1,500 transit workers were originally slated to vote on the VTA’s previous offer — 10.5% raises over three years — on Sunday, but Singh said the agency asked them to hold off after it decided to hold the special meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He criticized the fairness of wages at VTA, saying supervisors and upper management are “essentially making double what our employees are making.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But VTA officials said their latest offer could cause financial pain for the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whichever number, whether a previous offer or now at 11 [percent], there’s going to have to be difficult conversations about our fiscal responsibility to maintain service and protect that for our riders while also making sure that we’re offering a fair package,” Lopez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the union last offered to accept 15% wage increases over three years, but said “the agency would not budge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "VTA’s Striking Workers Postpone Contract Vote as Agency Plans Sunday Meeting",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 6:20 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Striking transit workers in the South Bay will postpone a planned Saturday vote on a new contract offer from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, after the agency asked union leaders to hold off until a special closed-session meeting could be held Sunday, according to union officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors will meet Sunday at 10 a.m. to further discuss the ongoing negotiations with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, according to the union’s president, Raj Singh. The meeting was announced after ATU leaders encouraged their members to vote against the latest contract offer from VTA negotiators. It could signal an 11th-hour attempt from VTA leaders to avoid allowing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">the historic strike\u003c/a> by more than 1,500 bus drivers, train operators and maintenance workers to extend into a third week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first two weeks now, essentially, the agency showed no urgency in trying to resolve the matter,” Singh said. “And so the fact that they’re [calling a special meeting] now, I hope it’s a step in the right direction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the VTA confirmed the planned meeting late Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier Friday, the VTA said that it had revised its previous offer to ATU, whose members have been off the job since March 10 over stalled contract negotiations, affecting tens of thousands of people who rely daily on transit in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA’s current offer to the union is a contract proposal that includes 10.5% raises over three years, with 4% in the first year, followed by 3%, and 3.5% in the subsequent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That proposal represents a 1.5% increase from the VTA’s previous offer of 9%, and comes a day after the VTA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032271/vta-strike-stretches-into-11th-day-agency-says-progress-being-made-in-talks\">told KQED\u003c/a> progress was made in negotiations on Wednesday regarding other key sticking points, including tentative changes to arbitration when employees file grievances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Baypointe light rail platform in San José is vacant on Monday, March 10, 2025, the first day of a strike by the union representing VTA’s bus drivers and light rail train operators. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For several weeks, the union’s ask has been for an 18% raise over three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday afternoon, Singh said the union agreed to a compromise on arbitration, and feels the agency’s wage offer isn’t a fair one, pointing to the 4% annual raise that VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot received in January. Singh indicated a 12% raise over three years would be something the union might accept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it would be fair to give us essentially what they gave the general manager at least,” Singh said. “So at least seeing fours across the board would be fair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the union has also asked the VTA to guarantee that no union workers or leaders will face discipline or civil charges for their participation in the strike, and asked that all workers in the union be immediately reinstated when the strike ends, including those on probation or in training. Singh said the VTA in its previous offer rejected those asks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear what specifics the board members will discuss Sunday, or what revised offer, if any, they will make to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12031387 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/01062023-Newsom-Inauguration-RL-CM-03-copy-1536x1024.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier Friday, the agency said its latest offer “is highly competitive and fair,” and reiterated that VTA operators are the second-highest paid among Bay Area transit workers, and said its mechanics are the highest paid in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Throughout lengthy negotiations, VTA has gone above and beyond to accommodate union demands, including agreeing to the union’s proposed arbitration language and significantly enhancing dental coverage at the union’s request,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter posted on its website earlier Friday, ATU’s leadership had notified members of the previously planned special membership meeting on Saturday, with voting also scheduled to take place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union leadership said it held two meetings with VTA officials on Thursday, and recommended that its members vote against the current contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Management made it clear they would not offer more than a total 10.5% increase, justifying their position by citing reasons such as ATU’s highest offer in the past decade, claims that we are ‘uneducated workers,’ budget constraints, and the potential need to cut services,” the letter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since we have once again hit a deadlock and the agency refuses to budge, we are putting the offer to a membership vote. However, let there be no misunderstanding – your leadership has NOT agreed to this proposal. Your Negotiations Team is strongly recommending a UNANIMOUS NO VOTE,” the letter concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of people use VTA buses and light rail trains every day, according to the agency, with roughly 100,000 riders on weekdays, including large proportions of students and low-income earners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union has said in previous statements that its members were on strike due to what it perceived as the agency wasting time in six months of negotiations that began in August, as well as concerns over arbitration, extended leave for injury or illness, and respect and fairness for its members’ work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA, said earlier on Friday that the agency hopes union members will approve the new offer and choose to end the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA is trying to make incremental movement over the wage proposal just to get people back to work even though the agency is headed into a $40 million deficit for next year,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can only hope that workers will see this as the fair and competitive offer that it is and come back to work so we can get our passengers back on the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh, on Friday afternoon, seemed unconvinced about the agency’s inability to up its offer. “There is plenty of cushion in the budget for them to offer something more,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030673\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Striking VTA workers picket acknowledge a passing honking car outside the agency’s headquarters on North First Street in San José on March 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The agency and the union have traded sharp rhetoric during the now 12-day strike, including blaming one another for the work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ATU leadership has held its members and the riders who depend on public transportation for their livelihood hostage for two weeks,” the VTA said in its statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union can choose to end the strike and allow employees back to work at any time, including before a new contract is made official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "An expected Saturday vote by striking South Bay transit workers on a new contract offer is now postponed while the VTA’s leaders plan to hold a special meeting Sunday.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 6:20 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Striking transit workers in the South Bay will postpone a planned Saturday vote on a new contract offer from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, after the agency asked union leaders to hold off until a special closed-session meeting could be held Sunday, according to union officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors will meet Sunday at 10 a.m. to further discuss the ongoing negotiations with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, according to the union’s president, Raj Singh. The meeting was announced after ATU leaders encouraged their members to vote against the latest contract offer from VTA negotiators. It could signal an 11th-hour attempt from VTA leaders to avoid allowing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">the historic strike\u003c/a> by more than 1,500 bus drivers, train operators and maintenance workers to extend into a third week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first two weeks now, essentially, the agency showed no urgency in trying to resolve the matter,” Singh said. “And so the fact that they’re [calling a special meeting] now, I hope it’s a step in the right direction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the VTA confirmed the planned meeting late Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier Friday, the VTA said that it had revised its previous offer to ATU, whose members have been off the job since March 10 over stalled contract negotiations, affecting tens of thousands of people who rely daily on transit in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA’s current offer to the union is a contract proposal that includes 10.5% raises over three years, with 4% in the first year, followed by 3%, and 3.5% in the subsequent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That proposal represents a 1.5% increase from the VTA’s previous offer of 9%, and comes a day after the VTA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032271/vta-strike-stretches-into-11th-day-agency-says-progress-being-made-in-talks\">told KQED\u003c/a> progress was made in negotiations on Wednesday regarding other key sticking points, including tentative changes to arbitration when employees file grievances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030671\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Baypointe light rail platform in San José is vacant on Monday, March 10, 2025, the first day of a strike by the union representing VTA’s bus drivers and light rail train operators. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For several weeks, the union’s ask has been for an 18% raise over three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday afternoon, Singh said the union agreed to a compromise on arbitration, and feels the agency’s wage offer isn’t a fair one, pointing to the 4% annual raise that VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot received in January. Singh indicated a 12% raise over three years would be something the union might accept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it would be fair to give us essentially what they gave the general manager at least,” Singh said. “So at least seeing fours across the board would be fair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said the union has also asked the VTA to guarantee that no union workers or leaders will face discipline or civil charges for their participation in the strike, and asked that all workers in the union be immediately reinstated when the strike ends, including those on probation or in training. Singh said the VTA in its previous offer rejected those asks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear what specifics the board members will discuss Sunday, or what revised offer, if any, they will make to the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier Friday, the agency said its latest offer “is highly competitive and fair,” and reiterated that VTA operators are the second-highest paid among Bay Area transit workers, and said its mechanics are the highest paid in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Throughout lengthy negotiations, VTA has gone above and beyond to accommodate union demands, including agreeing to the union’s proposed arbitration language and significantly enhancing dental coverage at the union’s request,” the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter posted on its website earlier Friday, ATU’s leadership had notified members of the previously planned special membership meeting on Saturday, with voting also scheduled to take place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union leadership said it held two meetings with VTA officials on Thursday, and recommended that its members vote against the current contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Management made it clear they would not offer more than a total 10.5% increase, justifying their position by citing reasons such as ATU’s highest offer in the past decade, claims that we are ‘uneducated workers,’ budget constraints, and the potential need to cut services,” the letter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since we have once again hit a deadlock and the agency refuses to budge, we are putting the offer to a membership vote. However, let there be no misunderstanding – your leadership has NOT agreed to this proposal. Your Negotiations Team is strongly recommending a UNANIMOUS NO VOTE,” the letter concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of people use VTA buses and light rail trains every day, according to the agency, with roughly 100,000 riders on weekdays, including large proportions of students and low-income earners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union has said in previous statements that its members were on strike due to what it perceived as the agency wasting time in six months of negotiations that began in August, as well as concerns over arbitration, extended leave for injury or illness, and respect and fairness for its members’ work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA, said earlier on Friday that the agency hopes union members will approve the new offer and choose to end the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA is trying to make incremental movement over the wage proposal just to get people back to work even though the agency is headed into a $40 million deficit for next year,” Hendler Ross said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can only hope that workers will see this as the fair and competitive offer that it is and come back to work so we can get our passengers back on the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh, on Friday afternoon, seemed unconvinced about the agency’s inability to up its offer. “There is plenty of cushion in the budget for them to offer something more,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12030673\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12030673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250220-VTASTRIKED1.-JG-8-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Striking VTA workers picket acknowledge a passing honking car outside the agency’s headquarters on North First Street in San José on March 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The agency and the union have traded sharp rhetoric during the now 12-day strike, including blaming one another for the work stoppage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ATU leadership has held its members and the riders who depend on public transportation for their livelihood hostage for two weeks,” the VTA said in its statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union can choose to end the strike and allow employees back to work at any time, including before a new contract is made official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">historic strike\u003c/a> by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers stretches into its 11th day, the transit agency said progress is being made at the negotiating table on key sticking points, and talks were continuing Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1,500 bus drivers and train operators, as well as maintenance workers and dispatchers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, have been off the job since March 10 over contract talks that stalled early this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike has halted bus and light rail service throughout Santa Clara County, forcing tens of thousands of daily riders to find alternate transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a VTA official said talks went well on Wednesday after negotiators for the agency and the union met for more than seven hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel like we made some progress,” Stacey Hendler Ross, an agency spokesperson, said Thursday morning. “There was a compromise on what the union said was their biggest issue, and that was the arbitration issue. So that hopefully has been settled, and they’re moving on to other issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union President Raj Singh did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the strike, Singh and other union members have said that one of the major issues for the labor group is the way arbitration is handled with the agency when a worker files a grievance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union alleged the agency held too much power to unilaterally avoid or delay going to an arbitrator to decide how some of those cases would be resolved and had proposed changes to shift the balance of power, which the agency had resisted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross declined to share specifics on the compromise that was reached, noting that it’s all tentative until both parties sign a new contract.[aside postID=news_12031387 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_VTASTRIKEDAY2_GC-23-KQED-1020x680.jpg']The union also previously bristled at proposed changes from VTA to reduce long-term injury or illness leave from two years to one, and the two sides have consistently remained far apart on wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s last publicized offer to the union was for 9% raises over three years, with 4% granted in the first year of the contract, followed by 3% and 2% subsequently. The union’s most recent publicized ask was for 18% raises over the same time period, with 6% in each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some of the talks last week between the agency and the union included a mediator, Hendler Ross said the talks on Wednesday and talks that were scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday are standard negotiations without mediators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union held a rally on Monday afternoon with other labor groups, urging VTA to come back to the negotiating table after written proposals were exchanged over the weekend. Singh said the union waited for a call from the agency all day Monday and Tuesday but didn’t receive one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said Tuesday afternoon he was concerned about the agency’s apparent “lack of urgency” while the strike continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday evening, the agency issued a statement saying it “is committed to moving beyond the rhetoric to focus on constructive actions to finalize a contract.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also alleged the strike violated the no-strike clause in the bargaining agreement between the union and VTA and filed a lawsuit on March 10 asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to force workers back to their jobs while negotiations continued. A county judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">shot that request down on Monday\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said Thursday that the VTA always has hope that when the agency and union meet to negotiate, it will result in something good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We continue to hold out that hope because we want to get our workers back to work, back on the road, so we can get our passengers where they need to go,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030951/vta-strike-underscores-silicon-valleys-widening-income-inequality\">historic strike\u003c/a> by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers stretches into its 11th day, the transit agency said progress is being made at the negotiating table on key sticking points, and talks were continuing Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1,500 bus drivers and train operators, as well as maintenance workers and dispatchers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, have been off the job since March 10 over contract talks that stalled early this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike has halted bus and light rail service throughout Santa Clara County, forcing tens of thousands of daily riders to find alternate transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a VTA official said talks went well on Wednesday after negotiators for the agency and the union met for more than seven hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel like we made some progress,” Stacey Hendler Ross, an agency spokesperson, said Thursday morning. “There was a compromise on what the union said was their biggest issue, and that was the arbitration issue. So that hopefully has been settled, and they’re moving on to other issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union President Raj Singh did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the strike, Singh and other union members have said that one of the major issues for the labor group is the way arbitration is handled with the agency when a worker files a grievance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union alleged the agency held too much power to unilaterally avoid or delay going to an arbitrator to decide how some of those cases would be resolved and had proposed changes to shift the balance of power, which the agency had resisted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross declined to share specifics on the compromise that was reached, noting that it’s all tentative until both parties sign a new contract.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The union also previously bristled at proposed changes from VTA to reduce long-term injury or illness leave from two years to one, and the two sides have consistently remained far apart on wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s last publicized offer to the union was for 9% raises over three years, with 4% granted in the first year of the contract, followed by 3% and 2% subsequently. The union’s most recent publicized ask was for 18% raises over the same time period, with 6% in each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some of the talks last week between the agency and the union included a mediator, Hendler Ross said the talks on Wednesday and talks that were scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday are standard negotiations without mediators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union held a rally on Monday afternoon with other labor groups, urging VTA to come back to the negotiating table after written proposals were exchanged over the weekend. Singh said the union waited for a call from the agency all day Monday and Tuesday but didn’t receive one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh said Tuesday afternoon he was concerned about the agency’s apparent “lack of urgency” while the strike continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday evening, the agency issued a statement saying it “is committed to moving beyond the rhetoric to focus on constructive actions to finalize a contract.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also alleged the strike violated the no-strike clause in the bargaining agreement between the union and VTA and filed a lawsuit on March 10 asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to force workers back to their jobs while negotiations continued. A county judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031632/vtas-legal-challenge-ongoing-transit-strike-hits-snag\">shot that request down on Monday\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said Thursday that the VTA always has hope that when the agency and union meet to negotiate, it will result in something good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We continue to hold out that hope because we want to get our workers back to work, back on the road, so we can get our passengers where they need to go,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"order": 8
},
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"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
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"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"source": "WaitWhat"
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
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