Employees of the area’s commuter train system walked off the job Sunday in a pay dispute, a strike that could strand 275,000 daily riders on Monday.
Members of the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s two largest unions voted last week to reject an offer that would have raised their salaries 3 percent a year for three years. Union members reportedly are seeking annual raises of 6.5 percent, 5.5 percent and 5 percent over the three years.
BART workers are among the highest-paid transit employees in the U.S. Maintenance workers earn a base wage of $48,000. Train operators and station agents earn $40,900.
“We are not getting paid enough,” said union negotiator Bill Lloyd. “We are workers. We are suffering, just like tomorrow when commuters are trying to get into San Francisco, they’ll suffer. So we’re all suffering together.”
