BART contract gives workers 15.4% in raises

WiFi Rail had already installed $7 million worth of equipment on BART train cars, its CEO said. WiFi Rail had already installed $7 million worth of equipment on BART train cars, its CEO said. Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close BART contract gives workers 15.4% in raises 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

BART workers scored 15.4 percent in raises in the four-year deal that settled the four-day strike late Monday night.

The raises, which are 3.4 percent higher than BART management proposed Thursday in its final offer, which triggered the strike, include money to reimburse employees for picking up a portion of their pension contributions.

And if BART, which provides 400,000 rides each weekday, sees ridership surge past projections, workers will get bonuses of up to $1,000 a year.

BART officials Tuesday declined to discuss the tentative agreement or even confirm the terms announced by union officials.

Details from the unions - Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 - were also scarce as their officials scrambled to review all the items agreed to - or dropped - at the bargaining table in the frenetic final hours of negotiations.

The agreement, which was announced shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, still must be ratified in separate votes of each union's membership and the BART Board of Directors. The BART board has a regular meeting scheduled Thursday morning. Dates of the union ratification votes have not yet been announced.

While the workers will receive pay increases, they will also contribute a portion of their salaries to their state pensions for the first time. In the first year of the contract, they will pay 1 percent of their salary with an additional 1 percent each year, rising to 4 percent in the final year of the contract. They will receive a .72 percent pension swap - money put into their base wages - each year for each 1 percent they contribute to their pensions.

Employees will see their medical insurance premium payments rise from a flat rate of $92 a month to $129, according to union officials.

BART managed to win changes to some work rules, including procedures that have been established over the years that were not part of the contract, while the unions retained some rules on safety. Both unions agreed to make it easier for BART to introduce new technology in the workplace, addressing a key complaint by management.

On safety measures, a major issue raised by the unions, BART agreed to install bulletproof glass in 15 station-agent booths and other safety material in others, as well as Dutch doors and height markers in all booths. Flexible scheduling will be used to address safety concerns of station agents working late-night and early morning hours.

The unions also agreed to some changes in overtime hours, requiring workers without paid sick leave to work 40 hours before being eligible for overtime. But it was not clear whether workers who have accrued paid sick leave will face the same restrictions.

A number of unresolved issues, which union officials did not identify, will be determined by an arbitrator.