Strike called on Golden Gate Bridge bus lines for Oct. 17

Workers from the the 13 unions comprising the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition said Thursday they will stage a one-day strike of bus lines operated by the bridge district on Oct. 17. Workers from the the 13 unions comprising the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition said Thursday they will stage a one-day strike of bus lines operated by the bridge district on Oct. 17. Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Strike called on Golden Gate Bridge bus lines for Oct. 17 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Buses operated by the Golden Gate Transportation District will not be crossing the Bay Area’s most famous bridge next Friday as workers from the Teamsters Union Local 856 and 665, which represents dispatchers, supervisors and maintenance crews, announced a one-day strike.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents drivers, is expected to honor the picket line, effectively canceling bus service between Marin, Sonoma and San Francisco for the day. Ferry service and bridge traffic will not be affected.

The central issue dividing the unions and management is the cost of health care, according to Alex Tonisson, co-chairman of the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition, which represents roughly 450 mechanics, ironworkers and bus servicers from 13 unions.

Tim Jenkins, of Teamsters Local 856, said management wants “to push employees into a high-deductible plan with up to $12,000 a year out of pocket. That puts too many working families one car accident away from bankruptcy.”

But Priya Clemens, a spokeswoman for the district, said that is a mischaracterization because much of the $12,000 would be paid by the district. She said the sides needed to negotiate with the help of an impartial mediator.

Tonisson said the coalition is willing to talk, but mediation around the issue of health care would be pointless because, for workers, it’s a yes-or-no question and the current proposal is unacceptable.

The planned strike marks the third such labor action in the past month, each one an escalation from the last in terms of impact on commuters.

On Sept. 19, machinists represented by the labor coalition staged a one-day strike and picketed at the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza administration building. That action left commuters largely unaffected.

On Sept. 26, 16 ferry captains represented by the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association staged a one-day strike shutting down all ferry service between Marin and San Francisco. About 9,000 commuter trips are taken on the ferry daily, and an additional 1,400 trips are taken by baseball fans headed to or from AT&T Park when the Giants play, as they did that day.

Coalition leaders said they chose to hold the upcoming strike on a Friday because there are fewer commuters that day. On other weekdays there are 30,000 to 40,000 riders, Tonisson said, but on Fridays there are only about 20,000.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle

staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale