CA: BART strike looms as governor asked to intervene

OAKLAND -- With the first BART labor shutdown in more than 15 years looming for Monday morning, there's one person in California who could single-handedly stop the commute chaos that could cripple the Bay Area: Gov. Jerry Brown.

Just hours after declaring they would walk off the job if they don't reach a contract by Sunday night's deadline, union workers have asked the governor to delay a shutdown for two months to allow both sides to continue hammering out a deal.

The Brown administration declined to comment Friday and is awaiting the outcome of the negotiations this weekend. But if the bargaining were unsuccessful during the next two months, a delay would put the BART strike in the cross hairs of Labor Day weekend, when the Bay Bridge is set to shut down for the installation and opening of the new east span, a nightmarish scenario BART management and Caltrans are eager to avoid.

Both sides returned to the bargaining table Friday and were optimistic they could reach a settlement, but they appeared to remain far apart on key issues such as wages and health care benefits.


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