SF Muni sickout continues for 2nd day

NOTE: This is really bad timing as I'm recovering from acute bronchitis and still cannot walk very far.

It was another tumultuous day for San Francisco commuters, as half the 600 drivers of buses and trains who usually show up for work called in sick Tuesday, the outgrowth of an impasse in contract negotiations between management and labor.

The public transit system's worst labor disruption in decades could continue on Wednesday - even though an unusually combative Mayor Ed Lee has directed the city's Human Resources Department to investigate each worker who has called in sick.

The mass absence flouts a law that bans Muni employees from striking. But since it's a wildcat action, union leaders are emphatic in saying that they had nothing to do with making it happen and, therefore, cannot call it off.

"The union has no part in what's going on," said Eric Williams, president of Local 250-A of the Transport Workers Union, which represents 2,000 Muni employees. "Our members are truly frustrated at being treated like they don't matter."

The situation on city streets was better Tuesday than Monday, but not by much. Many commuters complained of at least hour-long waits to board sporadically arriving buses and trains. Tourists, meanwhile, could only look forlornly at empty cable car turnarounds again, with the service completely shut down for another day. Shuttle buses were available, but it's not the same.


http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muni-sickout-continues-for-2nd-day-5524556.php