SAN JOSE, Calif. — The strike by 1,500 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers will continue after members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 voted down the latest offer from the VTA board.
Public broadcaster KQED reports that in voting today (Monday, March 24) more than 80% rejected the updated offer including 11% in pay raises over a three-eyar period. Union officials said 919 of the 1,117 who voted cast ballots against the offer.
“Our members will only return to work with a fair contract, one that guarantees their rights, their dignity, and their safety,” Local 265 President Raj Singh said following the voting at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. “This has been a difficult time and a difficult vote.”
There was no immediate word on the possible resumption of negotiations, although the VTA said in a statement that “negotiations remain open for ATU to come to the table with a request.
“VTA has put forward a more than fair proposal that ensures employees receive competitive pay and strong benefits for themselves and their families,” the statement reads. “… We urge our employees to embrace this chance to secure their future and return to work.”
The latest offer came out of a special Sunday meeting by the VTA board, and included a 4% raise in each of the first two years of a three-year contract, with a 3% increase the third year. The VTA had been offering 9% over the three years, but upped that to 10.5% late last week. The union had been slated to vote on that offer on Saturday, but postponed a vote at the request of the VTA board [see “Striking workers postpone …,” Trains News Wire, March 23, 2025]. The union’s bargaining committee had recommended that members reject the offer including the 10.5% increase, leading the board to meet to formulate a new offer.
.ATU members, including light rail and bus operators, walked out on March 10 following the expiration of their contract on March 3. The union is seeking a 6% raise in each of the three years of the contract.
— Updated at 9:55 p.m. CT with results of union vote.
Greedy or justified? Hard to tell from a distance.