VTA workers on Monday enter the second week of their strike as thousands are expected to converge on downtown San Jose for the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference.
Conference attendees who booked hotels near rail lanes told NBC Bay Area they are scrambling for another option.
"We'll end up with Lyft or Uber, so it will cost us a little more to go up and back,’’ said JB Baker of Colorado Springs.
Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom is reviewing a letter received from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority asking him to order striking transit employees back to work, according to the Governor's Office.
In its appeal to the governor, VTA asks Newsom to appoint a Board of Investigation. Under state law, such a board is permitted to examine the issues in a public transportation labor dispute. Appointing a board would suspend the strike, at least temporarily, because a work stoppage is prohibited during the investigation.
San Jose officials said they expect to welcome as many as 25,000 people to the tech conference, sometimes referred to as the "Woodstock of AI," which starts Monday.
"Getting through, the roads are blocked, so the train is a lifeline, and it's going to be inconvenient," said Sam Bode of San Jose.
Despite what many characterize as inconvenient, VTA workers said they plan to keep striking on Monday.
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"The fact they are trying to remove our union rights is something we can't allow," said Ashley Olvera, a steward of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, representing more than 1,500 VTA workers. "If we allow arbitration to weaken then we will be ‘’at will ‘’employees and they can fire us for any minor little thing.’’
The transit authority argues that ATU Local 265, representing more than 1,500 VTA workers, violated a "no strike" clause in its contract, even though the agreement expired at 11:59 p.m. March 9.
The two sides began negotiations in August 2024 to renew the union's three-year contract.
The principal stumbling blocks are wages and a union proposal to settle conflicts by allowing workers to present their grievances to a neutral third party and avoid going to court.
The transit agency has offered wage increases of 4%, 3% and 2% over three years. The union is looking for 6% wage increases each year over the next three years.
"The short road would be to come to the table and negotiate," said Olvera. "You don't need to go to the governor."
In the week since the strike began, VTA and the union have met three times, the most recent being Sunday. No agreement was reached.
