The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers strike entered its second week Monday, impacting tens of thousands of passengers in the South Bay.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers strike entered its second week Monday, impacting tens of thousands of passengers in the South Bay.
The transit agency has reached out to the Governor's Office and asked him to help end the work stoppage.
VTA's legal challenge to get employees back to work has also hit a road block.
It appeared there were going to be negotiations late Monday, but nothing has developed.
The bus and light rail operators' union and its 1,500 workers were back on the picket lines for an 8th day.
The union said it wants a 6% raise for each of the next three years, while the VTA is offering half of that.
But the other main sticking point is they want employee grievances or complaints to be heard by a third party.
"We're trying to add language to guarantee that the agency has to participate in the arbitration process," said Raj Singh, ATU Local 265 president.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
As for talks that broke down over the weekend, the VTA is accusing the union of negotiating in bad faith and walking away from the table. The transit agency also claims the language the union wants in the contract has already been in place for decades.
Meanwhile, all bus and light-rail service has come to a halt during the strike, with only the paratransit service operating.
In court on Monday, the VTA's legal challenge to force its employees back to work was denied. The judge said the agency needs to use a different form in its filing.
VTA said it has amended its offer to try to come to an agreement and accuses the union of not budging.
"ATU leaders have walked away without making any effort to resolve the differences in our proposals," VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said. "They’ve not changed their demands at all."
VTA officials also sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking for him to intervene.
But the Governor's Office said it is "urging the parties to return to the bargaining table to engage in meaningful conversations and reach an agreement."
