The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers strike entered its second week Monday, impacting tens of thousands of passengers in the South Bay.
VTA's request for the courts to immediately intervene in a weeklong strike has been denied, delaying the potential return of bus and light rail public transit service in the region.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel Nishigaya denied VTA's request for an injunction Monday afternoon. Nishigaya also ordered representatives from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 to appear in court next week to argue why an injunction should not be issued. But with the court date set for March 26, that could prolong the strike for another week.
VTA was seeking legal intervention to stop ATU Local 265's strike after contract negotiations fizzled out earlier this month with no deal on the table. Nishigaya issued a temporary denial Monday morning on the grounds that the filing wasn't compliant with California's Rules of Court, but filed a second decision in the afternoon with his updated ruling.
ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh said the union is still disappointed the transit agency has been pursuing other avenues for an injunction rather than working to negotiate a deal. Singh said he was unsure if negotiations would be happening before the court hearing in nine days.
"They're not showing any urgency to get this resolved," Singh told San Jose Spotlight.
ATU Local 265 hosted a rally Monday afternoon. Singh said elected officials have shared their support through letters or by joining the picket lines on other occasions, including state Sen. Dave Cortese, Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, Patrick Ahrens and Alex Lee, Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong and San Jose Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas.
In a statement, VTA said the agency is working to restore bus and light rail services. The statement also said Nishigaya calling ATU Local 265 into court shows there is merit to the agency's claims.
"VTA is committed to moving beyond rhetoric to focus on constructive actions to finalize a contract," the statement reads. "The strike is now in its eighth day. It's time to prioritize the public and our employees by taking meaningful steps toward reaching an agreement."
Sergio Lopez, VTA board chair and Campbell mayor, declined to comment on the denial.
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"I'm committed to continuing the conversations that have been happening on both sides to get to a resolution," he told San Jose Spotlight.
The union represents more than 1,500 frontline workers, including bus drivers and light rail operators. It began negotiating with the agency for a new contract last August, and bus and light rail services in the county have been on pause since the strike began March 10.
VTA also sent a letter Saturday to Gov. Gavin Newsom seeking his intervention. VTA representatives have repeatedly said their main goal is to get transit services up and running again. The letter said tens of thousands of daily riders rely on VTA as their primary transportation, and that the strike is creating "material health, safety, and economic losses."
In the letter, the agency reiterated arguments from its legal complaint, citing the contract's "no strike" clause and claiming the contract's duration clauses rolled over after the listed expiration date. Singh previously called the argument "absurd," as the contract expired March 3.
ATU Local 265 is seeking a 6% raise over three years, totaling 18%, as well as added contract language to ensure a conflict resolution process that allows workers to present their grievances to a third party and avoid going to court. VTA's offer was a 9% raise over the next three years, going from 4% to 3% to 2%, and did not include the added conflict resolution language. A union news release said 95% of members voted down the deal.
VTA representatives previously said the union's requested wage increases would go over the agency's budget, and it would need to cut service and staff to meet the request. They also claimed its proposal would make VTA's operators among the highest paid nationwide.
Singh previously told San Jose Spotlight the increases are necessary to keep up with Silicon Valley's rising cost of living and that workers are prepared to remain on strike until a deal is reached.
Singh said Newsom's office reached out over the weekend and seemed surprised that the union's main request is to update the conflict resolution process, since that's an integral part of the contract. He added the union and VTA exchanged offers again over the weekend that remained mostly unchanged.
He expected to have another meeting with VTA officials Monday, but as the day went into the afternoon, he said he wasn't sure that would happen.
"Them trying to paint this picture that they're fair and just, it's nothing but lies," Singh told San Jose Spotlight.
This story originally appeared on San Jose Spotlight.
