Author: jeff

Photo by Lynn Friedman

Today in Bay Area transit news: Learn how BART plans to bridge the gap, as it were, until its new fleet of trains arrives in 2017. Also, are you wondering why Muni has been folding up the disabled seats? Well, read on, youngins.

• BART pursues range of solutions to maintain aging fleet (SF Examiner)
• Traffic signal priority coming to 8X, N-Judah, possibly other lines (SF Examiner)
• Seats disappearing on Muni — in more ways than one (SFGate)
• Why We Need the Central Subway in North Beach and Beyond (SPUR)
• Opinion: For Better Muni and Safer Streets, Mayor Lee Must Back Vehicle License Fee (Streetsblog SF)
• Mayor’s Budget Includes 10% Service Increase For Muni (SF Appeal)
• “LightRail” Installation Aims To Illuminate Market Street (Socket Site)
• Transit Riders Union: Mayor Lee Keeps Giving Muni Riders the Short End of the Stick (Streetsblog SF)
• Curb-jumping S.F. driver hits 2 pedestrians, Muni bus (SFGate)

Photo by Kyu Kim

Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know about the Muni Sickout as it enters its third day. KCBS’s Elaine Leung reports that today, 75 percent of Muni vehicles are in service. Hey, it’s a start.

Muni Sickout: Drivers Who Worked Monday Getting Extra Pay
SF Weekly reports that SFMTA will not pay those workers who participated in the Monday version of the sickout (no word yet on Tuesday or Wednesday). And the agency will reportedly use those savings to pay workers who did show up that day, Flying Spaghetti Monster bless ’em.

SFMTA Asks Muni Workers Out Sick To Provide Doctor’s Note Or Not Get Paid
CBS Bay Area reports that SFMTA is basically calling the operators’ bluff. “Oh, you’re sick? PROVE IT.” Also, get ready to seethe and sharpen those pitchforks: As is, Muni workers get 13 sick days per year.

Mayor Ed Lee condemns Muni worker ‘sickout’ as major delays continue
Add another body to the side of “Cut it out, Muni operators.” The Examiner reports that Mayor Ed Lee is essentially saying, “ur doin it rong.”

Union Advises Muni Drivers To Get Back To Work
Yeah, so yesterday we reported that the union didn’t call for the sickout. Now CBS Bay Area reports that they’ve gone a step further and told members to return to work. We can get on board with that. You?

Photo by Michael Dunn

It’s Day 2 of the Muni sickout. Here are a couple of stories worth reading, if you’re not already so pissed off that you can’t see straight, that is. We hope you can see straight.

Muni Sickout: Labor Radical Calls Press Conference, Blames Billionaires
SF Weekly looks at the labor leaders at the helm of this work stoppage. And offers a nice little anecdote about a speaker never showing up to an event because, you guessed it, he tried to use Muni to get there. Ah …

SF Supe Plans Resolution To Urge End To Muni Driver Sickout
SF Appeal brings us news of SF Supervisor Scott Wiener’s resolution to get drivers back to work. ““Muni drivers have a tough job, and they deserve good pay and benefits as well as respect for their service to our city,” [Wiener] said. “Similarly, Muni riders deserve to have a functional system to get to work, school, doctor’s appointments, the grocery store and elsewhere.”

Muni “Sickout” Day 2: Union Officially Rejects Labor Deal
Big surprise here. SF Weekly reports that Muni’s union officially rejected the proposed budget that ignited this whole mess. According to this report, the union offered to negotiate further, but that offer was rejected.

Muni Drivers’ Union Denies Responsibility For Transit-Crippling “Sickout”
Sounds fishy, but SF Appeal reports that Muni’s largest union, Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, denies asking workers to stage a sickout this week. ““The union played no role in what’s happening on the streets right now, we did not sanction that,” said Eric Williams, president of the union.