Top (Calif.) Democrat considering bill to end transit workers' right to strike

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The head of the Senate Transportation Committee praised Gov. Jerry Brown for preventing Bay Area transit workers from walking off the job Monday and said he is still considering legislation that would permanently take away their right to strike.

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) said in an interview that workers in the Bay Area have rights that few of their colleagues around the state share.

“Of the 10 largest metropolitan areas, Los Angeles and the Bay Area are the exception,” he said. “All of the other large systems do not allow transit workers to strike.”

DeSaulnier, who called himself "pro-labor and pro-transit," said neither labor nor management seems to want to change the current law, but the frequency of labor strife in the Bay Area Rapid Transit district has led him to look at the issue. The former Contra Costa County supervisor says that in the 22 years he’s been in elected office, workers have walked off the job or come close four times.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-bart-strike-mta-labor-bay-area-transit-jerry-brown-markdesaulnier-20130805,0,6685056.story

[sakabatou]

1. *twitch* WTF?!

[KamaAina]

2. Wow. DeSaulnier is considered one of the more progressive state senators.

Then again, his district would be absolutely marooned by a strike. There are almost no buses that run over the East Bay hills.

[cstanleytech]

7. I can understand his wanting this kinda thing then but still they should have the option

to strike so maybe an amended bill that they can strike for no more than 3 days out of the week and or tie it to the average pay earned for the majority of them and only allow them to vote to strike if their pay ever lowers to 200% over the federal poverty level?

[Skeeter Barnes]

3. DeSaulnier, a former Teamster, now a member of the terrorist network known as

the Chamber of Commerce. Nobody, and I mean nobody, in the Chamber of Commerce is pro labor.

Although the Board of Supervisors is a non-partisan office, DeSaulnier was active in Republican party affairs during much of his tenure as county supervisor. In September 1998, for example, he donated $200.00 to the United Republican Finance Committee of the Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee, thereby aiding Dan Lungren (R) in the gubernatorial race against Gray Davis (D), Matt Fong (R) in his U.S. Senate race against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), Charles Ball (R) in his congressional race against Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D), and Allen Payton (R) in his Assembly race against Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D).[4] Many of the candidates that DeSaulnier aided supported the anti-union Proposition 226 on the June 1998 statewide ballot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_DeSaulnier

Like Ronald Reagan, he was all for Unions while he benefits from them. As a business owner and legislator, he works to crush them.

[happyslug]

4. I know Pittsburgh is only 23rd largest metro area, but its mass transit operators can strike

And Philadelphia is the 7th largest metro area and comes under the same law (i.e. can go on Strike).

List of Largest Metro Areas in the US:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_of_the_United_States

The reason is simple, the alternative to striking is binding arbitration and most Transit authorities prefer a strike to binding arbitration.

In 2012 the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) Police went on strike:
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/03/21/union-septa-transit-police-officers-go-on-strike/

In 2009 the SEPTA workers went on Strike:
http://voices.yahoo.com/septas-strike-ends-4837670.html

Now, New York State prohibits Mass Transit Strikes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_New_York_City_transit_strike

[Gormy Cuss]

13. So can Boston's transit workers

In the SF Bay area not all transit systems have the right to strike -- MUNI workers (city of San Francisco transit) can't strike for example.

Also the Taylor law in NYS doesn't cover all transit systems - the Long Island RR can strike and that would be about the equivalent of a BART strike in terms of disruption.

[FiveGoodMen]

5. With 'Democrats' like this...

[awoke_in_2003]

19. Party of the working man. nt

[msongs]

6. maybe he is just trying to shake their tree and get em to settle nt

[cosmicone]

8. Like I have posted before...

many many pro-labor and progressive people do not support the BART strike.

[Skeeter Barnes]

9. This guy is neither pro labor or progressive. Chamber of Commerce crony.

Although the Board of Supervisors is a non-partisan office, DeSaulnier was active in Republican party affairs during much of his tenure as county supervisor. In September 1998, for example, he donated $200.00 to the United Republican Finance Committee of the Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee, thereby aiding Dan Lungren (R) in the gubernatorial race against Gray Davis (D), Matt Fong (R) in his U.S. Senate race against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), Charles Ball (R) in his congressional race against Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D), and Allen Payton (R) in his Assembly race against Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D). Many of the candidates that DeSaulnier aided supported the anti-union Proposition 226 on the June 1998 statewide ballot.

[Xithras]

21. Conservative Democrats are increasingly common in California.

Politicians aren't stupid, and many parts of California are simply unwinnable for Republican's no matter what their policies are. This has led to a lot of people who would have previously been registered as Republicans (and in some cases...who WERE previously registered as Republicans) to run as Democrats in order to have a shot at winning. Because the state party tends to be more interested in winning than ideals, some of these guys can make it pretty far.


The problem is that California, for decades, was ground zero for so-called "liberal Republicans". They tended to be libertarian on social issues (equal rights, gay rights, etc), and while taking fiscally conservative, pro-business positions. That leads to thinking like "people have a right to form unions (libertarian), but those rights need to be limited to protect the economy (pro-business)". Their libertarian social positions have made it easy for them to jump to the Democratic party, and for some of them to achieve a LOT of power and support (*cough*Gavin Newsom*cough*).

While a "liberal Republican" may be able to easily change suits with a "fiscally moderate Democrat", it still doesn't make them a genuine liberal or progressive. At best, they're centrists. Usually they don't even bother coming that far left.

It's rare to see one out himself like this though.

[Skeeter Barnes]

23. Explains a lot. Thanks for the added perspective.

[Left Coast2020]

10. If someone with a "D" wants to end labor strikes

They better think a little more carefully about what they are doing--which could impact the "long-term" in future labor disputes. Why is everything always for the short term--not for long-term.

If Cluster Faux gets ahold of this, they'll hang it over our heads. Bigtime.

[blkmusclmachine]

11. Good, old fashioned Democratic "bi-partisanship."

[silvershadow]

12. So he claims to be a Democrat? Whatever. If that's what passes for a Democrat these days, we are

all in a world of hurt. I don't know anything about him, but this tells me enough to know I have no respect for him as a Democrat.

[DeSwiss]

14. With ''Democrats''like these......

...who needs Republicans?

[Helen Borg]

15. What if they strike anyway?

Will they all be fired? That's the usual dilemma.

[bklyncowgirl]

17. Don't know how this would work. In NY I believe the unions are fined.

Uniformed service strikes are rare in New York but from time to time the transit workers union do take the financial hit and strike. They have the power to bring the city to a shutdown.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. "Los Angeles and the Bay Area are the exception,”

BULLSHIT. Philadelphia's SEPTA still strikes (whether it's the bus/subways/trolleys or regional rails - the 2 being different bargaining units) and SEPTA is 5th largest system in the country (last strike was 2009).

[KamaAina]

18. Local teevee news is now speculating that a strike ban could win as a ballot initiative

and judging by the tone of people's comments last month, they're probably right.

&feature=player_embedded

You don't suppose this is a trial balloon, do you?

[Xithras]

20. I could support it IF...

And ONLY IF, the law also contained some alternate mechanism to allow the employees to air their grievances.

How about an alternate mechanism to suspend the pay of management when contracts can't be reached? That way, instead of harming the entire population (99.9% of whom have nothing to do with the fight), the harm will be focused on the people who are actually causing the problem?

I'm sure there are other alternate ways to exert pressure on the system. While I've always been pro-labor, shutting down a system like this has massive effects on the region and most of the people harmed by it are simply innocent bystanders.

[JRLeft]

22. The Democratic party continues steer right everyday.