UPDATE: BART workers agreed to return to work on July 5 under their current contract for a 30-day negotiating period. Another strike remains possible.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) workers began to strike on July 1. They have been joined by other transit workers and supporters across the Bay Area to protest the attacks on their wages and health care and pension benefits forced on them by management after previous concessions, which already included a five year wage freeze.

In Oakland, workers say they face numerous health and safety problems in addition to continuing assaults on their wages and benefits. ATU 192 bus workers from AC Transit spoke about the dangerous and hostile work environment that they face, including the inability to have regular bathroom breaks even though this is required under the law by Cal/Osha, and ATU 1555 BART workers also said that they face similar conditions.

The BART board of directors have also spent $1.5 million to hire a union busting consulting firm lead by Thomas P. Hock of Veola Transportation Services, which workers say has a record of racism and attacking unions throughout the country. Workers also report that the BART board and management paid $320,000 for lawyers to fight a health and safety ruling by Cal/OSHA.

San Francisco: SEIU 1021 BART Strike Rally Civic Center | BART Workers Rally! | BART Workers Rally - Part 2 | BART Workers Rally - Part 3 | BART Workers Rally - Part 4: Olga Miranda & Tom Temprano

Oakland: BART Striking ATU 1555 Picket, Speakout and Protest Against BART Board Of Directors | SEIU Oakland City Workers And BART Workers Struck On July 1 And Rally at Oakland City & SF | Oakland Strikes Back! Speeches from Oakland City/BART Strike | War Against Transit Workers-AC-BART Transit Workers & Community Speaks Out At AC Bd Meet | "They Treat Us Like Slaves" BART ATU 1555 & AC ATU 192 Transit Workers Rally In Oakland | No More Concessions Say BART ATU1555/SEIU1021/ATU192 Transit Workers At BART Board Meeting