CALIFORNIA BEAT STAFF REPORT

Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 — the labor union representing BART’s train operators and other personnel — passed a strike authorization vote Tuesday evening, as Bay Area transportation officials started sounding alarm bells warning commuters that the region could come to a standstill as early as next Wednesday if BART employees walk off the job after their current contract expires on June 30 and a new one isn’t ratified.

ATU members spent much of Tuesday evening casting ballots at their Oakland union hall. Putting the possibility of a strike on the bargaining table would give ATU and other BART employee unions much more leverage in securing a contract to their liking with the agency. Union heads said 98 or 99 percent of the votes were in support of a potential strike if labor negotiations crumbled further.

The bargaining over a new contract has been tense recently, with both sides bombarding the web and local news outlets with accusatory rhetoric pointing fingers at lavish executive compensation packages and the failure of employees to sacrifice in the midst of a deep recession that is prompting fares on the BART transit system to go up and service cuts to be enacted on July 1.

BART is grappling with a projected $250 million deficit through the next four years.

Another BART union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, which represents middle-managers with the agency has already called for a strike to take place if a contract is not reached by the end of the month. Other employees unions are expected to follow suit in putting a strike option on the table.

Already, regional transit officials are warning that if both sides to not come to terms with a new contract within a week, a strike could happen as early as next Wednesday leaving much of BART’s 355,000 daily riders stranded and the Bay Area’s roadways at a standstill.

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional body that oversees transportation issues for the Bay Area, issued a urgent warning to commuters: find alternatives now.

The MTC is directing commuters to 511.org, their travel planning and transit information website in case a strike call is declared as early as July 1.

In 1997, BART employees walked off the job after contract negotiations came to a stalemate. Arterial roadways were jammed with cars as commuters struggled to get to work, school and recreation without the transit system.

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