One of Hearts

There have been rumors floating around for the last few weeks that a strike of mass (or not so mass) proportions is potentially upon us San Francisco Bay Area residents, and according to the official Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) website, these rumors could quite soon become truth.

From BART:

The Amalgamated Transit Union has announced its intention to strike at the close of service on Sunday, after the BART Board of Directors voted Thursday to impose terms of employment on the union. A strike would halt BART service. The Board took the action after members of ATU, which represents train operators and station agents, rejected a tentative labor agreement and the board said an impasse had been reached in negotiations.

Looks like fun times ahead, huh?

The site then goes on to give a few handy dandy tips for dealing with this pretty large inconvenience, two of my favorites being…

“Adjust work hours – Ask your employer about adjusting your work hours to avoid commuting during peak traffic periods.”

and

“Telecommute – Ask your employer about working from home during some of the time you’d normally be in the office.”

I don’t know where BART thinks I work, but if it was the kind of place where I could just tell them my demands and they would submit to my every whim and will, life would be much much sweeter.

It’s not all doom and gloom for Bay Area public transit warriors though. Bart will be running a limited bus service between five of it’s stations. In the morning you have

Dublin/Pleasanton BART to West Oakland BART (10 Buses)
Fremont BART to West Oakland BART (10 Buses)
Walnut Creek BART to West Oakland BART (10 Buses)
El Cerrito del Norte BART to West Oakland BART (10 Buses)
West Oakland BART to San Francisco (Fremont/Folsom) (16 Buses)

and in the afternoon

San Francisco (Fremont/Folsom) to West Oakland BART (16 Buses)
West Oakland BART to El Cerrito del Norte BART (10 Buses)
West Oakland BART to Dublin/Pleasanton BART to (10 Buses)
West Oakland BART to Fremont BART (10 Buses)
West Oakland BART to Walnut Creek (10 Buses)

Each trip cost 5 bucks and parking at the BART stations is free during the strike. That’s good right?

Hooray for poor negotiation skills and greed!

So lovlies, do you rely heavily on BART to get you from point A to point B? Any ideas for turning shit into sunshine if this actually hits the fan? Do tell!