Attacks on AFSCME Members' Access to Work

BART employees represented by AFSCME provide critical services to residents and visitors in the Bay Area. Our priority is to provide a safe and reliable public transportation system. AFSCME members have been working to coax the 45-year-old BART system to carry far more passengers than it was designed for. Recently, BART has cut and frozen many of our positions due to the budget deficit partially created by transferring operating budget money to capital. Employees who rely on the operating budget are working longer, harder and with fewer resources. AFSCME recognizes that the capital needs of BART are great, but because of the essential work our members do as professional staff, we also recognize the need for flexibility in funding decisions to meet the needs caused by both the aging system and the drastic increase in ridership.

AB 1509, introduced by Assemblywoman Catherine Baker, would have prohibited BART, following approval of Measure RR at the November 8, 2016 election, from redirecting any existing funds dedicated for system infrastructure capital improvements or rolling stock to cover operating expenses. AB 1509 would tie the hands of BART’s elected Board of Directors in making budgetary decisions, which could result in an operations budget in the near-future that will not be able to meet riders’ needs for service. This would have negatively impacted the people and economy of the San Francisco Bay Area. The level and quality of BART’s service is determined by the operations budget. To run the system well, BART’s leadership needs to have flexibility to make investment choices of unrestricted monies in both operations and capital. AB 1509 became a two-year bill when it was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and could be brought up again in January 2018. AFSCME will continue to monitor AB 1509 in case it is brought up again in the future.