`STRIKE IS ON' TRANSIT UNIONS REJECT FINAL MTA OFFERS.

Byline: Troy Anderson and Jordan Smith  Staff Writers

Unions representing Los Angeles' 6,700 bus and subway workers broke off contract talks shortly before midnight Friday and ordered their members to go on strike early today.

A series of last-minute offers from Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials intended to achieve cost-savings without a four-day, 10-hour work week failed to break the deadlock.

Transit workers said they would walk off the job about 3 a.m., leaving room still for a breakthrough before services were affected over the weekend. But union negotiators left the Pasadena Hilton Hotel, where talks have been held, and began to organize a campaign of pickets at various locations around the city.

Both sides were pessimistic after a 12-hour round of negotiations was unable to make significant progress to change costly work rules or resolve questions about the impact of creating a San Fernando Valley transit zone on union workers' future earnings.

``No matter what we put together or how long we stay here, they did not bring with them the authority that was needed to sign the agreement tonight. As of this moment the strike is on,'' said James Williams, general chairman of the United Transportation Union representing 4,000 bus and train drivers.

Miguel Contreras, county Federation of Labor secretary-treasurer, added: ``We spent the better part of the day at the bargaining table, but it's been clear the committee they sent to negotiate does not have the authority to reach an agreement. Talks have not been productive or fruitful. This is unnecessary, and we feel we've been forced out on strike.''

MTA negotiator Tom Webb blamed the unions for intransigence: ``This is not a situation that should result in a strike. This is a situation where people should turn around and have serious negotiations and put serious proposals on the table.

``There is no response to our wage package, no response to our proposals. . . . They came back today by telling us now that you have to take another issue off the table.

``It's really disappointing and it's an embarrassment that this should result in a strike.''

MTA officials offered a series of compromise proposals late Friday to try to avert a strike that will affect the 500,000 passengers throughout most of Los Angeles who use MTA bus and train service if the strike lasts into the week.

The pace of negotiations intensified under the unions' ultimatum to reach agreement on new contracts or face shutdown of all but skeleton bus service provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Separate bus services operated by 17 suburban communities, Metrolink commuter trains and Los Angeles city buses will continue to run.

New proposals intended to lower overtime and other costs due to work rules and lessen the impact of creating transit zones were put on the table by MTA officials and under consideration by the unions. Neither side would discuss details.

MTA officials said they are resolute about money-saving changes, particularly in cutting overtime expenses that make its buses the costliest in the nation to operate, up to 50 percent higher than some other county bus systems.

``We could save millions of dollars,'' MTA spokesman Marc Littman said. ``You are talking about 4,400 operators over a year's time. Every minute counts. We are telling the drivers to come up with proposals to reduce costs.''

He accused the unions of deliberately running out the clock with the intention of striking unless they won on all key issues.

``This will strand hundreds of thousands of people,'' Littman said. ``These are people who work on the weekends, people who have to go to the hospitals, need to go to schools and shop for groceries.

About 7 percent of commuters rely on public transit, more than two- thirds of them with household incomes under $15,000.

``It's a slap in the face of the public what the drivers union just did,'' Littman said.

The last MTA strike occurred in 1994 and lasted nine days.

The unions agreed to a 24-hour extension late Thursday after MTA negotiators said they would drop their demand that 400 drivers work four- day, 10-hour shifts instead of the current five-day work week if other savings can be found.

Although they would work 10 hours on each of those days, drivers would be on duty for 13 hours - with those three unpaid hours spent on breaks.

Currently, many drivers work 10-hour days but receive overtime for any work over eight hours. The proposal was designed to reduce overtime costs, which can run up to $20,000 or more a year on top of a driver's average $50,000 salary.

The MTA could realize savings if the unions agree to be more flexible on the use of part-time employees who could help reduce the amount of overtime drivers work, Littman said.

``Bargaining is about give and take. There certainly has been a lot of give and take - us giving and them taking, but nothing in return.''

The MTA also wants to reduce the five-minute period of time drivers get to park their buses and walk to the bus divisions, to three minutes.

Gov. Gray Davis, who ordered the strike delayed in June for 60 days to get it passed the Democratic National Convention and on Thursday urged both sides to settle their differences, has sent in state industrial relations mediators to help find an agreement.

On Davis' desk is a bill that would ensure that the MTA contract apply to a potential Valley transit zone indefinitely, which supporters of the zone say makes it economically unfeasible.

Sources close to the negotiations have indicated the unions may be waiting to see if Davis signs the bill, SB 1101, into law. He has until Sept. 30.

MTA strike plans call for operating about 100 buses on five of its 200 lines, but officials say those buses may not run because members of other unions have agreed to honor picket lines.

Municipal and local bus operators in Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena and 13 other communities are not affected by the strike. People can also ride the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Commuter Express, DASH bus service, Metrolink, and car and van pools.

Metrolink's weekend rail service on its San Bernardino, Riverside and Antelope Valley lines will continue to operate on its regular schedule this weekend.

``We want to assure our passengers that we will be running weekend rail service as usual,'' Metrolink Chief Executive Officer David Solow said Friday.