MAYOR SAYS BUSES COULD ROLL BY TUESDAY.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer With the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. transit zone issue swept from the bargaining table in a two-week-old MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. strike, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. announced Saturday buses could roll by Tuesday. ``By the close of the day (Sunday), there will be an agreement,'' predicted Riordan, a key member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on hand to aid talks between MTA and its unions Saturday. If 4,400 United Transportation Union bus drivers approve a new contract Monday, Riordan said the affected 450,000 commuters could be back on the bus or subway by Tuesday. James Williams James Williams can refer to: In American politics:
Utug Sumer - an area in the southern region of Babylonia in present-day Iraq; site of the Sumerian civilization of city-states that flowered during the third millennium BC , and MTA negotiator Brenda Diederichs, both shared a heightened air of optimism. ``I'm optimistic we can get something worked out really soon,'' Williams said. ``I concur with the mayor: I think we'll be OK. The mayor is the boss here, and if that's what he says, then we'll go with it.'' Added Diederichs: ``I'm always hopeful. That's what we're working toward.'' Talks between union and MTA officials adjourned Saturday night at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel and are expected to resume between teams of negotiators this morning. The mayor's proclamation followed the signature on Saturday by Gov. Gray Davis of a bill mandating the MTA recognize collective bargaining agreements The contractual agreement between an employer and a Labor Union that governs wages, hours, and working conditions for employees and which can be enforced against both the employer and the union for failure to comply with its terms. with drivers if a transit zone is created. Senate Bill 1101 was a key obstacle in the sporadic and bitter negotiations between MTA and officials of three transit unions. The bus and rail strike has left thousands of low-income workers, students and senior citizens without an effective means to cross the sprawling city since the strike began Sept. 16. At issue are efforts by the MTA to control costs, including overtime. The agency said it faces a $438 million operating deficit over the next 10 years unless it cuts costs or raises fares. Drivers said they are on strike to protect middle-class jobs, and said they needed the Valley transit Valley Transit is a city bus and paratransit commission operated by the city government of Appleton, Wisconsin. The system operates across the Fox Cities and serves the cities of Appleton, Kaukauna, Menasha and Neenah, as well as the towns of Buchanan, Grand Chute and bill to protect workers' gains. Efforts by legislative facilitators and mediators have so far been unable to break the MTA-unions deadlock. Two other transit unions have walked out in sympathy with striking bus drivers. Riordan, against a majority of the City Council, had opposed SB 1101 on grounds it would effectively kill savings associated with the Valley transit zone. On Friday, city and state leaders rallied before a crowd outside City Hall to pressure the mayor into an immediate resolution to the standoff. ``I felt that by personally being out here today, I could give each side the confidence to meet and negotiate,'' said Riordan, who holds four votes on the MTA board. ``We really want to get this strike over - we want the transit-dependent to get to their jobs, their houses, their schools.'' Riordan called on both sides to remain flexible in negotiating work rules, which allow some bus drivers to be paid as high as $80,000 a year, plus fringe benefits fringe benefits, n.pl the benefits, other than wages or salary, provided by an employer for employees (e.g., health insurance, vacation time, disability income). worth $32,000. Miguel Contreras, executive secretary of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, criticized the MTA on Saturday for failing to send a team with powers of negotiation. Wages, health and welfare issues remain to be worked out. ``With any luck, perhaps we can wrap this up by Monday morning,'' said Neil Silver, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor union in the United States and Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries. The ATU was founded in 1892, and today has more than 180,000 members in more than 273 local unions in 46 states and 9 , which represents about 2,000 striking bus mechanics. ``I'm optimistic.'' |
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