MTA, UNION RACE TO AVOID STRIKE.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

Contract talks with MTA bus and rail workers intensified Thursday as officials prepared for the possibility of a strike Tuesday that could affect nearly 1.5 million commuters.

Negotiators for some 7,000 transportation employees in three unions said they are ready to work through the weekend with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in hopes of reaching a new contract before Tuesday's deadline.

A strike would cripple Los Angeles freeways, which after a summer lull are expected to be strained as many students return to school and workers come back from vacations.

``There's really not much we can do about the increased traffic,'' said Caltrans spokeswoman Margie Tiritilli. ``We have no specific plan. We're encouraging people to get into car pools.''

The strike would not affect the Metrolink commuter rail, which is operated by a separate agency, the Southern California Rail Authority.

Major sticking points in contract talks include wage increases, a scaling back of workers' compensation costs, and the protection of union benefits and work rules in the event a new bus transit zone is created in the San Fernando Valley.

``We're doing everything possible to avoid a strike,'' said Goldy Norton, a spokesman for the United Transportation Union, which represents some 4,300 bus and rail operators.

``We don't want a strike, and we're not going to call one just because there's a deadline - only if it's absolutely necessary.''

Gov. Gray Davis imposed a 60-day waiting period in July to delay the possibility of a strike until after the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

The waiting period will end Tuesday and unions typically give at least a 72-hour public advisory before calling a strike, meaning a Tuesday strike would likely be announced at least by Saturday, Norton said.

Even as talks continue with the UTU, negotiations with the other two unions have produced demands that current contracts be kept in force if the Valley transit zone is formed.

The MTA has offered wage increases of about 2.7 percent, but the unions want about 4.25 percent, according to MTA negotiator Tom Webb.

Webb said bus and rail operators already make an average of $50,000 per year, not including up to $20,000 in overtime. Mechanics average $56,000 per year.

``We need to lower our overhead so we can continue to grow and be more competitive and increase job security,'' Webb said. ``We've added routes and subway service over the past three years that have created more than 1,000 new union jobs.''

Norton declined to comment on specific negotiating points.

Contracts for the three unions expired June 30 without a renewal agreement, but Davis imposed the 60-day ``cooling-off'' period that will end at midnight Monday.

A strike would halt most public transit in the city and the other two transportation unions would likely respect the picket lines.

The only way to avert a strike would be to reach a last-minute agreement or temporarily extend the existing contract. The governor does not have the authority to intervene again.

Los Angeles has gone without a major transportation stoppage for two decades, with only a nine-day walkout in 1994 and a five-day strike in 1982.

Norton said tentative agreement was reached this week on some key issues, but declined to discuss specifics or say whether those included wages or workers' compensation practices.

A key issue for the union is revamping the MTA's workers' compensation program, which the agency claims costs $70 million a year, more than six times that of New York City Transit. The MTA also wants to add more part-time employees and expand on a four-day, 40-hour workweek to save money on overtime.

Webb said the unions are responsible for the talks dragging on for so long, but Norton insisted the MTA didn't even have a wage increase proposal on the table until after the governor called for the 60-day intervention.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, representing some 1,800 mechanics and maintenance staffers, and the Transportation Communications Union, representing roughly 650 clerical workers, are seeking similar protection clauses in their contracts to those affecting the UTU.

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