Gov. Jerry Brown Steps In to Avoid 2nd Transit Strike

BART trains will be rolling for at least another week after Gov. Jerry Brown stepped in late Sunday night to block an impending strike, just hours before the scheduled 12:01 Monday walkout by the transit system's union workers.

 
At the request of BART management, the governor appointed a three-member board of inquiry to investigate the stalled negotiations. In a letter to BART's general manager and three top union leaders, said he is stepping in because a strike "will significantly disrupt public transportation services and will endanger the public's health, safety and welfare."
 
The board must provide the governor with a written, public report on the contract talks within seven days, during which time the unions are not allowed to walk off the job nor can they be locked out by BART. Brown then will decide whether to impose a 60-day cooling-off period on BART and its unions, which would delay any possible strike until mid-October at the earliest.