. >>> breaking news, as bart union workers walk off the job. right now they're all rallying in front of oakland city hall. how the morning commute was impacted by the bart strike. we're watching the freeways and bridges as more commuters use their own cars to get to work. good afternoon. we begin with today's breaking news on the bart strike. we'll begin with the latest ever since bart union workers announced a strike was on late last night, just before their contract ran out at midnight. so far there are no scheduled talks for today. the last minute strike decision left commuters scrambling to find alternatives early this morning. we have team coverage of the bart strike. we're tracking traffic conditions and commute alternatives including ac transit and ferries. we'll begin with what bart union workers are doing right now. alex savage is live in oakland where the members are gathering. >> reporter: right. several thousand union workers are set to rally here. these are both striking bart workers and city of oakland employees who are also holdi

bart says they can't afford what the union wants. how the costs may fall on the riders. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it's time to change the way we clean. it's time to free ourselves from the smell and harshness of bleach. and free ourselves from worrying about the ones we love. lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. how? the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it attacks tough stains and kills 99.9% of germs. lysol power & free. powerful cleaning that's family friendly. another step forward in our mission for health. bay area hero is coming home international airport... wha bay area hero has finally returned home... after six rying the >>> right now, chopper 5 is over san jose international airport where a bay area hero has finally returned home after six decades. the plane carrying the remains of sergeant first class joseph steinberg just landed and you can see it out there. crews are preparing to take the coffin off of the plane and there is a reception line there waiting for the flag-draped coffin to come off of the

striking bart unions return to the bargaining table. the two day walkout forcing commuters to rise far before dawn. >>it is very very frustrating >> pam: and sit in traffic for hours. >>worst traffic i have ever seen r >> pam: happening right now . hope tonight that a deal will be reached. negotiations between bart officials and its biggest unions are continuing in oakland. it is the first time the two sides are back at the negotiating tablekron 4's scott rates is live outside the negotiations with the latest. scott? >> so with that we look for to move this process forward. 4 p. 5% annually where are you guys that continuing our coverage >> so in total of 8%. >> reporter: hamas will go room is there on your side? >> pam: lisa reid was at the oakland station where a representative from a board of directors from bart were there in support. ferries heading out of san abc 7 new. >> will be joined by martinez she is extremely well known and competent and very smart and brilliant. so we're very excited that she will be able to join the bargai

this is neutral ground last night when bart and union representatives met before the talks broke down before the strike. if they meet again they will meet at this location. both sides blame the other sides. >> reporter: it was not just the rank and file of bart union workers attending this rally. the negotiators were here too. a sign no one was at the table. >> i gather talks have been suspected. >> she said at noon today she heard nothing from bart leadership in 12 hours, since the latest offer that included a raise. >> $1 a head. four years from now will not revolve this. >> the union will return to talks when it has a substantial proposal. >> one that we increased on saturday. that they have yet to respond to in a meaningful way. >> reporter: bart doubled its raise offer to 8% over 4 years. there are other issues concerning healthcare and pensions but we are left with this. a strike. massive traffic backups. and both sides blaming the other. >> i would say this is the worse negotiations i participated in. >> we are sorry for the disruption with the traffic. we hope to get our peopl

tomorrow and will give bart and the unions more time to negotiate. let's listen in on the press conference earlier. >> i'm delighted to report that the parties have agreed to accept the recommendations of the mediators and myself to return to work and continue bargaining process. in order to reach an agreement. i'm advised the trains will be running as soon as feasible and consistent with the safety of the workers and riding public. >> reporter: from what we're hearing we're told that the negotiations stay remain far apart that bart and the unions are nowhere close when it comes to some of the facts and figures and some of the salary rate issues which were some of the main sticking points in this particular strike. so they're not any where close. but they have come to this middle ground. this will allow commuters to get back on those trains and allow negotiations to continue. both sides say they feel like 30 days will be enough time to come closer within their negotiations. >> 30 days is 30 days. there's nothing saying that they couldn't come to the

blamed bart management for the strike, and 20% go both mane unions. this is an unscientific poll. it's just a sampling of responses from ktvu viewers. we'd like to hear how the bart strike is impacting you today. go to ktvu.com's facebook page and share your story, let us know how you're getting to and from work and dealing with people and extra means of transportation. >>> there's another big commute problem from the bay area. this involved a big rig that got stuck at the toll plaza on the golden gate bridge. christian joins us live. >> reporter: first off, yes, the traffic is moving nicely through the goledden gate plaza. the big rig was moved. and as it gets out of the way, you can see the number 3 lane. you can see possibly that crews still working on that number 3 lane trying to repair some of the damage that big rig caused. the driver got stuck at about 8:45 this morning. the driver was telling highway patrol he was southbound from santa rosa into san francisco and trying to make his way into the wider trucking lanes on the bridge. he says traff

bart management and bart unions are trying to come to an agreement. bart still thinks there is time to reach a new contract. the next phase tub talk is set for july 30th it. >> the world is celebrating the birth of what the royal baby. the baby was born yesterday to prince william and his wife kathryn-the duchess of cambridge. his name however has not been revealed. >> those are our top stories that you for watching kron 4 24/7 bay area news channel. >> we have a hot spot in cupertino. three lanes of interstate 280 are shut down and the traffic is jammed along the northbound corridor. this is heading out west towards the west valley. it is called north bound to 80 because of the route along the peninsula. if you're coming out of downtown door and let all the wa you are jammed all the wy down to the guadalupe parkway. this is a similar to let you know that the chp have issued is due to one more lanes being blocked more than 30 minutes. there is no indication when that will reopen this road. >> there are delays fray 880 just off of 92 in hayward. this h

bart says it can't afford what the union wants. why this cost may have to fall on the riders. >> temperatures below average today. will we warm up? we'll talk about that coming up. >> and we are starting to see our usual delays now as we fly over highway 4, "a" street to somersville. your drive times and a check of mass transit coming up. >>> good morning, it's tuesday, july 30. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now is 5:29. >>> evacuation orders in florida have been lifted following a gas plant explosion. all workers at the blue rhino plant are accounted for and the fire is out. 7 people are being treated for injuries at nearby hospitals. at least 4 are listed in critical condition. here's a look at the scene this morning at what's left of the blue rhino plant. smoke is smoldering in some spots hours after the initial blast. it started last night near the town of tarvaris northwest of orlando. at least two dozen workers were in the main part of the building when the explosions began elsewhere. >> i heard an explosi

the unions and bart were not able to agree on a new contract. but they were able to agree to extend the old contract for 30 days which will allow the trains to continue to run and will allow negotiations to continue between bart and the union. so it sounds like at the last minute, -- >> unfortunately christin ayers signal is breaking up. but bart trains are going the start running tomorrow at 3:00 in the afternoon. they have agreed to 30 days extension of the old contract so people will get back to work they have 30 days they believe they can work out a new deal in that time. >>> we all know what goes up must come down and on nights like tonight, it's not just the fire works that pose a threat. bay area police departments are warning against any celebratory gunfire. they enlisted the help of a newark bay service called shot spotter that can locate gunshots. >> it's very reliable. it's very fast. it's very precise. we're calling 100 percent of the time effectively very quickly within 30 to 45 seconds with a high degree of precision. >> in the pas

the average bart union worker makes more than $76,000. last year the top paid train operator grossed more than $155,000 and bart best paid janitor made almost $83,000. the unions say their pay is fair. >> i think there's been a fallacy out there that all that bart workers do is kind of push a button or stand around. these are critical workers who provide a service to keep the public safe. >> reporter: however, the public is losing patience. if the two sides don't reach an agreement by sunday the bay area could see another strike this time next week. both bart and the two unions will be back at the bargaining table tomorrow. reporting live in san francisco, cate caugiran, kpix 5. >> thank you. some of the figures from the "mercury news" are based on high levels of overtime and cashing out paid time off. >>> new this morning one person is dead after his car flipped and landed on railroad tracks. it happened last night on westbound interstate 580. the chp says this red car went off the road at the bayview avenue on-ramp around 10:15. officer

no deal was made yesterday when bart management and bart unions were at the negotiation table. bart management released its latest offer to the media, and although it violates the gag order, bart officials say they have gotten to the point where everyone needs to know the details. the union is claming that bart is lying about the numbers at hand. according to lead union negotiator, josie mooney, yesterday was not a good day at the bargaining table. the session lasted only 10- minutes and during that time bart negotiators rejected the four proposals that union reps made back on july 19th. contract talks will resume this morning. with the bart strike looming, other bay area transit agencies are once again bracing for a flood of additional commuters. and this time around the problem could be even worse. kron 4's charles clifford explains. >> reporter: the last bart strike forced hundreds of thousands of people to find other ways to get back and forth to work but it could have been a lot of worse. the strike happened over the fourth of july when a lot folks were on vacation. that m

the union had their take on bart's offer. but even they said they weren't entirely clear everything bart was putting on the table. they seemed to indicate the pay increase was not acceptable to them. both sides are saying they want to get something done today to avoid a strike tomorrow. it's not clear if that can happen. one of the negotiators said of the two sides even with bart putting this offer on the table today, of the two sides, he said they are still very far apart. but you can take that as you will, as you said. that could be posturing ahead of what will be a public relations situation. certainly tomorrow should this strike take place. >> all right. ken pritchett live in oakland. he will stay on top of it and keep us posted on how things are going. >>> more details on what bart says union workers already earn. the average union employee makes $71,000 a year. also get $52,000 worth of benefits. bart says union employees get an average of $11,000 a year in overtime. plus receive 10 to 12 weeks in paid days off includin

as far as bart and the unions are concern, we said they are still unsure when the talks between bart management and two of its largest unions will resume. so we have to be prepared that this could happen again tomorrow. reporting live in oakland, cate caugiran, back to you. >>> and here's a look at some of the key issues in the bart strike. the union wants pay hikes of 21% over the next three years. but management is offering 8% over four years. bart wants its workers to pay a higher health insurance premium. agency also wants employees to contribute more towards their pensions. >> my word of advice to people would be to be patient, to find a different way to get around if you can, be flexible with your schedule. and if you can, work from home or take the day off and hope that this all works out soon. >> no word on when unions and officials will resume their talks. >>> many usual bart riders boarded ac transit transbay buses to get to san francisco from alameda county but kpix 5's mike sugerman explains, this transit alternative may not last long. hey, mike. >> reporter: well, that's

a bart spokesperson fired back the bart unions say hock is gone for the next 10 days. bart says he's gone for 5 days. but is available by phone. something that was previously agreed upon by the mediator. bart still thinks there's time to reach a new contract. the next face to face talks are set to start on the 30th what >>mark:prince william and his wife catherine, duchess of cambridge have welcomed their first child into the world. a boy, who weighed eight pounds and six ounces. though we don't know his name, the little prince of cambridge is a cause for celebration in london. prime minister david cameron does offered his congratulations to prince william and his wife catherine, on the newborn prince. "i'm sure right across the country, and indeed right across the commonwealth people will be celebrating and wishing the royal couple well. it's a wonderful moment for a warm and wonderful couple who've got a brand new baby boy." the newborn prince is third in line for the throne. the baby's name may be announced when the family leaves the hospital. some british parents h

. >> commuters want to know has a good agreement in may between bart management and union. >> if you did not go the casual car pool route or by public transit, you were likely in your car. and came face to face with a heap of traffic. kron 4's dan kerman spent the afternoon commute at one of san francisco's busiest on ramps to the bay bridge >> here at the fifth and bryant streets between 3 and 5:00 p.m. this afternoon bulls tried to get on the bridge the gridlock happen at the base of the bridge. >> committee says it took her 45 minutes only get three or four blocks. >> bryant was blacked up for blocks and so was fifth street. >> traffic offers do what they could to control the traffic but traffic was still backed up. >> by 530 beckham just a story to ease at this location. by 6:00 p.m. it was moved selling on to the bridge. >> in san francisco dan carmen kron 4 news. >> bart employees were out in full fret force throughout the bay area's picketing >> the latest on ions or lack thereof the two sid d at the bargaining table all day. the union and management are still far apart on bot

the other union they're expecting an offer from bart that's significantly improved. bart hopes to finish the negotiation, the offer is made on sunday night when talks broke off. thank you for making ktvu your choice for news, i am gasia mikaelian, tonight we have our crew monitoring the bart talks and we'll let you know what happens, we are always here fo ktvu.com. tmz is up next. up next. thank you. get a great deal on arrowhead water, just $3.33 a case. and pick up cheerios for just a $1.88. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. >> today on "tmz" -- >> michael jordan once tried to bang a virgin and she feared for her life. >> former mtv veejay was hanging out with michael jordan. he would spend in one gamble how much we make in an entire year. >> one crap, please. >> we ask him about aaron hernandez. >> unless he gets packed out. >> if

how long is this going to last, coming up >> the bart union workers have decided that they're going to strike. we do have phillipe djegal of what is going on? >> right now, vicki, the situation is a daughter. the different unions have both provided statements. there will no longer be operating proposals tonight at this point. they both walked out of the building. the pay raises, there are basically at a standstill at this point. these pay raises come with a 4% their races of the offered is $1 for each worker for each year is just not enough. they just cannot move off from that. even though they have made $100,000 worth of concessions they're just not getting any " liberation from bart. also, both sides met face to face in this building behind me. the caltran headquarters but there were mandated by the governor's office to resume negotiations and talks. the however, they both said that they are going back to their headquarters in speed to caucuses until midnight. when the contract expires. at this point, vicki. it is looking very dire. whoever takes public transportation church start lo

union and bart officials came to an agreement, of sorts, late last night. we'll explain in a second, but the good news is. the trains will be running again soon. and firework shows around the bay area were a success last night. we'll show you the sights and sounds. there was one show down near l=a, though, that went out of control. we'll show you the scene and tell you what happened. it's been a hot week here in the bay area, but has the heat wave finally passed? we'll have your complete forecast coming up. good morning. i'm james fletcher. the day we have been anticipating is finally here. the bart strike is now over. union and bart officials emerged from negotiations just before 11 last night. california's secretary of labor, marty morgenstern made the announcement. bart management and unions agreed to extend the existing contract for 30 days. during that time negotiations will continue until there is an agreement for a new contract. this will keep the trains running until at least august 4th. bart service will be completely restored by 3 p-m today. that

. >>> bart unions are ready to talk, but no one will be there to listen. the other plans keeping negotiators away for at least ten days. >> and how in the world could it of happened? a man steals a bus and goes on a joyride? we found out just how easy it is to do. >> it is cloudy and calm in the bay area tonight. beautiful shot of the bay bridge. but what's going on on the las vegas strip right now? record rain fall. we have the video to prove it. that and your local forecast coming up. >> and we all kick ourselves for losing too much money. but wait until you see how one man took out his anger. ,,,,,,,,,,,, hands. k-p-i-x 5 insider >>> new at 10:00, caltrans has another bay bridge problem on its hands. phil reports, 37 seismic shots absorbers on the western span are leaking lubricant. they are called dampers and there are 96 of them all together. it will cost around $13 million to fix them. caltrans installed them nine years ago as part of a seismic upgrade. they plan to replace them starting in 2015. >>> now we are ticking down the time to the next bart

to find out whether the union and bart management are any closer to getting a deal done? we go to kron-4's grant lodes -- live in the studio. grant? the bart unions are asking for a 15 percent raise over the next three years appeared however management has offered at 8 percent raise over the next four years. >> the union says they will not negotiate until the management comes a with a new and better offer appeared to >> bart management responds. >> we're at the sides of the trains would certify management running them. >> we put an offer on the table on saturday and headed to the mediator and were informed that the union reps be just left the bank building. >> we doubled our proposal on salary increases. and we were under able to negotiate states one of the bart management team members appeared we like the union leaders to come back to the table and get the trains back rolling. >> we also heard from a couple of union members and a union rep says they will resume negotiations with management when management presents a new offer appeared >> about the offer that the manageme

let's say though bart and the unions do reach a deal today. it would still take about 12 hours to get these trains back up and running so not something commuters can count on for the evening ride home. reporting live in oakland, back to you. >> cate, we understand that bart reached an agreement with one union. >> reporter: yes. that is right. there are current five different unions working with bart and negotiating with them. we know that bart did reach an agreement with a smaller union about 200 managers and office workers. so they are back on the job. but that's not enough to get the trains back up and running. >> thank you, cate caugiran in oakland. >>> let's take a live look at people boarding the ferry now in san francisco. they are heading back home to alameda. the morning rush of course is over at this point as people trickle home now for the big holiday weekend. how about a live look on caltrain station in millbrae? we talked to one commuter who spent four hours trying to get home last night. he uses bart to commute from san francisco

negotiations between bart unions and management areat issue - salary. health safety. kron 4's justine waldman is live outside the negotiation headquarters in oakland. right now here at the >> reporter: caltrans headquarters. both sides are trying to reach a contract agreement to get the trains moving again. this is video of the union leaders entering the building during day 4 of the strike. morning. bart management and the unions, seiu and atu, aren't even meeting in the same roomstate mediators are going back and forth relaying information. the seiu addressed its members at a high energy rally at lake merritttelling them that bart management is trying to break apart the union and impose a contract. coming up at 5:30 hear bart's response to the accusation that it is trying to impose a contract. bottom line, as of now there has been no significant movement in contact talks today and the negotiations now. >> we are here watching what is talks i will be back with an update at 5:30. live in oakland justine waldman kron 4 news. >> reporter: it has been 4- days withoutwork

>>reporter: mean time bart and the union are not negotiating. not even talking so commuters prepare to spend another day crowding on to ferry buses and freeways. in other words, another mess. good evening. >> i'm carolyn johnson. we have team coverage for you tonight. 7 news reporter john and lillian are in san francisco. >> but we begin with allen who just spoke to both unions and bart tonight. >> flt transit union which is located in downtown oakland has been meeting with the attorneys tonight but they say the next move has to come from bart. union members from atu and still on the picket line tonight. but bart says it is negotiating team went home around 7:00 o'clock. they say they are waiting for the union next month. -- move. both union marched in san francisco demanding fair bargaining practice. on saturday bart they one percent in each of the next 4 years. also lowered employee pension contribution and the health care cost. last night the union looked at it andthe tt unclear if either side knows who is turn it is to make the next move. >>

why bart says the riders will have to pay for what the union wants. it guides you to a number that will change your life: your sleep number setting. it even knows you by name. now it's easier than ever to experience deep, restful sleep with the sleep number bed's dualair technology. at the touch of a button, the sleep number bed adjusts to each person's ideal comfort and support. and you'll only find it at a sleep number store. where right now our newest innovations are available with 48-month financing. >>> sounded like a bomb going off and hundreds of them. >> explosions rock a gas plant in central florida. >> like a big circle of fire. >> heard the explosion and probably threw me back about three feet. >> what do we want? >> contract. >> when do we want it? >> no. >> time is running out to reach a compromise before another bart strike. >> workers are angry. >> emotions are running high for everyone. >> it's a brilliant piece of absolute simplistic easy robbery. >> the jewelry heist in cannes may be europe's biggest ever. >> can't be able to take ca

we will ask questions to both bart leaders and the union. we have a bart spokesperson standing by to talk about where things stand. >> and the union is ready to talk as well. coming up next in a special extended edition of ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00 p.m. you kids should count yourselves lucky. we didn't have u-verse back in my day. you couldn't just... guys... there you are. you know you couldn't just pause a show in one room, then... where was i... you couldn't pause a show in one room then start playing it in another. and...i'm talking to myself... [ male announcer ] call to get u-verse tv for just $19 a month

>>reporter: mean time bart and the union are not negotiating. not even talking so commuters prepare to spend another day crowding on to ferry buses and freeways. in other words, another mess. good evening. >> i'm carolyn johnson. we have team coverage for you tonight. 7 news reporter john and lillian are in san francisco. >> but we begin with allen who just spoke to both unions and bart tonight. >> flt transit union which is located in downtown oakland has been meeting with the attorneys tonight but they say the next move has to come from bart. union members from atu and still on the picket line tonight. but bart says it is negotiating team went home around 70 o'clock. they say they are waiting for the union next month. -- move. both union marched in san francisco demanding fair bargaining practice. on saturday bart increased the salary offered by one percent in each of the next 4 years. also lowered employee pension contribution and the health care cost. last night the union looked at it and walked away from the table but unclear if either side

>>reporter: mean time bart and the union are not negotiating. not even talking so commuters prepare to spend another day crowding on to ferry buses and freeways. in other words, another mess. good evening. >> i'm carolyn johnson. we have team coverage for you tonight. 7 news reporter john and lillian are in san francisco. >> but we begin with allen who just spoke to both unions and bart tonight. >> flt transit union which is located in downtown oakland has been meeting with the attorneys tonight but they say the next move has to come from bart. union members from atu and still on the picket line tonight. but bart says it is negotiating team went home around 7:00 o'clock. they say they are waiting for the union next month. -- move. both union marched in san francisco demanding fair bargaining practice. on saturday bart increased the salary offered by one percent in each of the next 4 years. also lowered employee pension contribution and the health care cost. last night the union looked at it and walked away from the table but unclear if either si

. >>> bart managers and union workers head back to the bargaining table today. kpix 5 reporter juliette goodrich says this time, a round of negotiations could be ugly. >> reporter: it was a regular bart board meeting that turned into a showdown. >> we love to serve the public but we would be prepared for the bloodiest longest strike since the 1970s. >> reporter: that's when a labor dispute shut down bart for three months. we asked kpix 5 insider phil matier, should riders be worried? >> riders should be worried. after all, bart struck once and people weren't expecting it. this time, we're dealing with some very, very difficult issues. the top one being, how much employees are going to play into their -- pay into their healthcare programs. >> reporter: when you hear that kind of tough talk, what do you think? >> i think they need to get their stuff together. it impacts people. people have to get to work. >> reporter: as a bart rider are you aware that the clock is ticking for another strike. >> i wasn't aware of that until you pointed it out just now. >> it's a f

right now, it's just one week that separates bart and its two unions from another bay area bart strike. >> plus, another deadly accident in europe. what may have caused a tour bus to crash in italy. >> back to work monday and this could be the coolest day of the week. that means we're only going up from here. we'll talk about that coming up. >> and this crash may still be blocking one lane. but it appears the traffic is moving better southbound 101 into san francisco. i'll have more traffic coming up. >> well, hello, hi, welcome back. at 29 minutes after 4:00, monday, july 29th. i'm brian hackney. frank is still off this morning. >> i'm michelle griego. time now is 5:29. one week from today, the bay area could be dealing with another bart strike. a temporary contract extension runs out sunday night and a strike could begin as soon as monday if there's no deal. kpix 5 reporter cate caugiran joins us now from san francisco with new numbers on how much bart workers make. cate. >> reporter: michelle, so far bart tells us they have made progress on smaller issues but they are no closer to a

bart management and bart unions the are trying to come to an agreement before the august 4th deadline. no face to face talks are scheduled for the rest of the week. however, the state mediator did schedule meetings with the unions - not with bart. one of the unions put out a 40-page report - criticizing barts lead negotiatorthomas hock. saying he's been involved in negotiations that have resulted in seven transit strikes since 2005. a bart spokesperson fired back >> they should be made way aware that the lead negotiator-- >> these are just side issues. these proposals will require a double digit. we need discussions on the economic issues. >> the bart unions say hock is gone for the next 10 days. bart says he's gone for 5 days. but is available by phone. something that was previously agreed upon by the mediator. bart still thinks there's time to reach a new contract. are set to start on the 30th >> prince william and his wife catherine, duchess of cambridge have welcomed their first child into the a boy, who weighed eight pounds and six ounces. though we don't know his name, the littl

. >> bart union contract negotiations resumed for a second day around 1pm wednesday afternoon. the two sides took an hour the next three years. no word yet if bart union members continued to strike is causing hardship for thousands of people, but continues, commuters are get around the bay area. the ferry service in oakland additional load of passengers yesterday afternoon. >> the company is very organized everybody knows what a line into debt into. everybody will get a seat it is fairly pleasant. the boats as an alternativewhile they had to stand in long lines, they were not waiting for very long as boats arrived every half-an- while ridership isn't expected to increase too holiday. san francisco ferry day of the bart strike, they normal passenger load. we will continue to follow the latest with the bart strike. we will be providing updates on our 24-seven bay area our facebook and twitter pages. and leave your comments. fireworks will be going off all across the bay area tonight for independence day celebrations. you don't want to miss kron only local, live fireworks show in

>> well, anne, we spoke with both sides bart and the unions. bart has reached out to the unions to try to set up another meeting and bart says that they are confident they can try to get things going again hopefully sometime today but meanwhile take a look at this right now. the union workers are still here trying to remind people of their message. >> we're frustrated. we don't want to have this disruption going on. bart left us no choice. >> the emotion that you hear is basically, you know, the venting of our members feeling that they're unappreciated. >> what do we want? >> fair contract! >> reporter: the two sides are still very divided. >> we think the strike was unnecessary. we want to get our employees back. we want to get the trains going. we want to come up with a contract that's fair for our workers but lets us make the investment to keep the system safe for everybody into the future. >> reporter: as it stands, bart offered an 8% pay hike over 4 years in addition to asking workers to pay towards pensions and benefits. the union says it

bart claims the two unions that threw in the table. they could not compromise on salary, health care and safety. unfortunately this means 400,000 riders will have to find another way to get to work this morning and transportation officials say this will have some mayor -- major impacts on other mode of transit. we could see an extra 60,000 cars on the road. they urging commuters to find other ways to get to work. we are talking car pooling, ferry, especially if you can work from home this morning. it will be quite a big mess on the roads. >> all right. thanks. >>> the bart strike is on. we'll hear from union leaders as commuters deal with a traffic mess. >>> and a live look. this is chopper 5 over san lorenzo. we'll take a break right now. we'll be right back. stay with us at 4:30. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald >>> good morning, everyone. it's a busy monday. it's the first day of july. good to have you with us. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm brian hackney. michelle is off today. the time now is 28 minute

, they cannot afford on top of time. >> reporter: he says, bart unions really tried to avoid the strike, long conditions are against them. >> that is we have a lot of actions that are highly stylized and by necessity that leads to the process that comes in the last minute. >> we found that la philadelphia do allowed transit strikes but they are illegal in new york city, chicago, boston -- contracts with ashtrayers -- >> we do need to start looking at what other alternative talternatives. >> no alternatives. >> i think it is definitely worthying about, thinking about. we should consider how it works. >> too many rely on bart to get to and from work for many events in our lives. >> we need to reconsider, is this the best process? >> reporter: no one knows what will happen but we do know this, unions have a lot of power here in california, but 400, 000 bart riders have a lot of votes. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> commuters usually taking bart paying up to $3 more each way to ride the bus or the ferry. othere toing san francisco found parkings are higher than usual. one great option t

it says the average bart union worker made more than $76,000 last year. the top paid train operator gross $more than $155,000. and bart's best paid janitor made almost $83,000. >> these people make very, very good money, and it's truly just about wages, a a lot of people would bend over backwards to get some of those jobs. >> bart workers haven't had a raise in over four years, and if you look at the revenue flows of bart they have increased. that's a fact. >> reporter: some of the figures are based on high levels of overtime and cashing out paid time off, ballooning workers salaries, and management's, as well. >> our negotiations with unions define what is given to everyone else, because everyone wants fair pay and benefits. >> reporter: the unions say their pay is fair. >> i think there's been a federals ay out there that all that bart workers do is kind of 0 push a button and stand around. these are critical workers who provide aer is chris is to keep the public safe. >> reporter: but the public is losing patience. >> it's affecting all of us. and unti

it says the average bart union worker made more than $76,000 last year. the top paid train operator grossed more than $155,000. and bart's best paid janitor made almost $83,000. >> these people make very, very good money and if it's truly just about wages a lot of people would bend over backwards to get some of those jobs. >> bart workers haven't had a raise in over four years and if you look at the revenue flows of bart they have increased. that's a fact. >> reporter: some of the figures are based on high levels of overtime and cashing out paid time off ballooning workers' salaries and management's, as well. >> our negotiations with unions define what is given to everyone else because everyone wants fair pay and benefits. >> reporter: the union says their pay is fair. >> i think there's a fallacy out there that all bart workers do is push a button and stand around. these are critical workers who provide a service to keep the public safe. >> reporter: but the public is losing patience. >> it's affecting all of us. they need to come to work until they come

according to a recent analysis, a bart union worker earned on average about $76,000. bart has offered a 5 to 8 percent raise on that. but only if the workers agree to pick up more of their healthcare and pension costs. unions have counted with a call for a 20% hike over the next three years to bring the average pay to $92,000 or more by 2016. >> that's going to cost our riders 18% fare increase. >> stuck in the cross fire are the daily commuters who rely on the system. >> i think that i'm more excited with bart as a union rather than the people. i think they are well paid. >> you know, another strike. >> definitely worried. because it's going to disrupt everything. >> phil, kpix5. >> bart tells us there's been progress on small issues, but not the main sticking points. so far, both sides say they are standing their ground. >>> if you weren't holding your breath for the opening of the new eastern span of the bay bridge. kpix5 learned it's not going to happen by labor day. a cal tran source tells us even if the quick fix to 32 broken bolts work, it would take weeks to a

bart and union representatives met at the bargaining table again yesterday, but left without any deal. as they left for the night, they were very tight-lipped about what was discussed, or how close they are to an agreement. we are learning this morning that even if a deal is reached, it will take about 18 hours to get bart back up and running again. kron 4's charles clifford has the latest now in the negotiations. >> reporter: these wrapped up around 11:00 p.m. failing to reach an agreement. after nine hours, the union leaders apparently were no closer to reaching a deal from the strike. there were

bart did reach a tentative agreement with a small union, but not the big unions operating the train operators and station agents. meanwhile the strike for today will go an as planned. live from oakland i'm tara moriarty. >>> time now 5:01. happening now bart will have free charter buses. helping commuters get to and from san francisco. we're looking at live pictures. there are the buses they are lined up and people are already on the bus. we can see them right there. this is the fremont bart station. one of five stations where charter buss will be picking up passengers. again they are free but the seats and space on there they are limited. as charter bus service gets under way in fremont, more charter buss are being sent to contra costa county. alex savidge is live in walnut creek. and you're saying you should get there as early as possible. right? >> reporter: yes. they saw huge crowds here. people trying to get on these charter buses. that is why people did arrive very early this morning. some people told me they got here at 3:30 this morning. and now you can see they earned themselves a sp

. >> time is running out in the effort to secure new contract for bart union employee. if no deal is reached the strike could be called as soon as next mopped. allen is live in downtown oakland where negotiations have wrapped up for the evening. any progress to report allen. >>. >> some but not a lot. the union in bart say they are working hard to avoid a strike which could happen in 6 days. but other transit agency like ac transit and the ferry preparing to handle the brunt of the strichblingt they are meeting tomorrow to discuss a contingency plan. mane while as i mention, some progress is being made. >> at the supplemental table we did make some increment progress today. >> but there was no progress on the major issues of salary pension and health care and tension is only getting worse. today union members interrupted bart general manager while she was addressing the american transportation association in san francisco. this video shot by yawn member. >> she stopped her talk. stepped down off offered to go outside and speak with the union. they refused. and she wept

trains running for the first time in 5 days bart union are threatening to pick up the picket sign once again. >> still no final agreement between bart and its union and another possible strike is very much a possibility. 7 news reporter laura anthony tonight with the latest on the negotiations. >> it may look like things are back to normal with bart trains up and running again but it's clear from both bart management and the 2 primary unions that still a lot of work to do to truly solve the transit district labor issues. >> we were all working towards trying to get train service bank on monday and we would need several more day and this weekend to get a deal in place. unfortunately parties still remain far apart. >> they agree to contract steption and indicator of how far aparted they are. >> we are trying the last 30 day ditch effort with the hopes the district will come to the table fully prepared fully engaged to get to work out the contract. >> at last word they want pay increase of 4 and half year the next three years. and bart was still offering 2% annually for 4 years. >> we hav

. >> time is running out in the effort to secure new contract for bart union employee. if no deal is reached the strike could be called as soon as next mopped. allen is live in downtown oakland where negotiations have wrapped up any progresss to report allen. >>. >> some but not a lot. the union in bart say they are working hard to avoid a strike which could happen in 6 days. but other transit agency like ac transit and the ferry preparing to handle the brunt of the strichblingt they are meeting tomorrow to discuss a contingency plan. mane while as i mention, some progress is being made. >> at the supplemental table we did make some increment progress today. >> but there was no progress on the major issues of salary pension and health care and tension is only getting worse. today union members interrupted bart general manager while she was addressing the american transportation association in san francisco. this video shot by yawn member. >> she stopped her talk. stepped down off offered to go outside and speak with the union. they refused. and she wept back to the podi

. >> time is running out in the effort to secure new contract for bart union employee. if no deal is reached the strike could be called as soon as next mopped. allen is live in downtown oakland where negotiations have wrapped up for the evening. any progress to report allen. >>. >> some but not a lot. the union in bart say they are working hard to avoid a strike which could happen in 6 days. but other transit agency like ac transit and the ferry preparing to handle the brunt of the strichblingt they are meeting tomorrow to discuss a contingency plan. mane while as i mention, some progress is being made. >> at the supplemental table we did make some increment progress today. >> but there was no progress on the major issues of salary pension and health care and tension is onl getting worse. today union members interrupted bart general manager while she was addressing the american transportation association in san francisco. this video shot by yawn member. >> she stopped her talk. stepped down off offered to go outside and speak with the union. they refused. and she wept b

union and bart are far away from the negotiations being over. today contingency plans were discussed. buses are likely again and at most during the last strike bart used 79 chartered buses a day. they may bring buses from all over the area, even though that is a challenge. >> those buses aren't needed, that is a financial gamble. >> bart is the union has until august 4th to avoid another strike. at this point the governor has not become involved. >>> they could undermine america's economic recovery. what the president said today. >> reporter: ready to vent. >> the last 6 months this grid lock has gotten worse. >> reporter: ready to point fingers. >> we have seen a sizeable amount of republican law makers saying they will not pay the bills. we can't afford to repeat that. >> reporter: he is a friend of the middle class. >> if you ask these folks in the house in the income agenda, how they will strengthen the middle class, out of control spending. >> reporter: he promised to work for the middle class. >> i want to use every minute of the remaining

bart management and union leaders are meeting as we speak. no word on congress on progress' spirit meanwhile you can see the traffic it is filling as we speak even with a lighter load draw the holidays bart absence is creating quite a headache for hundreds and thousands of people. and glad i am not out there right now. kron4 is live if anything happens, we will be sure to bring again and bring it to you. >> jacqueline: sluggish traffic slow going on the approach to the lower deck of the bay bridge. that drive time to 280 all the way to treasure island's treasure island you are looking at a 30 minute wait. and once you get off the bridge it is nasty. we have an accident on ashen blocking things off on 80 east. another accident on alameda so very sluggish on all three of those freeways. also we have the disabled vehicle before to mom boulevard. just across richmond bill bridge it will take you about 15 mis. right now under drug time to get to the airport or from the airport i should say across the cemetery bridge is about 45 minutes. traffic mo

. >> members of the two bart unions confronted the general manager. she was giving a speech to the american public transportation association. the workers demanded that she replace bart's lead negotiator in the talks because he took a vacation during the 30 day cooling off period. ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us now. tom? >> reporter: we continue to await word of any kind of progress. the fact is we may be waiting in vein. >> reporter: as bart general manager presided over a convention negotiations with bart's unions appear to be sustained. >> i think unions raised issues in orderer to not address the issues of the 23% they are asking for. the fact they don't pay for pension right now and little for medical. >> they are spending more time putting language up on their website and passing out false information to the press and going to conferences and going on vacation than they are on focusing on the real issue at hand. >> reporter: progress is elusive. >> we are negotiating today, last week and this week with all unions. >> i think she hasn'

between bart and its unions began at 3:30 p.m. there are just hours before a potential strike could strand some 400,000 bart passengers. a bart points says bart is prepared to bargain in good faith. >> we are prepared to be here all night. that's what the public expects. we want this to go down to the wire if it has to. we're hoping these conversations can continue through the evening. we don't want to drag the passengers into this. reporter: union negotiator isn't very confident the deal can be reached before the midnight deadline. >> we're very far apart. we're coming to meet because we've never given up. the district gave up on us. we were at the table for a day and a half. a day and a half. the district never showed up during that day and a half. we're still vary for apart. >> the distance has been significant. bart workers asking for 5% pie hike each ear, and parts kolles of link increase. the union will pay a half percent toward the pension. this member says bart's offer was insulting. >> the cull offer is 1%, 1%, 1%. the ad

bart union workers held back to work this afternoon. kpix 5 political insider phil matier with former mayor willie brown joining us. we know that the negotiations are far from over. so what is the hang-up right now over the contract talks between bart and the unions? >> >> money. there is a gap between raises and the killer which is health care and pensions. public employees, one of the hot button issues statewide it's coming to roost right here in the bay area. >> and it started actually in san jose. you recall that mayor chuck reed did a number, he put it on the ballot and ended up losing a number of his police officers. san francisco on the other hand has somehow managed to make sure in a its management of the pension funds produced enough money. oakland, stockton, they all have a problem. >> so going into this when the workers went out on pension and healthcare, who had the upper hand? >> you would never have under any circumstances eager public acceptance if you are discussing pensions and you're discussing healthcare. that just do

phil matier on how union workers ambushed a bart leader. [ chanting ] >> reporter: this was the scene this morning when bart workers shouted down bart general manager grace as she was giving a speech before the american public transportation association. it also gives you a good idea of the tone. bart negotiations. >> workers are angry. >> shows how much is at stake in labor negotiations. emotions are high for everyone. >> reporter: with another strike looming the two sides are still far apart on key issues. >> mark had a laid back approach to it which makes us suspicious of bart's intentions. >> reporter: according to a recent analysis by the bay area news group a bart union worker earned on average about $76,000. bart has offered a 5 to 8% raise on that. but only if the workers agree to pick up more of their healthcare and pension costs. unions have countered with a call for a 20% hike over the next three years to bring the average pay to $92,000 or more by 2016. >> that's going to cost our riders 18% fare increase. >> reporter: stuck in the crossfire are the daily commuters who rel

between bart and its unions began at 3:30 p.m. there are just hours before a potential strike could strand some 400,000 bart passengers. a bart points says bart is prepared to bargain in good faith. >> we are prepared to be here all night. that's what the public expects. we want this to go down to the wire if it has to. we're hoping these conversations can continue through the evening. we don't want to drag the passengers into this. reporter: union negotiator isn't very confident the deal can be reached before the midnight deadline. >> we're very far apart. we're coming to meet because we've never given up. the district gave up on us. we were at the table for a day and a half. a day and a half. the district never showed up during that day and a half. we're still vary for apart. >> the distance has been significant. bart workers asking for 5% pie hike each ear, and parts kolles of link increase. the union will pay a half percent toward the pension. this member says bart's offer was insulting. >> the cull offer is 1%, 1%, 1%. the ad