BART Transit Strike Begins in San Francisco Bay Area

By Mike Shedlock
10/18/2013
Editor’s Note: UnionWatch contributor Mike Shedlock provides some perspective on the BART strike that began today, their 2nd this year. One impasse relates to the refusal of management to submit to binding arbitration on the remaining areas of dispute. Good for management. The possibility of getting an even worse result in binding arbitration is the...

TAGS: BART, BART strike, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, public sector unions

California Pension Reformers Plan New State Ballot Initiative

By Steven Greenhut
07/18/2013
A statewide constitutional initiative planned for 2014 would tackle the biggest obstacle to meaningful pension reform: vested benefits. Right now, with certain exceptions, California municipalities may not reduce pension benefits for current employees—unlike in the private sector, where employers can change the terms of employees’ current pension plans, making them less generous. The courts have...

TAGS: BART strike, California pension reform, CalPERS, Pacific Grove pension reform, Public sector pensions, San Jose mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose pension reform