OK, this will sound bizarre to all of you who believe in the stereotype of people in "The OC" speeding around in Hummers and Maseratis... But I often ride the bus here. That's why I'm now worrying about the bus workers' strike that started at 12:00 AM today.
I don't know what's happening to the buses that usually glide down Bristol Street just outside my house. I don't know if I can take the bus today to where I had been planning to go. I'm now wondering if my idea of being more eco-friendly by using mass transit was a stupid idea after all.
But more importantly, I'm worrying about all those hundreds of thousands of people who depend on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to get around. How do they get to work and to school and to the grocery store now? What the heck will happen to all these people?
I just knew this was coming. I knew it was coming. Get ready for another strike at a Vons, Ralphs, and/or Albertsons near you. (From LA Times)
Southern California grocery workers voted Sunday to give their union the right to strike if negotiations for a new contract fail. Union officials said the measure passed by an overwhelming 95%.
Contract talks between the United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW] union and Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons over a new agreement for 65,000 workers from Bakersfield to the Mexican border broke off late last week. Sunday's strike authorization vote was set by the union after the grocery chains failed to meet a Thursday deadline for a formal offer.
So what exactly happened? Why couldn't an agreement be reached? What's at stake for the grocery companies? What's at stake for the grocery workers? And what happens next? Follow me after the flip for more...
Orange County bus drivers could go on strike at midnight tonight, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for a 60-day cooling-off period and lawyers for the state are expected to seek a court injunction today that would stop an immediate walkout.
The bus drivers earlier authorized a strike and will be without a contract at midnight, with no further talks scheduled, according to Teamsters Local 952, which represents about 1,100 Orange County Transportation Authority bus drivers.
So what does this mean for the 200,000 plus people who ride OCTA buses every day? And what might happen to the drivers? Follow me after the flip for more...
