Mayday! Protests Will Give Commuters A Headache

Golden Gate Ferry service will be shut down Tuesday morning because of a strike planned by the ferry workers, a district spokeswoman said today.

The strike is being organized by the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition, a group of more than 380 bridge, bus and ferry workers employed by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

The action has prompted the bridge district to shut down the ferry service between San Francisco and Sausalito and Larkspur until Tuesday afternoon. Service will resume from Sausalito at 1:55 p.m. and from Larkspur at 2:15 p.m., district spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

Commuters taking the ferry today are being notified about the planned shutdown via an intercom message, Currie said.

Bridge and bus service will continue operating normally Tuesday.

The coalition has been in negotiations with district management since April 2011 but have not come to an agreement on a new contract. The previous contract expired in July.

"We have been negotiating in good faith for one year now. The district says they appreciate workers but they have shown no appreciation at the bargaining table," Rene Alvarado, a ferry terminal assistant and member of the Inlandboatmen's Union, said in a statement.

Currie said that the district's proposals have been "fair and equitable" and in line with contracts agreed to by other local jurisdictions.

She said containment of medical costs, wages, and a change to the pension plan for new hires are the three main issues still getting in the way of an agreement.

The two sides are set to return to the bargaining table on May 7.

Along with the strike by ferry workers on Tuesday, the coalition plans to hold picket lines at the three Golden Gate Ferry terminal locations.

Workers will begin picketing at 5:30 a.m. at the Larkspur and San Francisco ferry terminals and at 6 a.m. at the Sausalito terminal.

— Bay City News