Under the contract agreed to by labor and management last months, BART employees get six weeks of paid family leave each year. That's nearly twice as generous as the standard state family leave program benefit.
Union officials say they signed the agreement in good faith. And so did three BART representatives.
"They knew they signed it," ATU1555 President Antonette Bryant said. "They knew they signed the entire agreement. For them to think that this is a mistake or to represent it that way is totally disingenuous. And it speaks again of the bad faith bargaining that they have been doing from the onset."
BART officials told us Saturday they stand by the statement they made Friday night.
The statement said the Board of Directors never intended to put the family leave provision in the contract and that they voted 7-1 to direct the general manager to go back to the bargaining table.
They add that former Chief Negotiator Thomas Hock is no longer associated with the district and that a new chief negotiator will be named shortly.
