Judge sides with VTA, orders union workers strike to end; partial service resumes Friday

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge on Wednesday ruled with the VTA and issued an injunction to end the ATU Local 265 union workers strike and bring back bus and light rail services.

Union workers have been on strike for 16 days. VTA said it had been losing roughly $70,000 a day in fares.

That judge ordered those VTA workers to go back to work immediately, issuing an injunction in court to make it so.

A VTA spokesperson confirmed that workers will come back Thursday.

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VTA bus service starts on Friday. The spokesperson said light rail will take a little bit longer because they have to inspect the rail system. Uber vouchers will remain available Thursday.

The primary argument in court Wednesday was about whether or not ATU Local 265 was in violation of a no-strike clause that is in its most recent contract.

The union's argument that they presented was that the contract ended March 3 and they are no longer bound to that no-strike clause.

VTA said the union was still bound to that clause in the contract because neither party issued a notice of intent to terminate the agreement.

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The judge ultimately issued the injunction saying the workers can no longer strike, but did not rule on a new contract between the union and VTA.

"Unfortunately, lawyers had to become involved because we were doing this on behalf of tens of thousands of people who rely on public transportation," said Stacey Hendler Ross, VTA spokesperson. "They need public transportation. There are so many people who have no other option. So, we're glad the ruling was as it was."

ATU Local 265 president Raj Singh also spoke immediately after the judge's decision.

"I don't really understand how the agency could take the position it did and the judge ended up buying some of those claims," he said. "At the end of the day, the workers lost today. So, we're disappointed with the outcome."

VTA said Wednesday evening that no new date or time has been set to resume contract negotiations.