BART employees will get a 10.5% increase

Oakland, California – According to statements made by BART authorities, the BART Board of Directors adopted preliminary agreements for existing labor contracts on Thursday. These agreements will result in wage increases for BART employees.

BART officials stated that wage increases for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Amalgamated Transit Union, Service Employees International Union, and non-represented employees will total 10.5 percent over three years, and 10.5 percent over four years for the agency’s police unions.

According to officials, total four-year wage increase costs for BART’s operating budget are expected to be $123.8 million, and four-year capital budget costs, which are primarily offset by capital projects and other sources outside of the operating budget, are expected to be $42.2 million.

The most recent general salary increase for BART employees was in July of 2020; however, higher-level managers and executive staff did not receive a raise.

In 2020, the majority of workers received a 2.75 percent raise. The BART police force earned a wage increase in July of 2021.

Officials from BART said that if there had been no increase in wages, it would have made the ongoing staffing issues more challenging in a labor market with a shortage of workers and might have had a negative effect on the quality of service.