Negotiators for both labor and management in the Southern California transit strike have agreed to meet in order to discuss the issue of health care funding. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has proposed equal representation on the six-member board overseeing the health care fund and an increase in their original offers for a one-time contribution and monthly payments into the fund. On Oct. 14, 2,200 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union walked off the job, supported by 6,000 bus and train operators. The walkout comes at a time of much labor unrest in Southern California.
See "Striking S. Calif. Mechanics Resume Talks", The New York Times, October 21, 2003