RandySF
RandySF's JournalCA: Yep, there will be a massive Bay Area public transportation disruption tomorrow.
BART unions and mediators walked out and Gov. Brown will not call a cooling off period. On top of that, AC Transit drivers appear ready to strike tomorrow as well. I got clearance to work from home but my productivity will be significantly hampered. I feel really bad for those who do not have the same luxury and do not have cars.
Union leaders walk out of BART negotiations as midnight deadline nears
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —Leaders from two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's largest unions walked out of negotiations with management Sunday night, making a strike all the more likely unless they can come to an agreement by midnight.
A BART strike means commuters must brace for potentially nightmarish journeys into work.
“While we do not have official word from the unions about a strike we must caution riders that a strike may commence after the end of regularly scheduled service today," said BART spokesman Rick Rice.
“We have a long way to go but we can’t get any closer if we aren’t at the table. We reached tentative agreements on 11 items today and we should use that momentum to reach a deal. Walking away doesn’t do any good," Rice said.
http://www.kcra.com/news/union-leaders-walk-out-of-bart-negotiations-as-midnight-deadline-nears/-/11797728/20781474/-/14py01az/-/index.html#ixzz2XlQHyhUC
BART Update: AC Transit warns riders to make other plans for Monday
OAKLAND, Calif. — East Bay commuters have more than just a potential BART strike to worry about Monday morning.
AC Transit issued a warning Saturday urging passengers to consider transit alternatives for Monday as contract talks with employee unions have so far failed to result in either a new contract or an extension of the existing contract, according to spokesman Clarence Johnson.
The AC Transit union's contract expires on Sunday, the same day contracts between BART and its five unions end. AC Transit employees voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike as soon as Monday, so the clock is ticking.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 President Yvonne Williams has cited worker safety and plans to replace sheriff's deputies assigned to AC Transit with private security guards as primary union concerns in the negotiations.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/ac-transit-warns-riders-make-other-plans-monday/nYZTz/
BART Update: Gov. Brown will not intervene, yet.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A spokesman for California Gov. Jerry Brown says that the governor's office is asking two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's largest unions and management to return to the bargaining table with a possible strike looming.
Brown spokesman Evan Westrup said Sunday that Marty Morgenstern, Brown's secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, is requesting that talks continue between SEIU Local 1021, ATU Local 1555 and BART representatives.
Westrup says that the governor will not be calling for a "cooling off period" as state mediators will continue assisting the negotiating parties as the unions' contracts are set to expire at midnight.
An SEIU spokeswoman says both unions will meet at noon to discuss its next steps.
BART spokesman Rick Rice said the transit agency hopes talks will continue Sunday.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Gov-s-office-asks-that-SF-transit-talks-continue-4638163.php
China 'Happy Endings' Legal: Foshan Court Rules That Masturbation Is Not Prostitution
A recent ruling by a court in Guangdong province is sure to be welcome news for Chinese men looking for a little something extra with their massages.
Last year, the Intermediate People's Court in the city of Foshan ruled that performing masturbation on another person in exchange for money is not illegal and those who perform such acts should not face prosecution, according to a Nandu Daily report translated by the Global Times.
Prostitution is still illegal in China, as it has been since it was banned by the Communist Party in 1949. However, the Foshan court ruled that manual masturbation and "breast massage," in which a woman massages a man with her breasts, are not sex acts, and therefore do not constitute prostitution, Nandu Daily notes.
The case arose in July 2011 when four men were busted for running a massage parlor in Guangdong province that offered “happy endings” and “other erotic massage services” to customers, according to the South China Morning Post. The men were convicted of “organizing prostitution” and spanked with five-year sentences by the Foshan Court of First Instance.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/china-happy-endings-legal_n_3512037.html
AC Transit Warns Monday Strike Possible
East Bay commuters have more than just a potential BART strike to worry about Monday morning. AC Transit issued a warning Saturday urging passengers to consider transit alternatives for Monday as contract talks with employee unions have so far failed to result in either a new contract or an extension of the existing contract, according to spokesman Clarence Johnson.
The AC Transit union's contract expires on Sunday, the same day contracts between BART and its five unions end.
BART's unions walked out of negotiations Saturday saying BART management was a "no show." The union said it is moving ahead with planned strike on Monday.
AC Transit employees voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike as soon as Monday, so the clock is ticking. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 President Yvonne Williams has cited worker safety and plans to replace sheriff's deputies assigned to AC Transit with private security guards as primary union concerns in the negotiations.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/AC-Transit-Warn-Monday-Strike-Possible-213730481.html
BART unions negotiator says strike 'likely' after talks with management break down
OAKLAND, Calif. — BART unions negotiator says strike 'likely' after talks with management break down.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/ap/social-issues/bart-unions-negotiator-says-strike-likely-after-ta/nYZSB/
BART union leaders walk out of negotiation session
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- BART union leaders walked out of negotiations with the transit agency's management early Saturday night
A lot of finger pointing is going on.
A BART spokesperson came out of the transit agency's headquarters around 5 p.m. and said BART is negotiating in good faith. In fact, he said they have a proposal in hand that they want to deliver.
That, however, is not how union leaders are characterizing it. They left the talks about 4:30 p.m., saying they're angry that things haven't moved faster.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources/traffic&id=9156661
Sponsors of Prop. 8 file petition to stop same-sex marriages
ProtectMarriage, the sponsors of Proposition 8, filed an emergency petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday to stop same-sex marriages from continuing in California.
The petition says the decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to permit weddings starting Friday afternoon was "premature."
"When the Ninth Circuit originally put in place its stay to prevent same-sex marriage pending Supreme Court action, it stated clearly that 'the stay shall continue until final disposition by the Supreme Court,' " the group said in a written statement.
"Under Supreme Court procedural rules, 'final disposition' comes when the Supreme Court issues a 'mandate' to the Ninth Circuit, at least 25 days after announcing its opinion in the case. The 25-day waiting period is provided to allow parties such as Prop. 8's proponents to petition the Supreme Court for a re-hearing of the case.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sponsors-of-prop-8-file-petition-to-stop-samesex-marriages-20130629,0,6899719.story
CA makes 13. Which state is next to endorse marriage equality?
Now that freedom reigns in California (though we still need to wipe Prop 8 off the books), what states are the logical choices to come up next? Illinois was a huge disappointment but I am sure they will come around. Other than that, my money is on Hawaii, Oregon and Nevada. What do you think?
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
Home country: USA
Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 02:53 PM
Number of posts: 58,776
