On this day in Labor History the year was 2013.
That was the day that two workers on California’s Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART as it is more commonly called, were struck and killed by a train.
Christopher Sheppard was a BART track engineer.
Laurence Daniels was a contract employee.
Both men had years of experience working on the tracks.
They were inspecting the tracks when they were hit and killed.
The workers who usually operated the trains were out on strike.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and SEIU Local 1021 had walked off the job the day before.
The strike disrupted the daily commute of 400,000 Bay Area travelers.
The unions were striking for improved wages and safer working conditions.
The union wanted bullet proof glass for station agent booths for worker safety.
They also asked for improved lighting in the tunnels.
According to an article in Mother Jones, “A BART spokesperson called the safety issues a “smoke screen,” arguing that contract negotiations were not the place to raise them.”
In response to the strike, BART was training a replacement worker to run the trains when the tragedy occurred.
The manager who was supposed to monitoring the unexperienced driver had left the car.
In addition, the National Transportation Safety Board found that BART had no way for workers on the tracks to communicate with train drivers.
The family of Laurence Daniels sued BART, which settled for $300,000.
The unions and BART settled the strike two days after the tragic deaths.
The union won a nearly a 16 percent pay increase the over four of the year contract.
The union also won safety upgrades.
But management won concessions on employee contributions to medical benefits and pensions.
April 8 - John L. Lewis Takes on Henry Ford
April 7 - Flora Tristan is Born
April 6 - Rose Schneiderman is Born
April 5 - Massey Mine Explodes, pt. 2
April 4 - Massey Mine Explodes, pt. 1
April 3 - Lincoln Freed the Slaves, Ford Brought Them Back
April 2 - Trouble in the Sweetest Place on Earth
April 1 - The Promise of 1946
March 31 - Hospital Workers Stand United
March 30 - 15th Amendment Adopted
March 29 - West Coast Hotel v Parrish Decided
March 28 - Partial Meltdown at Three Mile Island
March 27 - FE Strikers Battle Police at Harvester
March 26 - Police Attack UE Amid ‘46 Strike Wave
March 25 - Centralia Coal Mine #5 Explodes
March 24 - Exxon Valdez Runs Aground
March 23 - Texas City Refinery Explosion Kills 15
March 22 - ERA Passes the Senate
March 21 - Truman Signs Loyalty Order
March 20 - Another Deadly Explosion
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