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Jesse Jackson Discusses Agreement to End L.A. Transit Strike

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DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to focus our attention now on story happening here in the U.S. In Southern California, they apparently have settled the transit strike, which will be relieving news to about a half-million folks that have been stranded over the last month.

Let's bring in our Greg LaMotte, who is standing by in Pasadena -- Greg.

GREG LAMOTTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it wasn't the longest transit strike in L.A.'s history, but according to many of the players involved in the negotiations, it may have been the most contentious. Bus and rail operators walked off their jobs September 16th in a contract dispute with the city. it left about 450,000 commuters without any kind of public transportation.

The city said it was trying to meet a court mandate to expand bus and rail operations. It said, to do so, it would have to cut operating expenses and wanted to bring in part-time workers, in order to accomplish that, in an effort to cut down on overtime pay. But the union was opposed to that. And just about the time it seem that the negotiations were about to break down completely, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was invited here to help mediate the dispute.

He has been gracious enough to join us this morning after an all- night session of bargaining.

Reverend, how contentious were those negotiations?

JESSE JACKSON: Very contention. Because workers, core workers, full-time workers were very threatened by part-time workers, about another tier, feeling their flexibility would be used, in fact, undercut full-time workers. And so they drew the battle line there.

These full-time workers are middle class workers who own homes, who have children that are in school, who have health benefits. These are good, well-paying jobs, so they dug in.

On the other hand, MTA was concerned about fiscal responsibility. That was their agenda.

But the customers, seniors could not get the bus to get their medicines and children could not go to school. And great dislocation for the poorer people of Los Angeles. Its impacted upon businesses was negative because workers can't get to work, and the companies cannot be productive. Everybody is hurt, you know?

And so I was asked by Miguel (ph) to come in, and talk with Mayor Riordan and with Supervisor Burke and with Zell (ph), and we pulled it together. That was tough. But to do it, you have to be trusted by all parties. We have to know what you're doing and you have to be determined. In the end, determination and the -- overtime with the fourth quarter we prevailed.

LAMOTTE: Reverend, you are certainly known around the globe for being a mediator. In your view, what is the trick? what do you need to do to be a successful mediator?

JACKSON: Well, find out what the fears of each contentious group is. Find out what their hopes are. Therefore, try to relieve their fears, expand their hopes. And build trust between parties who don't trust each other, but they must trust you. So I could go to the meeting with the MTA leaders, and they would know I was an honest, honorable, able broker.

I could meet labor, and they would know I would go to the next meeting, I would not violate their trust of what their needs were.

And in the end, you really need a bridge builder, someone to heal the breech, because there is one level of this thing is about numbers, the bottom line is about trust. As they began to trust each other, it takes some risks with a shared interest in customer service and good paying jobs for workers, in the end, they settle it. And today, I'm convinced that the deal will be ratified by the MTA Board and the workers, and they will be all winners.

LAMOTTE: Thank you very much for joining us, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. As he was saying , later on this afternoon, both the MTA will take a look at this contract and presumably ratify it. Later on this afternoon, it will be going to the union members themselves. We are told that they are expected to ratify it.

And we are also told that bus service will resume tomorrow and will be fully back in operation by tomorrow evening, and that rail service will resume on Thursday.

So for a half million commuters here in the Los Angeles area, really the ones who could least afford a strike because 70 percent of them don't own a car and the majority of them are lower income, they will finally be able to use the mass transportation system of Los Angeles to get to and from their jobs, the grocery store, and the other places they need to go -- Bill, Daryn.

KAGAN: Greg LaMotte, in Pasadena, thanks very much.

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