Due to on-campus labor strikes, SLO Transit has alerted riders that they should expect detours and stop closures to Cal Poly throughout the week, according to San Luis Obispos’s official website. Riders can expect detours and delays during active strike hours which are scheduled from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Unionized bus drivers cannot cross a picket line from another union while they are on strike. Routes 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, which typically stop at Kennedy Library and the Performing Arts Center, are no longer entering campus until further notice due to traffic concerns, leaving some students to walk to school in the rainy weather.
READ MORE: Cal Poly skilled trade workers to strike following Cal State salary disputes
The 3A/B and 4A/B routes will drop students at the closest stops to campus during these detours:
- 3A: Foothill at Chorro
- 3B: California at Stafford
- 4A: Highland at Cuesta
- 4B: Highland at Bishop
Riders are encouraged to track the bus on the SLO Transit app, but can call the Transit Dispatch line (805) 541-2877 for detailed information on delays and detours, according to San Luis Obispo’s official website.
Many students unaware of the affected routes
Tuesday morning, at the Highland and Cuesta stop, students loaded into the 4A bus hoping to catch a ride to campus, but they were met with an announcement from the bus driver that it was the closest stop he was going to make to campus.
Around 30 students offloaded and began their walk to class. Students said they were unaware of the service changes and struggled to adjust their commute plans, especially as rain continues throughout the week.
Experience industry management sophomore Solomon Brownstein and economics sophomore Elliott Smith were riding the 4A when the announcement came in.
“Without letting us know, we just got dropped off,” Brownstein said. “[The bus driver] was like, ‘Yeah, this is as far as we can take you.’”
Smith mentioned that they were given an option of where they wanted to be dropped.
“[The bus driver] kind of announced it as we got here. He was saying he could either drop us off here or at the corner of Santa Rosa, which is like the same,” Smith said.
Spanish and theatre arts junior, Araceli Leyva was also on the 4A when it stopped short of campus. Instead of walking the remaining 30 minutes to class, she decided to call an Uber to make it on time.
Leyva typically relies on the bus as her primary mode of transportation to campus but sometimes makes the walk as well.
“I really don’t mind walking, but with the rain it kind of sucks,” Leyva said.
Skilled laborers strike in effect
Teamsters Local 2010, which represents skilled trades workers, maintenance employees and other campus staff across the Cal State system, is striking from Feb. 17 to Feb. 20 over alleged unfair labor practices during contract negotiations. The strike has led to picket lines at Cal Poly’s campus entrances, prompting transit operators to halt service beyond those points.
The picket lines are stationed at Cal Poly entrances on Grand Avenue, California Boulevard and Highland Drive as well as the intersection of California and Highland.
Rain is forecast to continue throughout the week in San Luis Obispo, according to the National Weather Service.
READ MORE: San Luis Obispo residents face rainfall after an extended winter dry spell
Despite steady rainfall throughout the week, striking workers said these weather conditions have not affected their participation.
“It’s making us wet. It’s not making us ineffective,” said Evan Powells, Cal Poly building engineer and Teamsters Local 2010 member. “We’re not going to let the rain stop [us]. It’s going to be more motivation. Making sure that CSU knows it doesn’t matter. Rain, sleet, snow, we’re going to be out on the line. We’re going to be there to let the CSU know that we’re serious.”