SAN JOSE >> Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority workers walked off the job Monday after negotiations for a new contract ended in an impasse, leaving commuters scrambling to find other ways to get to work.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 notified VTA last week that they would go on strike, citing concerns over the cost of living and the high rate of inflation, as they sought a more significant raise than VTA was offering in negotiations.

Bus and light rail services were suspended at 12:01 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from VTA. These services will remain shut down across the county for the duration of the strike. Paratransit services will continue to operate as usual.

“We understand the hardship this service disruption causes, and we are pursuing as many avenues as possible to mitigate the impact to the riding public as quickly as we can,” the VTA said in a statement Sunday night. Officials said Friday that the system serves more than 100,000 riders each day.

ATU members began to gather on the picket line before 4 a.m. Monday morning, said Raj Singh, president of ATU Local 265.

“The energy is very strong. The members’ resolve is very strong,” Singh said. “Nobody ended up crossing the picket line in any sort of way. Everybody’s holding strong and standing together. So the resolve is very, very strong.”

Two picketers were injured when they were involved with a collision with a vehicle Monday morning, authorities said. Both people were treated and the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

Gavin Heretia, 33, an information services representative at VTA and an ATU member, said that he has to live with three other people and still spends half of his monthly income on rent. On the picket line Monday, he said he cannot imagine ever being able to afford buying a house in the county on his salary.

“If we are stressed out and worried about paying our bills, then we can’t focus on our jobs. If we get hurt and … we’re worried about our job security, we’re not going to be here for the public,” Heretia said. “I believe in this company. I believe that we can be a better transit agency, but we as operators have to fight for that.”

As commuters traveled on Monday morning through San Jose’s Diridon Station, people waited for ride shares, walked or rode scooters in place of normal bus routes.

John, a 58-year-old county employee who declined to give his last name, said that he commutes from Palo Alto to San Jose by taking the Caltrain and then a VTA bus. On Monday morning, he took an Uber instead.

“It’s a little frustrating, but I understand they have a right to strike and bargain for what they what they deserve. I know it’s a tough job,” he said. “I ride the bus twice a day, every day for the last 12 years … I see what they deal with. I think they need to get paid more. I’m sorry they have to strike.”

He estimated the lack of bus services would add an extra 15 minutes to his commute, but he noted that he normally arrives early anyway. He also had to pay for the Uber fare when normally he can take the bus for free with a pass provided by his job, he said. But he noted that he is still paying less to commute than a person who drives.

John also said that when his union was on strike in 2019, bus drivers would honk in solidarity as they drove past.

“I really feel the need to reciprocate for that,” he said. “I hope they can resolve it because the busses are definitely necessary.”

Shane Nicole Homez, a 21-year-old San Jose State University student, was “scrambling” to find an alternative route to her 8:30 a.m. class Monday morning, she said. Usually, she commutes to San Jose from Santa Cruz five days per week and takes a bus or light rail from the Diridon Station to campus. On Monday morning, a friend picked her up.

“Luckily, we take the same class, so I asked them if they could pick me up from Diridon and drive me to campus,” Homez said. “At least I do have some options. There are some people who are more unfortunate.”

Homez added that many of her classmates and professors would also be impacted, as many take the train to San Jose, then use VTA services to get to campus.

Homez noticed that there were more scooters placed outside the station than normal. Another commuter said that her rideshare price was twice as expensive.

Anthony Jordan, of Redwood City, took Caltrain and a Lyft in place of his normal VTA bus route. He said that the commute was costing him more money and taking more time than usual.

“The bus is usually here right now taking off,” he said. “Now I have to factor the traffic too. Because I mean obviously the bus is impacted — that means more traffic.”

VTA’s final contract offer to workers last week included a wage increase of 9% over three years, keeping the employees as the second-highest paid in the Bay Area and the fifth-highest paid in the country. VTA is also asking the union to allow the long-term leave to be decreased from two years to one year, and to change the structure of holiday pay.

The union is seeking a 6% raise per year over three years and wants to add a clause guaranteeing arbitration for contract disputes. They want to keep long-term leave at two years.

Further discussions held Sunday between the VTA and ATU did not result in any “meaningful negotiations,” VTA officials said in a statement. Stacey Hendler Ross, public information officer for VTA, said that the agency needs ATU to return to the negotiation table with an eye to resolving the issue.

“VTA remains open to go back to the negotiation table at any time when ATU says they’re ready,” Hendler Ross said. “VTA is working very hard to try to resolve this.”

Singh said Sunday’s conversation lasted about 10 minutes.

“The conversation was really over before it even started,” he said. “All they wanted to talk about was the two items that they’re demanding from us, and they didn’t want to talk about our contract resolution process or the wages. … The union is never in a position to walk away from the table, because ultimately, it’s our members that suffer.”