commuters waking up to a worst-case snacenario. b.a.r.t. workers announced they are on strike. >> and here is a live look at 880 in oakland. if you are getting ready to hit the road, prepare for a much rougher ride into work. good morning, thanks for being with us. it's 5:30. i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. >> >> i'm laura garcia cannon. the first b.a.r.t. strike since 1997. we are live in oakland where riders are looking for new ways to get into work. and in fremont, where there is a special bus bridge in place. we start with mike inouye who is keeping a close eye on the roads this morning. >> we are looking at things like the bay bridge toll plaza. this is typically what it looked like a half hour from now, 6:00. so the cash lanes backed up past the end of the parking lot. our chopper, let's see if they have a shot for us. maybe not. but there you go with the big

backup for these cash lanes going back. and fast track lane still a big advantage for you. no metering lights yet. but we expect to see those turned on early because of the volume of traffic to the bay bridge. let's show the maps and see how the effect is. all these routes i have marked with the arrows normally taken up by the b.a.r.t. train tracks, as well, under the bay. not an option today so folks take to the roadways. a lot of folks heading here, some toward the richmond center bridge, but no backup there. we do see a bigger volume, though. just showed oakland south down toward the san mateo bridge, heavier traffic there, 101, as well. trafficking very closely. we'll show you early slow downs as we come toward the east bay in the next report. back to you. >> okay, thank you. b.a.r.t. workers all picketing this morning, talking about it all morning long. >> christie smith live in oakland where they have been out early and is often. and we see them behind you, christie. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. yeah, they have been out here so long, they're due for a shift

change. normally at this time you would see them packed with commuters. instead members of seiu local 1021 out here on the picket lines. no trains rolling through the lake merit b.a.r.t. station in oakland. they represent mechanics, technicians, clerks. they say about 1,400 of them in all off the job because b.a.r.t.'s two largest unions couldn't reach a contract agreement. the first strike for b.a.r.t. since 1997. and these workers tell me they actually found out about the strike kind of by text, by phone. sort of a grass roots way, they would not be working on monday. which is essentially going to cripple the commute. 400,000 people rely on b.a.r.t. each day. ron smith has worked for b.a.r.t. for a decade. fixing station gates. now out here, holding a picket sign. how does this feel? you've been on the job for 11 years. how does it feel to be standing out here? >> it's unsettling. it's -- you know -- but

realistically, it -- it's worse for all the people who don't have a ride to work. i mean, that's bad. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. has parking lots at 33 of its stations. they're saying they will be open and free of charge today so the people can use them for casual carpools, if needed. i asked the union rep here. she said no, not as far as she knows. and back here live, i wanted to show you, this is a door to the lake merit station, as i said, normally you would be able to walk right in. it's locked. the escalators not moving at all. essentially no one in there. and the station just not moving, not functioning at all. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> no coming and going there. but hopefully the b.a.r.t. bus bridges are coming and going. want to check in with damion live in fremont where they're sitting these up to help riders out there. >> reporter: good morning, laura. quite a bit of confusion here.

we had to leave the fremont b.a.r.t. station and these buses are actually parked over on the side street. we're in front of washington hospital right now. in fact, the first bus, the first bus full of passengers just left the station. it was supposed to be 5:00, but it's just past 5:30 right now and the first bus just leaving, a couple empty buses now being rerouted at this point because there's six buses out here. and only enough passengers to fill one bus. the chartered buses began arriving at 4:15his morning. the buses will take you to the west oakland b.a.r.t. station, and from there you'll have to jump on another chartered bus, which will take you into the city. you cannot drive to the west oakland b.a.r.t. station and jump on one of those buses. you have to have a special ticket obtained from one of only four selected b.a.r.t. stations with this bus service. the other stations with chartered bus service are el sorritos, walnut creek and

pleasanton. first-come, first-serve basis and no standing. we ran into a couple who didn't know there was a strike and had to resort to an expensive cab ride. >> we were just expecting good customer service, you know? it's good if they want to go on strike, just let us know in advance. i had to wake my friend up at 3:30 in the morning. >> reporter: you didn't read the paper or listen to the news? >> well, we are visitors here, so we are doing the touristy stuff. >> reporter: and then we bring you back home, the buses will bring you back home from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to return to one of the four b.a.r.t. stations in the afternoon, you need to be at -- on howard street, between fremont and beal. that's howard street between fremont and beal. the last bus back to the east bay is at 7:00 p.m. a couple of empty chartered buses are here, but again, several have had to be rerouted because just simply no passengers out here.

but a confusion. everybody thought -- the fremont b.a.r.t. station and from there the buses pick you up. it turns out it's on this side street in front of washington hospital. we're live near the fremont b.a.r.t. station. >> thank you so much. just how far apart are the two sides in what's holding up negotiations? business and tech reporter scott mcgrew in the newsroom with that side of the story. >> reporter: good morning. the two sides not meeting this morning. unless there is a back channel activity we're not seeing, there is no negotiation currently. talks, of course, broke off last night. as you might expect, over money. workers have gone without a raise for five years. with the rate of inflation, they now make significantly less than they used to, even if their paycheck didn't change. b.a.r.t. is offering a raise, 8%. but workers want one three times that big. b.a.r.t. would also like employees to start contributing to their own pensions. right now employees pay nothing. health care is an issue, as well.

b.a.r.t. employees pay a little less than $100 a month. and with the rising cost of health care, management would like them to pay more. now, it's not as if b.a.r.t. doesn't have the money to meet workers' demands. but marla, b.a.r.t. says it needs to spend that money instead on new infrastructure, new cars and new stations to keep the trains running and not on the employees themselves. >> see how long this lasts. the last time b.a.r.t. went on strike was in september of 1997. this strike lasted six days, and then it affected 225,000 riders. you can see the gridlock was just brutal. today b.a.r.t. serves as many as 400,000 riders every weekday. the good news, if there is any, is that ac transit will be available for riders today. officials say slight progress has been made in negotiations, and they will meet again tonight to continue talks. the union contract expired at midnight and workers voted last week to authorize a strike. so far, they're hoping to talk things out without walking off

the job. other options for drivers, check 511.org or the 511 hotline for the latest traffic updates and commute alternatives. if you can, tele commute or go into the office during nonpeak commute hours. carpool whenever possible and make use of the extra bus and ferry service that will be offered today. and stay with nbc bay area for continuing coverage of the b.a.r.t. strike all morning long. on our website, nbcbayarea.com, you'll find b.a.r.t. strike resources to help you monitor resources and stay on top of the changes and cancellations. just click the b.a.r.t. strike bar at the top of the page. b.a.r.t. workers aren't the only ones on strike today. more than 1,000 oakland city workers have walked off the job. the workers are upset over another 10% pay cut, so they have called a one-day general strike, which started at midnight. the strike will impact parking enforcement, street-sweeping, animal control, head start, senior centers and more. police, fire and other emergency

service workers will not be affected. the city says some services will be available online. it is the first general strike by city workers since 1946. 5:39. we are also following developing news out of arizona, where wildfires have killed 19 elite firefighters and destroyed 200 homes. fast-moving wildfires burning near the communities of yarnell and glennisla. so far, the fire has burned 2,000 acres. prompting the closure of state route 89, triggering the evacuation of 150 homes. lightning sparked that fire friday, and winds blew the flames towards populated areas. this is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the u.s. in decades. and we have such high fire danger here in the bay area, with triple digit temperatures expected today and tomorrow. and you know what, christina loren, you take it away. >> i'm concerned about this

b.a.r.t. strike. right now in the morning hours, as you're waiting for the bus, not that bad. but come 5:00 p.m., typically when people get off of work, that's also the hottest point of the day. and this is the kind of heat that doesn't just make you irritable. it makes you angry. and it's dangerous if you're out there overdoing it. so, yeah, you want to make sure you're ready for that. if you do have to wait for a bus, any sort of waiting to do outdoors, make sure you stay hydrated and get yourself in the shade where it is the coolest. want to start with this live picture of san jose, a little haze. happy to report, not a spare the air day. we had that saturday, didn't have one sunday. and this morning waking up with good to moderate air quality aacross the street bay area. these shots look hazy but gorgeous sunrise, as well. hopefully we'll get a chance to show you throughout the morning. that's what that haze does. 63 in concord, 62 in oakland and 64 in sunnyvale. today in the bay works like this. 105 degrees at 4:00 to 5:00 inland today. that's very dangerous heat if you're not ready for it. light-colored clothing,

breathable clothing, 90 degrees bayside at the coast. 78 degrees. and even hotter day shaping up tomorrow. rivalling temperature records today and tomorrow and finally start to get a break from the heat. i'll time it out for you. 5:41. let's look at your drive. >> much more of an issue with the drive this morning. because of the b.a.r.t. strike or because of the b.a.r.t. workers on strike and trains off service, more folks hitting the road and the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights turned on. a half hour earlier than they typically turn on. you see the cash lanes backed up because these are not folks who take the cars over the bridges so they don't have fast track transponders. you can get those at stores throughout the day and prepare yourself for tomorrow morning. this commute might be visible there. a smooth flow of traffic approaching the maze. we also see traffic jamming toward an earlier crash at hasse en da, but in general, 580 with more traffic flow because of the

dublin line not moving. we have folks hitting the roadways because there is not a good alternate toward 580. more congestion from 84 to livermore and fremont, as well with a live look with this shot. 880 here picking up the volume. still close to the limit, guys. back to you. >> picking up out there. 542 bay area city getting ready to start same-sex marriages this morning. how one has set up an express line coming up. plus, gas prices jumping. the change that's making you spend more change at the pump this morning. and, of course, all morning long we are following the b.a.r.t. strike. a live look at the roads this morning. a lot more cars out there, so allow extra time. this is 80 through emeryville as cars are making their way to the bay bridge toll plaza. going to be a very popular spot this morning. mike, of course, will have another look at your traffic, next. at farmers we make you smarter about insurance,

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we continue to follow breaking news. b.a.r.t. workers officially on strike. take a look at the bay bridge toll plaza this morning where mike just said the metering lights just turned on. about 30 minutes earlier than we usually see and the backup started. taking a look at the bay area bridges, as well. san mateo bridge this morning, bridges all over the bay area expected to be especially crowded. so you're advised to try to carpool or even tele commute if you can. go in later. mike will be along in ten minutes with another look at your morning commute. 5:45. new this morning, hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered in egypt's capital, calling for the resignation of president mohamed morsi. the president and his supporters are not backing down. early this morning, protesters marched on the presidential palace and threw stones and fire bombs at morsi's muslim brotherhood in cairo, where activists say at least three people were killed. this is the largest demonstration since 2011, and so

far at least five protesters have died. this morning, nelson mandela remains in critical but stable condition. it's the former south african president's 24th day at a pretoria hospital. the 94-year-old is being treated for lung infection. mandela has been suffering from recurring lung problems since he contracted tuberculosis. well wishers have been leaving flowers and messages on the hospital fence. president barack obama paid tribute to mandela by visiting his cell. the first family landed in tanzania about an hour ago, the last leg of president obama's african tour. on the schedule, a news conference with tanzania's president, a visit to the power plant where the country's president will unveil a new $7 billion program to enhance africa's electric power network. much closer to home, this morning san francisco police are searching for the gunman who

shot and injured two men as pride celebrations were wrapping up. police say someone fired several shots into the crowd near the civic center in the area of larkin and grove streets. this happened about 6:30 last night. two men were shot, both in the leg and taken to a hospital. investigators say at this point they don't know if the victims were the intended targets. they're looking for people who were in the area who have pictures or video of this shooting. counties across the bay area will start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples this morning. santa clara county even offering an express marriage ceremony services. couples can can get a license in san jose and have their ceremony performed at the same time. it will cost you about $120 for most services. >> offices potentially would have the ac on. >> probably going to be a line, as well. >> out the door. >> anything you have planned for outdoors today, try to do it early or wait until 7:00 once the temperatures start to cool

down. but we have another brutally hot day to get through. and that will extend to tomorrow, as well. finally by wednesday, taking your temperatures down to the low triple digits. but today and tomorrow, the peak of this heatwave, 105 inland, 108 degrees tomorrow. so make sure you're ready for that, especially if you work outdoors. you have plans to be outdoors today. drink that water. wear those light-colored clothing and always make sewer sure you're watching your body. once you stop sweating, that's the problem. i posted heat illness symptoms, everything there for you. take a look at that while waiting for the bus and make sure you're staying hydrated. the want to make sure everybody is safe. the best way is to inform you what's to come for today. so heat warning extends through wednesday, 100-degree plus inland. more humidity today so also going to feel warmer than the truer temperature as we have this monsoonal moisture sfeeking up from the south.

want to get the kids yout doors, do so in the evening hours. coolest point of the day, around sunrise. we have a beautiful sunrise shaping up over the bay bridge this morning and most of the bay area. what happens is that particulate matter starts to get suspended in our atmosphere once we have these hot, dry spells. so you can start to see that today. but not spare the air day and air quality is good to moderate. 105 today. hot. don't want to be outside in livermore today. 92 in fremont. 95 degrees in san jose. and as i have been reporting all morning long, the hottest point is going to be between noon and 5:00 after which time temperatures do start to drop off. but it's still going to be hot, even when the sun goes down. temperatures tonight in the 70s and 80s. not a lot of relief for those of you who don't have air conditioning in your car or in your home, just make sure you're doing everything that you can to stay cool out there. i like a wet t-shirt if i don't have an air conditioner. remains hot, 100 degrees. that didn't sound right but you know what i mean. 93 degrees friday. this saturday and sunday -- take

it away, mike, i'm not going to recover from that easily. >> the south bay commute, folks, the traffic flow standard, northbound 101, it has not seen any disturbance. why does a south bay driver care about the b.a.r.t. strike and effect of those trains? it doesn't come to south bay yet, but it affects you if you're heading towards the peninsula or along the east bay. because these routes, 880, as well as 101, your connectors between these folks and the dunbar ton bridge. no slow downs yet, but traffic for the san mateo bridge than we typically see and also the dunb dunbarton express across the bay. one option for you to use mass transit, as well as additional cars. we're looking farther east to the trivalley, a good backup forming for west 580. also highway 84 showed a burst of traffic over the last 20 minutes and slow to the funnel

point here. the bay bridge and total plaza, backups forming, slow off 24 westbound and down the berkeley curve. let me show the live shot, these are the folks coming out of berkeley toward the bay bridge total plaza. these folks coming off 580 and 24, the big slow down that forms. we have those metering lights turned on half hour early so a lot of cars hitting the road because of the b.a.r.t. transit off service. back to you. 5:51. start saving your spare change. california has the highest gas tax in the country. this morning, the statewide excise tax on gas jumped by 3.5%. taxes now account for 72 cents of every gallon of gas you pump into your car. by comparison, nationwide, the average tax on a gallon of gas is 49 cents. the increase was approved by the state board of equalization back in february to make up for lost revenue. it's 5:51. new trouble this morning for students. the amount they pay for their loans is about to double.

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welcome back, everyone. and a good monday morning to you. look at the sunrise out there. that's about the best thing in that shot, because look at that bay bridge metering lights turned on about half hour early this morning. so many people hitting the roads because b.a.r.t. is on strike. no trains are running this morning. there are some bus bridges to tell you about. we'll have more in a live report, we're monitoring the morning commute, helping you to get out the door. maybe stay indoors, if you can. not only is it hot out there, but you can save yourself a nightmare. 5:54. the monthly payment on your student loans, if you have one, could be going up a lot. interest rates on government-backed stafford loans will double today from $3.4 to

6.8%. that's all because congress failed to pass a measure to freeze them in place before going on summer recess. any deal reached, once they come back, would likely include a retroactive roll back to the rate. that's little consolation for students trying to finalize loans now for the fall semester. groupon is launching a service to let users book reservation at high-end restaurants at discounts of 20 to 40%. groupon service available in ten cities, including san francisco, new york, boston and l.a. no prepayments or vouchers are required. the daily deal site will expand the service to include luxury spas, hotels and beauty salons, a little bit later this year. groupon's fired founder living out here in the bay area where scott mcgrew says he is working on an album. >> when andrew mason left chicago and groupon said he was coming to california to record a series of business songs, we weren't sure if he was serious because andrew mason is rarely

serious. but it would appear this time he is telling the truth. the album "hardly working" is supposed to be released tomorrow with songs like "my door is always open" and "rising above the pack." unless this a giant hoax but somehow i think this time he is serious. today is the first day of the back half of 2013. the beginning of the third financial quarter. looking back on the markets over the past half year, you might expect they were terrible. but, in fact, they had their fastest rise since the dot.com boom. they were so good at the beginning of the year, that's more than made up for all those losses. >> very good. thank you, scott. >> all right. we continue to follow breaking news. we're all talking about it. b.a.r.t. workers walking off the job. and on to the picket lines this morning. got a live look at the roads for you. that commute congestion certainly starting to build. going to be a long day out there on the roads. and we have team coverage of the b.a.r.t. strike and how to get around the mess.

this live shot, the traffic come down 580. you can already see, it is bumper to bumper there. mike checking all the roads throughout the bay area, and a couple reporters out at b.a.r.t. stations. we have you covered. very latest coming up in two minutes.

nbc bay area news begins are breaking news. >> b.a.r.t. is on strike. thousands of workers walk off the job, leaving 400,000 commuters stranded and crammed on bay area bridges and roads. good morning. it is just about 6:00. i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia cannon. this morning, no b.a.r.t. trains running. now that contract negotiations

have broken down between b.a.r.t. and its labor unions. we have team coverage. damian trujillo and mike inouye with how you get around without b.a.r.t. but we begin with christie smith at the b.a.r.t. station. this is the first time they have been on strike since 1997. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. and back then, the ridership wasn't what it is today. many more riders now. now normally b.a.r.t. would have been riding maybe about 90 minutes or so. but right now no trains rolling at all. instead what's happening, we have members of local 1021 out here on the picket line, and they are on strike. essentially they couldn't reach the agreement with b.a.r.t. by midnight. here with us this morning is jim allison. good morning, how is it going, jim? >> we're focused on the little service we can provide at this point, and trying to get the word out to people that b.a.r.t. is really not operating anywhere near capacity, only 1% capacity,