we have reached out to raj singh, the president of local 6265. we have not heard back yet, and we just spoke with these these picket lines workers here. and we asked them, what's the latest? what do you know? and they said, until they hear anything different, you're looking at it, they will remain here on strike. we are live in san jose. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> all right, dustin. >> thank you. developing news from washington. abc news has learned that mass layoffs are expected to start any moment at the department of education. sources say nearly half of the department will be eliminated in another sweeping action by the trump administration, employees were told their offices within the capital region will be closed all day tomorrow for security reasons. they will reopen on thursday. president trump campaigned on a promise of returning education systems to individual states. >> now on to new developments on the great highway closure. just days before the great highway is set to close to cars between lincoln way and sloat boulevard, ther

. >> raj singh, president of atu local two, 65, says they're getting mixed messages from the transit authority. >> because on one hand, you got an ego saying that you disagree with some of our positions, but they're still going to, you know, sit down. they won't give us time. >> with no agreement reached, some city and county leaders are showing their support for the workers, including san jose city council member domingo candelas, who sits on the vta board of directors. >> it took me 45 minutes to get here from evergreen 40. why? there's no transit running. there's no there's no busses. there's no light rail. keep fighting. >> you're the backbone of our public infrastructure and public transportation system, so i. yes, let's get a deal. let's move on. let's make sure we get a fair contract and make sure that you can get back to your lives. >> vta saying on monday the union has not shown willingness to move on their demands. >> the kind of wage increase that atu is asking for is just not possible in in a way that we can maintain the service that we're offering our passengers that the

. >> atu local 265 president raj singh said earlier in the day the company is giving them mixed messages. >> on one hand, we got an ego say that he just see with some of our positions, but they're still willing to, you know, sit down. they want to give us time. and on top of that, you know, that's followed up by another communication where they're telling us that they going to possibly go to court to seek a researcher. >> the community appears split on the strike. san jose city council members and santa clara county supervisors were among those in support at vta headquarters this morning. >> keep fighting. we all deserve dignity in our wages and respect on the job. >> we have no future without public transit. we have no future without atu. >> san jose mayor matt mehan is against the strike, saying vta 9% offer is more reasonable than the 18% atu is asking for. mehan adds the strike is not good for anyone, including san jose state students who make up a large number of the 100,000 daily riders. some were late to mid-terms in class. others were forced to pay for parking and gas. >> this is

have not approved this deal yet, and there are no scheduled talks anytime soon, union president raj singh says after months of negotiating. another major sticking point is over resolving conflicts in the workplace. >> if you don't have that uh- resolution process, then essentially the entire agreement is meaningless because at the end of the day, you're going to end up, you know, going and trying to file, you know, some sort of an unfair labor practice or a civil suit, and you have to go go through the courts. and it's a waste of resources on both sides. >> a strike has been approved by members, and they will meet friday to discuss a potential walkout date. vta says riders need to plan accordingly. >> hopefully they can resolve whatever issues are happening. that way they don't go into strike because yeah, it'll be a big impact with everybody. >> contracts have expired before, but this would be the first strike for the groups. there's hope among all parties. that doesn't happen to keep the wheels turning for riders going forward. in santa clara county. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> ok

have not approved this deal yet, and there are no scheduled talks anytime soon, union president raj singh says after months of negotiating. another major sticking point is over resolving conflicts in the workplace. >> if you don't have that uh- resolution process, then essentially the entire agreement is meaningless because at the end of the day, you're going to end up, you know, going and trying to file what, you know, some sort of an unfair labor practice or a civil suit, and you have to go go through the courts. and it's a waste of resources on both sides. >> a strike has been approved by members, and they will meet friday to discuss a potential walkout date. vta says riders need to plan accordingly. >> hopefully they can resolve whatever issues they're having. that way they don't go into strike because yeah, it'll be a big impact with everybody. >> contracts have expired before, but this would be the first strike for the groups. there's hope among all parties that doesn't happen to keep the wheels turning for riders going forward. in santa clara county, dustin dorsey, abc seven news.

. >> and tonight we spoke with the president of the union representing vta transit workers, raj singhays while wages are part of these talks, the main sticking point is over a fair process to resolve disputes, including arbitration. >> if the employer is allowed to essentially dictate and decide unilaterally whether you know something holds merit or has just cause, then the entire agreement itself is irrelevant. this is not something that we intended on doing. we actually started, you know, contract talks about six months ago prior to the expiration of our contracts. and, and obviously in hopes of reaching a deal before the expiration date. but the talks have just not been meaningful. >> singh says while the two sides are at an impasse, the union is still open to working out a deal before monday's planned strike. he went on to apologize to riders who may be affected. if no deal is reached. this strike will start monday morning at vta headquarters and its four operating yards. >> still to come, the department of government efficiency now taking on a new role at one federal agency. plus