KTLA News: "Mayor Tom Bradley holds press conference on transit strike negotiations" (1974)

[People's Lobby spokesperson] We intend to appeal this case immediately to the California Court of Appeal, to get a judicial opinion. At the present moment, the citizens of the state of California are still without an authoritative ruling on the merits of the underlying issue in this case. And that is whether or not, Mr. Reinecke is still qualified to hold office in view of the jury's verdict, July 27th. People's Lobby contends that at the present time, he should be temporarily disqualified, until such time as he is successful, if ever, in overturning the jury verdict. If he is, he can be reinstated at that time. We intend to take an immediate appeal to the Court of Appeal, to try to get a judicial opinion on the merits of the case. And not have this matter just, ah, buried under the rug. [Mayor Tom Bradley] I thought you invited him to fly you. [Chuckles] All right. [Background noise, equipment banging, talk, unintelligible] Joining me here is the, [equipment banging] Vice Chairman of the, [equipment banging] Mayor's Labor Management Committee, Mr. Ralph Woolpert, and I'm, [equipment banging] [Bradley, over equipment banging] pleased to report to you on some of the, proceedings this morning. [Bradley] I met with, ah, my staff [equipment banging] for briefing on matters that have taken place this far. [Bradley, over equipment banging] I met with the representatives of the State Conciliation Service, [Reporters interrupt, unintelligible] Tom McCarthy. [Reporters partially unintelligible] You need to stop your working. Somethings rattling up there. This morning I met with members of my staff for, briefing, bringing me up to date on the events of the last few days. Um, I met with the Representatives of the State Conciliation Service, Tom McCarthy, who has been carrying on negotiations thus far. Ah, Tom Vidicu, who has now been brought into the picture to join him. And, ah, with Ralph Duncan who is head of the State Conciliation Service. We discussed their activities and, ah, what they think they, ah, plan to do in the next, ah, several hours. I indicated to them the proposals which, ah, have been made to me by my Labor Management Committee. And what steps I plan to take with regard to those recommendations. Following that meeting I met with representatives, the elected officials who serve the counties, [Camera noise] [Bradley] were in a session this morning could not come. discussions this morning. I planned to meet with the parties to this strike. Now I shall discuss with him my plan to appoint, a mediator, who will represent the Mayor's Office, to serve along with the Conciliation Service from the State. To hopefully bring these parties together. Resolve their differences and come up with a solution that will once again, restore bus service in the four county area which RTD serves. [Reporter] Who will the mediator be, do you know? [Bradley] The person has not yet been, ah, finally selected. I've had some preliminary discussions with some parties, [Camera noise] the final selection, [Bradley] ah, perhaps will not be made before the end of the day. [Camera noise] think of a, of a new force, a new party, a new factor, a new dimension in this problem at this point. After almost six weeks of the strike, ah, will provide a new psychological, ah, boost that has been missing thus far. Ah, in any serious, difficulty such as we have, ah, been experiencing on this bus strike, where there are so many complex issues involved, requires the most delicate timing. A proposal which might not have worked three weeks ago, may very well work today. And it is that new dimension which we are looking for. [Reporters talk over each other, unintelligible] [Bradley] And I don't propose to disclose my whole card today. [Camera noise] I'm told would have, ah, [Bradley] been premature. They think the time is right and I think, [Camera noise] [Reporter, partially unintelligible] try to get the union to [?] [Reporter] Both positions have been pretty [?] all through this thing, ah, we've some idea that they are closer together, so we, Well, certainly would have been better for the ballot issue, Proposition A, had the strike not occurred. And I think that, ah, you know, we can only speculate at this point. But, I think, ah, equally important, is the question of, of restoring the service, so the people who need it, some six hundred fifty thousand people, can have that daily bus service. The young people who go to school. The school district, which is going to suffer loss of their revenue, because of the young people who are unable to go to school because they can't get there. The elderly. The poor. Those who, must use the buses, and have no other, [Camera noise] complex issue, not easily resolved. [Bradley] And it is for that reason, [Reporter, partially unintelligible] this morning, [?] [Reporter] in order to help settle the strike, in other words, did your advisory team give you any, [?] did you own that, as far as offers being made. No, they do not suggest, ah, what the appropriate level of settlement should be. They simply will offer suggestions as to, procedures or devices for moving toward a, a, ah, figure that will be agreed upon by both sides. or by arbitration. [Reporter unintelligible] Yes, yes it was. [Reporter] Mr. Woolpert, can we have a word or two? [Ralph Woolert] did recommend that an outside mediator be brought into the picture. We've suggested several other alternative methods of procedure. Ah, we do feel however, that whoever the, ah, third party, ah, or the new mediator who's brought into the picture will be. That he come in without being handcuffed and have all of the options and alternatives available to him. So that he can move as rapidly as possible towards bringing the parties together. [Reporter] What other alternatives are [?] Well at this point, I'd rather not say because, ah, again, ah, ah, we want to make those, ah, suggestions directly to the, to the mediator. [Reporter, partially unintelligible] Are some of his procedures more stringent than [?] There are, yes there are some alternative procedures that, are possible, ah, that, ah, it would go beyond that of the moral frame,