By Julia Hood
PR Week
September 10, 2001

“Singer Associates worked round the clock Labor Day weekend to prepare for a major transit strike that never happened.

The management of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system retained the agency in July 2001, when it was clear that contract negotiations weren’t going well.

‘Our objective in the labor negotiations was twofold,’ said president Sam Singer. ‘One was to create a fiscally responsible message that showed we were protecting the riders and trying to hold fare costs down.’ The second was to demonstrate BART’s commitment to its labor force, but also the limitations of the public agency’s purse.

As it happened, the contract was agreed upon at 1am on September 4, with a 22% pay raise over four years.

Singer said maintaining stamina during the week was tough. ‘The biggest challenge is the physical and mental strength it takes for anyone to operate in war-room conditions for any period of time and stay sharp,’ he said.”