Members of SEPTA’s largest union voted Sunday to authorize a strike, raising the possibility that public transportation could soon grind to a halt in Philadelphia.
A work stoppage would be another blow for the transit agency and its riders, who this year have had to deal with Regional Rail disruptions and service cutbacks stemming from the authority’s budget crisis.
But, for now, both sides seem to agree that a strike is not imminent, even though Transport Workers Local 234’s contract expired earlier this month.
“I can say that I am not, at this moment, ready to call a strike,” Will Vera, the union’s president said Sunday following the tally. “That has not even been spoken about at this moment, but we all know that things can change at any moment.”
“I would say that we’re nowhere near a work stoppage at this point,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer told reporters Friday. “Talks have been productive and ongoing, and there’s been no discussions yet of breakdowns to the point where we’re talking about a work stoppage.”
Local 234 represents nearly 5,000 drivers, operators, mechanics, cashiers, custodians and other employees. Should they picket, service would be suspended on the Market-Frankford Line, Broad Street Line and all city-based bus and trolley routes.
Regional Rail would continue operating, as employees there are covered through a different union. However, the commuter rail system has been plagued with cancellations, delays and crowded trains since Oct. 1, when federal regulators ordered the authority to undertake a number of safety measures.
SEPTA completed mandated inspections of each Silverliner IV rail car Friday, though scheduling problems are expected to persist as crews repair issues and install thermal protection circuits in the 50-year-old vehicles.
Sunday’s vote is a mostly procedural step that permits Vera and his leadership team to call a strike at a time of their choosing. Local 234’s current contract expired Nov. 7.
“If SEPTA doesn’t put money on the table, we’re going to shut Philly down,” TWU International President John Samuelson, who attending the authorization meeting, said. “A strike is going to happen as a last resort, and the last resort is coming quickly right now. We’ve been very patient, and the patience is not going to last much longer.”
Vera, who became the local union president last month, said he is pushing for a two-year agreement. That would align with SEPTA’s current funding arrangement – to divert capital dollars to fill its operating budget shortfall for two years – and delay the next labor negotiation cycle until after the next year’s busy Semiquinecential, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he noted.
Among the negotiating points is the authority’s sick leave policy, which Vera said he wants to overhaul in the new contract.
Local 234 members picked up strike T-shirts and signs prior to Sunday morning’s vote at the Sheet Metal Workers’ union hall in South Philadelphia.
“We’re sick and tired of coming to work under poor work rule conditions,” said Lyle Smith, a body mechanic and former trolley operator who has worked at SEPTA for 18 years. “They want to walk you out the door as soon as you get hired, and we’re sick and tired of it.”
Representatives from the union and management will meet Tuesday, Nov. 18, for their next collective bargaining session, according to Vera.
