SEPTA's transit police union threatens to strike
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Philly transit police could walk off the job today over an impasse in contract negotiations between its union and SEPTA.
Why it matters: The union's 178 officers are the first line of public safety on the transit system, which has struggled to manage a rise in violence and quality of life issues in recent years.
State of play: Leadership for the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109 is recommending its members reject a contract proposal from SEPTA when voting starts Wednesday, union president Omari Bervine tells Axios. Voting will close about 6pm.
- If members turn down the proposal, they'll go on strike.
Between the lines: The union's contract expired in March, and it has been negotiating with SEPTA officials for months.
- It pulled back from a threat to strike last month, allowing negotiations to continue. Transit officers most recently went on strike in 2019 and 2012.
What would happen: In the event of a strike, Philly police and some university police departments will assist with patrols and public safety responses, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch tells Axios.
- The agency also will add guards from a private security firm.
What the union wants: Higher wages for members and terms comparable to those SEPTA recently struck with the Transport Workers Union Local 234 (TWU), the agency's largest union.
- Officials have maintained that salaries for members, which begin at $56,507 annually, are lower than similar-sized departments.
- "We can't see our members signing up for being shortchanged," Bervine, who is also a SEPTA patrol officer, said.
What SEPTA is saying: It's offering a three-year contract with a 13% pay hike and a $3,000 bonus, Busch tells Axios.
- Plus: Transit police got an unscheduled pay bump last year, averaging about 17%.
- "The offer that we have on the table is consistent with what TWU received and what other unions have either accepted or are in the process of negotiating," Busch said.
The big picture: SEPTA, like other transit systems nationwide, is facing a fiscal cliff next year as ridership and revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels and federal pandemic dollars run out.
- The agency expects annual deficits to run at least $240 million starting next year, which will result in service cuts and higher fares without additional funding.