PHILADELPHIA — Members of the union representing more than 5,300 workers at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority have voted to authorize a strike effective at midnight on Nov. 7, when their current contract expires.
Members of Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents subway, trolley, and bus operators, mechanics, and other workers, voted unanimously in favor of the strike at a Sunday meeting at the Sheet Metal Workers union hall in South Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Local 234 President Brian Pollitt said the union is “looking for safety and security, for our membership and the riding public, and economic justice. What they’re offering so far isn’t satisfactory.”
The strike vote comes as SEPTA faces a fiscal shortfall that could lead to service cuts and a fare increase, and just after SEPTA CEO Leslie S. Richards announced Oct. 25 that she would depart Nov. 29 after five years.
A SEPTA spokesman said the agency has been working to reach an agreement, but the funding crisis has been a major factor in the negotiations.
“With the exhaustion of federal COVID relief funds earlier this year and ridership still recovering from the pandemic, SEPTA is facing an operating budget deficit of nearly a quarter billion dollars annually,” spokesman Andrew Busch said in a statement. “We continue to work with Gov. [Josh] Shapiro and legislative leaders on sustainable, long-term funding, but at this point, there is no solution in sight. This stark reality impacts these negotiations, as well as SEPTA’s ability to provide critical transportation services throughout the Philadelphia region.”
SEPTA and TWU Local 234 avoided a strike last year with a one-year agreement days ahead of a similar deadline [see “SEPTA, Transport Workers Union avert strike …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 30, 2023].
If it’s to be accepted and used, commuter rail needs to be as reliable as one’s car. This isn’t good for SEPTA or the employees.
Commuter Rail (called Regional Rail by SEPTA) is under a different contract and different laws. They would not be part of the threatened strike. Suburban bus, trolley and High Speed service, mostly ex-Red Arrow, is also under a different contract and also would not be part of the threatened strike.
This is a regular dance, held every few years.
There won’t be a strike any time soon. For one thing, as noted above, the General Manager quit and a new one needs appointed. The Union knows SEPTA is financially broke and the Commonwealth didn’t appropriate enough money.
By the way, the strike vote was unanimous.