SEPTA strike? Contingency plan issued as negotiations are "worlds apart"

With a union contract expiring at 12:01 a.m. tonight, SEPTA has issued a contingency plan to deal with a possible strike.

Jerri Williams, director of media relations for SEPTA said that negotiators from Transport Workers Union Local 234 skipped out on a planned meeting this morning at a Sheraton hotel. But a union source said that is just rhetoric and posturing and that the two sides had been negotiating deep into the night on Thursday.

A strike would shut down service to Philadelphia buses, subways and trolleys. SEPTA would still be able to run its Regional Rail, CCT, Norristown High Speed Line, and Trolleys 101 and 102. Suburban buses will also run but service into Philadelphia will not occur. Williams said that SEPTA would add more cars and trains in the event of a strike, but admitted that Regional Rail would be "crowded."

She encouraged businesses to offer flexible schedules to employees in the event of a strike.

"Try to adjust your employees' work schedule," she said. "We're going to have a lot of employees trying to get to work, so there's going to be extra traffic both car-wise and on Regional Rail."

Is a strike really likely? 

The union has three different deals with SEPTA expiring in early April, so why wouldn't they strike then? 

Williams said she's "hopeful" that the two sides can come to an agreement but TWU Local 234 spokesperson Jamie Horowitz said the two sides are still "worlds apart" on several issues. (He's a labor media consultant that has worked with the local union before.) Pensions are a big issue and the union thinks they're underfunded. They also have concerns about the union healthcare plans and possible complications from the Affordable Care Act.

In the press conference, Williams declined to talk about the sticking points of hammering out a new deal.

"We are here ready to negotiate," said Williams, who said the transit authority recently sent a counter-proposal to the union and is awaiting a response.

SEPTA is hoping to get a three-month extension to continue negotiations, but the union is likely to balk at such a deal.

Just because the contract expires at midnight does not mean there will be a strike. It's not unprecedented for a union to work without a contract. In fact, a SEPTA official said after the press conference that the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers is currently working without a contract.

SEPTA has trained its managers to take over duties of workers in respective departments. They have also trained 400 other employees for fare collections on railroad, property protection and to work customer service information centers. But that number pales in comparison to the 8,700 TWU Local 234 workers who would be gone in the case of a stoppage.

In a recent letter obtained by Philadelphia magazine, the union used strong language and to get members ready for a possible strike. 

“If negotiations fail,” reads a  memo sent by TWU Local 234 to its members earlier this month, “the unions representing SEPTA workers may all be on strike at the same time, idling bus, trolley, train and regional rail service for the first time ever.” Here's more:

"Given SEPTA's total disregard for the well-being of our members and their families, Local 234 is now stepping up its preparations for a strike," the memo continues. Union representatives have contacted local supermarkets to "arrange for discounted food" for TWU members and their families should a SEPTA strike ensue.

But Horowitz said that's just a common way the union informs its members to put some money aside just in case.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal