PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The deadline for SEPTA and the transit police union to reach a new contract agreement is Wednesday. Union leaders say if the officers vote against the agency’s last offer, then they will go on strike.
Leaders with the Fraternal Order of Transit Police (FOTP) Lodge 109 are not endorsing SEPTA’s proposal, but it will be up to the members to decide on ratification.
“I guess we’ll have to see,” said Troy Parham, union vice president. “We don’t want to strike because our primary duties are to protect the public. That’s what we want to do, but we’re not here to get taken advantage of either.”
The officers vote in-person between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Marriott in Center City.
The union, in a statement, said there has been little progress since it pushed the strike deadline from Nov. 20 to Dec. 13 “in a good faith effort.”
The FOTP wants a deal that is comparable to the one the Transport Workers Union Local 234 received in October and voted to ratify in November.
SEPTA is standing by its proposal for transit police, which includes a 13% increase over three years, a $3,000 signing bonus, and a $2,500 retention bonus for officers who are eligible for retirement.
The transit cops have been working without a contract since March. They previously went on strike in 2019 and 2012.
If the officers walk off the job and onto the picket line this time, SEPTA will revert to its backup plan and rely on non-union transit police leaders, private security and local police departments to patrol the system.