PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The union representing SEPTA police officers voted Friday to authorize a strike.
The decision came less than one week after the Transport Workers Union Local 234 voted to do the same.
Negotiations are ongoing for both unions but SEPTA's police union says it hasn't seen a new contract proposal since talks began.
"We met somewhere between five and 10 times in that six months and there's just been no traction, no movement on SEPTA's side whatsoever," said union President Omari Bervine.
Bervine says the number of transit cops needed on patrol is short by 25%, and in the past month alone they’ve lost five officers to Philadelphia and Amtrak police.
He says SEPTA cops need higher wages and better working conditions or the current transit officer shortage will get worse.
"Headquarters that are in various states of disrepair, patrol vehicles with hundreds of thousands of miles on them."
Bervine says transit cops have a high turnover, but he believes better pay could keep some from quitting.
"We're just basically a training ground,” Bervine said. “You know, they get this job, they go through the training, and then they leave."
SEPTA Spokesperson Andrew Busch says he’s optimistic about reaching a deal.
"Our focus right now is on finding common ground and reaching a contract agreement that is fair to our hard-working police officers and also takes into account the financial challenges that SEPTA has," Busch said.