SEPTA, union delay meeting

It's hard for SEPTA and its union to make progress on contract negotiations when they don't meet face to face. That was the case yesterday, when officials from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority canceled a scheduled 3 p.m. meeting with negotiators from the Transport Workers Union Local 234 at the Center City hotel where they have talked. The meeting was rescheduled for 8:45 a.m. today. While union officials continued with their policy of not commenting on their strike plans, SEPTA officials said they expected the city's buses, subways and trolleys to run as usual today. It was not immediately clear why SEPTA negotiators missed the meeting. TWU spokesperson Bruce Bodner said union officials were slightly annoyed by SEPTA's cancellation, especially "given the fact we asked for a specific meeting." In an attempt to demonstrate rank-and-file support for the union's negotiators, TWU officials plan to hold a rally today at SEPTA headquarters at 12th and Market streets. Bodner said he hopes that between 500 and 1,000 union members will attend the rally. A strike by the 5,300-member union would shut down must buses, subways and trolleys in the city. Regional rail lines would be unaffected. The two sides have been negotiating for 12 straight days with little progress on issues such as wages, pensions and a drug and alcohol policy. Contract talks have continued since March 14, when the union agreed to keep talking past the contract deadline and postpone a threatened strike. SEPTA officials did meet with union representatives from its suburban Frontier division yesterday. Union members from Frontier and another suburban division, Victory, voted Tuesday to strike if they do not have an agreement by the time their contracts run out on April 1. The TWU has gone on strike six time over the last 23 years, most recently for two weeks in 1995.

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