SEPTA contract talks going nowhere fast

The union has said it will strike if an agreement is not reached by March 15, the date the current contract expires. Plagued by "antagonistic" negotiations, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and its 5,600-member union have not made much progress in their efforts to create a new union contract by the March 15 deadline, the union said. Such a deadlock increases the likelihood of a system-wide strike. Neither SEPTA nor the Transport Workers Union Local 234 would comment on the likelihood of the labor dispute ending by mid-March, when the existing 1995 contract expires. But if the two parties cannot find common ground, the union has threatened to strike. SEPTA General Manager Jack Leary said he expects the negotiations to make progress "in the last few weeks." But March 15 is only 2 1/2 weeks away, and SEPTA management is still "not understanding the current situation," according to TWU spokesperson Bruce Bodner. "[SEPTA] is unable to articulate any real justifications for their proposals," Bodner said. "They're unable to show factually the premise behind any problem." Bodner denounced SEPTA for its "inexperienced bargaining team," and for managers -- including Leary, who came to the agency in February 1997 -- who are new to the company and therefore "impeding the parties' abilities to make progress." Leary would not comment on the content or the tone of the negotiations. "It's very important that the conversations occur at the table, and it's in no one's interest to talk about the details of the discussion," he said. Although a strike would clearly be destructive for both the union and SEPTA, the union is convinced that "SEPTA seems determined to provoke a transit strike," Bodner said. He added that SEPTA's massive publicity campaign is designed to demonize the workforce and strip union members of important rights. The union has been running a publicity campaign of its own blasting SEPTA. The TWU issued a progress report last week suggesting that SEPTA is proposing unlimited subcontracting coupled with a plan to privatize and dismantle the entire transit system. Leary refused to comment on those suggestions. He stressed that the changes SEPTA is undertaking in an effort to modernize might be the reason for the TWU's anger, since "change is always difficult for a lot of people." And while he would not comment on the likelihood of a potential strike, he said SEPTA is preparing for "every condition." Responding to a decline in ridership, a $150 million operating deficit and the possible union strike, SEPTA recently announced a five-year strategic plan to revamp the nation's fifth largest public-transportation system. The plan includes proposals for automated fare collection, station renovations, new buses and subway cars and secured waiting areas, while also aiming to improve relations with the TWU. But negotiations between the parties have been rocky for months. Although neither side wants to see a strike, union workers reacted angrily to a proposed contract, which they claim gives the management excessive power. SEPTA officials gave the union a copy of the proposed 85-page contract last month. At the same time, the union presented SEPTA with a 15-page list of contract proposals, which included changing the company's pension system to allow employees to retire sooner. The TWU complains that Leary, at $184,990 a year, is paid more than Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell and ranks as the highest paid transit administrator in the country, while the wages of SEPTA's bus drivers rank only 24th in the nation.

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