SEPTA's locomotive engineers union unanimously votes to authorize strike
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The union representing SEPTA's locomotive engineers (The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) unanimously voted to authorize a strike on Monday.
BLET said they voted to authorize the strike due to being short-staffed, a lack of raises over the years and the demand for other benefits.
RELATED: Possible SEPTA Transit Police strike looms ahead if deal isn't reached
"The engineers and trainman on SEPTA are the lowest paid in the industry," BLET Vice President James P. Louis said in a release. "With the new contract on commuter lines in the Northeast, a newly promoted engineer on SEPTA is paid approximately 58 percent per hour less than his or her counterparts. It takes engineers fifteen years, three to five times longer than any other railroad in the country to achieve the full rate on SEPTA which is still approximately 20 percent lower than other carriers in the Northeast."
Currently, there are 177 total SEPTA locomotive engineers, but BLET said they need 230 to properly maintain SEPTA's schedule. The roster of locomotive engineers went down to as low as 159 in September, according to a release.
BLET said in a release they haven't had a raise since 2019 and many of the locomotive engineers have left SEPTA for better-paying jobs at Amtrak or elsewhere.
Benefits like parental leave, pension plans that other commuter agencies and bus drivers receive aren't offered to SEPTA rail employees, according to a release.
It's unclear when a strike would start after it was approved. A strike vote authorization is necessary under the union's bylaws to set a strike date, according to a release.
"We will use every lawful tool to reach a contract settlement," BLET National President Eddie Hall said in a release. "I've said it before and I will say it again, going without a new agreement during a period of high inflation is not acceptable. The number of years required for a SEPTA engineer to reach the top of the pay scale is too steep. Meanwhile, the number of engineers employed by SEPTA is far too few to meet the needs of passengers. This is no way to run a commuter railroad."
Meanwhile, the union representing SEPTA's regional rail lines, SMART-ED, announced its members also voted to authorize a strike.
The union representing SEPTA's Transit Police already authorized a strike and could go on strike Monday evening.