SEPTA Transit Police vote to strike after rejecting latest contract
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- SEPTA Transit Police voted to go on strike Wednesday night, rejecting the latest contract offer from SEPTA.
The Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109, the union representing SEPTA's officers, voted overwhelmingly against SEPTA's latest offer on Wednesday night after contract talks ended Tuesday without an agreement.
Two-thirds of transit police officers voted to reject the contract, and the strike became effective immediately.
Here's what you need to know about how your commute will be affected and why officers walked off the job.
How does this affect my commute?
With SEPTA police officers walking off the job, a contingency plan is in place to fill the void.
SEPTA's Supervisory Transit Police, who are not in the union, will work extended shifts and provide a steady presence at terminals, transfer points, hot spots and transit corridors.
SEPTA says local law enforcement partners, including the Philadelphia Police Department, university police departments and police in counties served by SEPTA will assist with response calls and patrol checks.
Private security guards will also be assigned to locations as needed, particularly focusing on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines.
The School District of Philadelphia said in a statement that district safety officers will be in place at Olney and Frankford transportation centers, where large numbers of students board trains and buses and gather.
Chuck Lawson, the police chief of SEPTA, said it won't be much different for riders with the contingency plan in place.
"You're going to see officers out there," Lawson said. "We have a number of officers out in the field. They're going to be at the spots where we need them the most. They're working long hours without any days off. You're going to see cops on the system."
In the past when SEPTA's police force went on strike, each lasted roughly a week.
"Of the previous strikes, none have gone very long, about a week," Lawson said. "Certainly we can withstand that. If it goes beyond that, we'll have those discussions on what we need to do to protect our customers."
What led up to this point?
Troy Parham, the vice president of the FOTP, said SEPTA Transit Police officers walked off the job between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and handed in their work equipment.
"Instead of walking the beat and patrolling public transit, we will be walking the picket line," FOTP's president Omari Bervine, who is a SEPTA patrol officer, said in a release. "SEPTA has devalued their patrol officers. This vote shows our members are tired of being shortchanged. We deserve comparable wages and terms to what bus drivers and other transit workers received."
Initially, SEPTA police planned to go on strike in November but they pushed back the deadline until this week. Union members have been working without a contract since March.
The FOTP represents more than 170 police officers who patrol SEPTA's stations and buses, subways, trains and trolleys. The union says transit police is currently staffed at 25% below its budgeted headcount due to the inability to retain staff and recruit new officers.
The union says SEPTA's Transit Police are paid "considerably lower" than police at Amtrak and Temple University, among others. They also claim SEPTA police officers have recently left to seek higher-paying jobs.
Why did the FOTP reject SEPTA's contract?
The union came to an agreement with SEPTA over wages and benefits, but the terms of the contract held up negotiations, which led to the strike.
Parham claims the FOTP is still waiting to see a three-year deal offer, even though a SEPTA spokesperson said they offered the three-year term.
SEPTA's most recent deal is 43 months, but the union rejected the contract, Parham said.
"We want a fair deal," Parham said. "In the past, we've negotiated we've always felt like their pattern didn't treat us as police officers. We've always said, 'No, we're cops. We don't want to be treated like SEPTA employees. We want more.' We're not even doing that right now, we want the pattern that you tell everyone you bargain under. They wouldn't even give us that."
"They know what it would've taken to keep us at work and know what it will take to get us back to work. The ball is in their court," he added.
Recent violent incidents at SEPTA stations
The strike comes as many riders say they don't feel safe traveling by SEPTA and after numerous violent incidents at different stations.
Earlier this week, a man was charged with attempted murder after he stabbed another man at Upper Darby's 69th Street Transportation Center.
Recently, a man who allegedly stabbed three people at the Walnut-Locust Station in Center City died after he was shot by SEPTA police.
The safety of riders is paramount to transit police officers, but they don't want to get taken advantage of by SEPTA, Parham said.
So what would Parham say to riders?
"I would say be vigilant, pay attention to what's going on around you. I mean, I don't know if there's a perfect plan to tell them how to stay safe. That's what we're here for, and that's what we want to do. We want to get back to doing that."
What happens next?
It's unclear when the FOTP and SEPTA will begin negotiating again, but Parham said they'll start talking whenever SEPTA is ready.
Parham said FOTP will be walking the picket line Wednesday night outside SEPTA's headquarters at 1234 Market Street in Center City.
"We definitely don't want to go on strike," said SEPTA police officer Bill Juliana, who was one of about a dozen officers on the picket line. "No one wants to go on strike."
Juliana said he worries about safety during the strike and had this advice for those who use SEPTA.
"Be vigilant, be careful," he said. "Go from point A to point B without being involved, it's a serious concern."
SEPTA will hold a board meeting on Thursday, and Parham said union members will walk the picket line outside the meeting. They'll also be at other locations, Parham said.
