SEPTA, TWU are talking, but not with each other
(The following story by Kitty Caparella appeared on the Philadelphia Daily News website on November 6, 2009.)
PHILADELPHIA — Negotiators for SEPTA and the Transport Workers Union Local 234 were working into this morning, independently, to solve problems with the 186-page contract offer that led to a city transit strike that has stretched into a fourth day.
Gov. Rendell and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who have been acting as buffers between the union and transit agency, met late last night with Local 234 President Willie Brown and others at TWU headquarters on 2nd Street near Spring Garden.
To the thousands of workers and students in Philadelphia growing increasingly weary of struggling with trains, taxis, bikes, vans and cars to get where they needed to go, a deal couldn't come soon enough.
To break the impasse, the Daily News learned last night, the TWU was considering four scenarios for wages, none of which included the $1,250 signing bonus that was part of the contract offer the union rejected early Tuesday, according to a source close to negotiations.
None of the proposals for the five-year contract includes a raise in the first year.
For the remaining four years, the proposed raises were:
* 3 percent each year;
* 3 percent for three years and 2.5 percent the final year;
* 1.5 percent every six months;
* 1.5 percent every six months expect for the last six-month period, when it would be 1 percent.
Depending on the scenario, money could be freed up to solve other stumbling blocks, the source said.
Rendell delivered the details of the wage proposals, which were part of SEPTA's full contract offer, to TWU headquarters at 10:20 last night. Brown arrived 10 minutes later.
Food was brought in shortly before 11 p.m., signaling that they were in for the long haul.
A source familiar with negotiations said about 11:30 p.m. that "they're shooting proposals back and forth."
Neither Rendell nor TWU officials were expected to immediately comment.
Beginning at 4:15 p.m. yesterday, Rendell and Brady met with Brown and others for nearly an hour at the Carpenter Regional Council on Spring Garden Street near 18th. Brady, a member of the carpenters union, set up the meeting.
Outside the carpenters building, Rendell said he had spoken with SEPTA before and after the meeting, and asked that the transit agency also "crunch numbers" for different scenarios as the union restructured the contract proposal to make it more palatable for members.
Rendell said he did not ask SEPTA to change its money offer, nor did he withdraw the state's $6 million contribution from the transportation economic development fund.
Brady said it was important for both sides to "keep going and keep talking" - even if it was only through the two elected officials.
Late Monday night, SEPTA gave the TWU a take it-or-leave it offer, including the first-year signing bonus, a 2.5 percent wage increase in year two and 3 percent raises for the rest of the five-year contract.
Members did not have to increase their contribution to health care, and pension benefits would increase by 11 percent.
Brown, however, said that the pension fund was 52 percent funded, while the management pension fund was funded at 72 percent.
He accused SEPTA of failing to contribute its share to the union's pension for 12 to 20 years.
SEPTA denied that assertion and said that the agency annually meets its required contributions.
As soon as the strike was called at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday - union workers walked off the job at 3 a.m. - Brady kept talking with the TWU behind the scenes.
Brady has worked to keep communications open since the strike began, calling or visiting TWU headquarters to talk with Brown and others.
By late Wednesday, Brady was returning from a legislative session in Washington, D.C., when there was a breakthrough. At Brady's request the union agreed to meet with Rendell late yesterday. Rendell had last spoken with Brown when talks broke down.
Rendell and Mayor Nutter then waged a media campaign, criticizing the union for failing to take a "sensational offer."
Rendell even tried to do an end-run around the union leadership by appealing directly to union members to ask to vote on the contract offer.
Brown, during a briefing to City Council members on negotiations at 1:30 p.m. yesterday, referred to the work stoppage as "Nutter's strike." Brown previously called Nutter "little Caesar."
After the meeting, he told reporters that he would not talk with Nutter during further negotiations.
Brown said the public shouldn't blame the SEPTA workers for the strike, stressing that it was his fault. "I regret calling [the strike at] the time I did," he said. "But I don't regret the strike."
As Brown left City Hall he brushed past Nutter, who greeted him saying "good afternoon." It's unclear if Brown said anything back, but he didn't slow down and they didn't shake hands.
Nutter later said that personal differences are unimportant.
"Look, the parties need to get back to the negotiating table," he said. "That's the only thing that matters here."
On the interaction with Brown, he said: "I was taught to be polite and I was polite."
On Wednesday, TWU members picketed in front of the Victory Division buses near the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, a SEPTA spokesman said. SEPTA got a restraining order against the pickets, promptly ending the disruption. There were no reports of anyone picketing the Victory buses yesterday, the spokesman said.
Workers who operate those buses, along with Regional Rail workers, have a different contract and are not part of the strike.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia claimed that there was a 38 percent increase in bicyclists during rush hour on the second day of the strike, Wednesday.
At Suburban Station Joan Travers, who works in Center City as a paralegal and commutes from Primos, Delaware County, said the strike hasn't been all bad.
"It's controlled chaos. Even though it's a bad thing, it's brought out the good in people," she said.
Meanwhile, the school district reported an improvement in student attendance in high schools.
In the 32 neighborhood high schools, there was a 14 percent drop from the average, according to the district. The average reported drop on Wednesday had been 16 percent.
But car commuters had it rough yesterday.
On Broad Street near Moore, several commuters stood on street corners at 9 a.m., desperately trying to hail a taxi, though most whizzed past.
Taxi operators said it was an average 30 minute wait for a cab.
A car full of college students drove down Broad Street and stopped at a red light on Vine Street at 5:30 p.m.
The two men in the front seat of the car said that they were driving to City Hall from Temple University.
"It sucks!" yelled Cole, the man sitting in the passenger seat, who did not give his last name.
"I use the subway every single day. It's so frustrating that this is happening."
A police officer stood in the middle of the packed intersection, directing traffic and sometimes yelling, "Let's go!" to slow drivers.
Friday, November 06, 2009
