Nutter, Rendell blast SEPTA union for surprise strike

As hundreds of thousands of commuters and schoolchildren braced for a second day without public transit, Gov. Rendell and Mayor Nutter chastised union leaders for calling the surprise predawn strike.

With most SEPTA buses, subways and trolleys idled, thousands of extra riders yesterday crammed onto Regional Rail trains, forcing widespread delays, especially during the evening rush hour. Many others took to their cars, snarling traffic throughout the region.

Negotiations could resume today between SEPTA and striking Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents about 5,100 SEPTA vehicle operators and mechanics. The workers went on strike at 3 a.m. yesterday.

"It was an ambush of the citizens and the riding public," Nutter said. "No one saw this coming. Everyone was caught off guard here."

Nutter and Rendell, who prevailed on the TWU not to strike during World Series games in Philadelphia, criticized union leaders for turning down what the governor called a "sensational" contract in tough economic times.

"If the workers were presented with that deal yesterday, I have no doubt it would have been accepted," Nutter said. "No one, no one, no one, has that kind of deal sitting in front of them right now. It's insane."

Local president Willie Brown said the major reasons for the strike were disagreements over increased pension contributions from workers, job "picking" rights, and the length of the contract. He said the union wanted 3 percent wage increases for each year of a four-year contract.

"I understand I'm the most hated man in Philadelphia right now," Brown said. "I have no problem with that."

Rendell said the five-year contract spurned by TWU leaders called for a $1,250 signing bonus upon ratification, a 2.5 percent raise the second year, and a 3 percent raise in each of the next three years.

It also called for an increase in pension payments to workers and no increase in their health-insurance contributions.

Rendell said he had agreed to give SEPTA $6 million from an economic development fund in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to help pay for the contract sweeteners.

"The union leadership walked on a victory last night," Rendell said yesterday. "They just didn't know when to declare victory."

Brown said he had gone against his union's best interests by acquiescing on Friday to the request of Rendell and Nutter not to strike during the Series.

"The smart thing to do would have been to say, 'We're going out,' " Brown said. "My workers wanted me to go. But I didn't. I'm a Philadelphian, too."

Once the threat of a strike during the Series evaporated, Brown said, Rendell and Nutter grew increasingly inflexible: "They were kicking us around like we were the prime cans of the world."

Brown said Nutter's biggest concern was that the SEPTA contract would set a pattern for city workers, including police and firefighters. Brown argued that SEPTA was in better financial condition than the city and could afford a more generous settlement.

Nutter said, "The parameters kept changing. It's difficult to negotiate when you don't know what the key points are and who's making the decisions."

No talks were held yesterday, as hundreds of thousands of riders scrambled to find alternate ways to and from work and school.

Rendell, Nutter, and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) were involved in the talks until they broke off early yesterday. Rendell, who said he had slept little for the last three nights and missed Game 5 of the World Series because of the negotiations, said he was willing to continue to work with both sides.

"All the movement was on the management side," said Rendell.

In a telephone news conference from New York City, Rendell said the contract rejected by the TWU leadership was much better than terms being received by workers in the private sector or those at the transit agency in Pittsburgh.

"Most people are losing their pensions, most people are paying a significantly higher level of contributions for health care," Rendell said.

Union leaders "have to deal with the reality of the situation and look at the economy," Rendell said, urging union members to contact their leaders and urge a settlement.

But Brown said SEPTA was in better financial condition now than it was in 2005, when it agreed to annual 3 percent wage increases for its workers.

And he said SEPTA had underfunded the union's pension for years, forcing members to pay 1.5 percent more now in pension contributions for little pension increase for most.

Brown said the issue of "picking" rights, involving the right of some workers to choose the equipment they drive, was vital to offset gender discrimination in how jobs were assigned. He said SEPTA managers were refusing to allow women to drive certain vehicles.

Rendell, who on Saturday threatened sanctions against either side that walked out on the talks, did not specify what action, if any, he might take against the union.

"I might decide, if the strike goes on for a length of time, I'm not going to put in state money" to help SEPTA pay for wage increases, he said, referring to the $6 million from the economic development fund.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) called for an immediate resumption of negotiations.

"The working men and women and their families in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia are the ones feeling the impact of today's transit system strike most severely," he said in a statement. "Both management and union may see these riders as 'leverage,' but they are not pawns, they are the lifeblood of our city - especially in these harsh economic times. They deserve better, and they deserve an immediate settlement."

Striking SEPTA workers yesterday defended their action.

Adrian Mapp, a Broad Street subway operator and former bus driver who has worked for SEPTA for 18 years, said, "We're not greedy. We just want what's fair."

On the picket line outside the Fern Rock Transportation Center, Mapp and other strikers said the contract offered by SEPTA after seven months was inadequate.

"We move this city," said a gray-bearded subway operator, Percy Harris, 50. "We don't want to strike. We've got bills to pay and families to feed, too."

With hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, and R&B music playing, workers cited disparities in benefits between workers and management, the loss of picking rights, and a lack of pension funding as reasons they were on the picket line.

"When we tried to negotiate in good faith, they didn't even want to come to the table," said subway operator Sharon Richardson. "Now it's [portrayed] like we're holding them hostage."

And the inconvenience to SEPTA riders?

"We're damned if we do, and we're damned if we don't," said Harris. "The riding public is not educated on what we're fighting for. Why should we work under stressful conditions without getting paid for it?"

The following services will not run during the strike:

All City Transit bus, trolley, and trackless trolley routes

Broad Street Line and Broad-Ridge Spur

Market-Frankford Line

Frontier Division bus Routes 90 through 99, 124, 127-132, 134, 139, 150, 201, 206, and 304

The following services will continue to operate:

Regional Rail

Victory Division buses, the Route 101 and 102 trolley lines, and the Norristown High Speed Line - with modifications for buses into Philadelphia

LUCY service (Green and Gold), with regular routing from 30th Street Station to select University City destinations

Paratransit CCT Connect service for registered ADA and Shared Ride customers

For SEPTA's full Service Interruption Guide and other information, visit www.septa.org/strike

Information is also available through SEPTA customer service at 215-580-7800

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To see more photos and read the latest on the SEPTA strike, visit www.philly.comEndText

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