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Negotiations continue between SEPTA, transit police union

Talks are expected to resume Sunday afternoon.

(Left to Right) Derek Vanderslice, Alex Svay, Don Davis, on strike outside SEPTA Headquarters, where SEPTAÕs transit police are on strike, in Philadelphia, Thursday, March 7, 2019.
(Left to Right) Derek Vanderslice, Alex Svay, Don Davis, on strike outside SEPTA Headquarters, where SEPTAÕs transit police are on strike, in Philadelphia, Thursday, March 7, 2019.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

Negotiations between SEPTA and the transit police union ended Saturday without an agreement, but talks are expected to resume Sunday afternoon.

Nearly 200 SEPTA police officers have been on strike since Wednesday over work rules. It has not caused any service interruptions because SEPTA’s 49 supervisors have worked 12-hour shifts to cover patrols.

“We certainly had a productive day and we’ll be back at the table at 3 p.m. tomorrow,” Omari Bervine, president of Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109, said Saturday night.

One issue that led to the walkout and that continues to be a sticking point is SEPTA’s policy regarding body cameras. SEPTA does not allow officers to review body camera footage before providing statements for an investigation into officers’ conduct.

The policy puts officers at a disadvantage if the descriptions they provide differ from what is seen on camera, Bervine has said, explaining that an officer’s memory can never be as complete and accurate as a recorded video.

SEPTA labor negotiators gave union leaders a new proposal regarding the body cameras Saturday, but Bervine said he wants attorneys to review the language before union leaders can further discuss the issue.

Throughout most of the day, some transit officers picketed outside SEPTA’s headquarters at 1234 Market St.