Nutter Irate at SEPTA Surprise Strike

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter blasted SEPTA’s transit union for a calling a strike with little notice to commuters on Tuesday.

“People had already gone to bed. Some people were already at their job,” Nutter said. “To find out you can’t get home is the height of the lack of consideration.”

The transit union called for a strike right after the Phillies won in Game 5 of the World Series and workers walked out at 3 a.m.

“There was no good reason for this,” Nutter said. “It is outrageous.”

When Good Day Philadelphia brought up the union’s desire for increased pension benefits, Nutter was blunt.

“Their salaries were proposed to go up. Their pension was to be increased. They have a pension fund that is 50 percent funded, similar to ours. So no reasonable, rationale person right now is thinking about a raise, is thinking about an increase in their pension when other members of the general public and other Americans are losing their jobs. Unemployment in Philadelphia just went over 11 percent. There is no reason for this. None.”

Nutter also ripped the union for shutting down transportation to polls on an Election Day.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said the union was not willing to admit that the economy is having a tough time.

“It is a question of the union not being very realistic,” Gov. Ed Rendell told Fox 29

Rendell said the decision to surprise commuters with a strike was “very foolish.”

Union officials have not responded to calls and interview requests from Fox 29.

Nutter said he and Gov. Ed Rendell spent 14 hours in talks on Monday with the union.

The move left little time for commuters who take city buses and subways to find alternate ways to school and work.

As of 3 a.m., most SEPTA services in Philadelphia ceased as bus, trolley and subway operators hit the picket lines.

Regional Rail service is in operation, but SEPTA warns trains may be overcrowded due to the city transit work stoppage.

SEPTA is urging all commuters who use public transportation to go to its Web site to see what is running and what isn’t.

Link: SEPTA.com

Transport Workers Union Local 234 represents more than 5,000 bus drivers, subway and trolley operators and mechanics who have been working without a contract since March.

TWU negotiators agreed not to strike over the weekend, when the World Series was in town.

After Sunday night’s talks were postponed, both sides returned to the table at 10 a.m. Monday.

According to SEPTA, their offer included an 11-percent wage increase over five years, an 11-percent increase in pension contributions and no increase in worker contributions toward their own health care.

SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey said, “For SEPTA management’s purposes, we put a very competitive package on the table that includes very competitive wage increases over the period of the contract, for five years, maintains their health care benefits, and also improves their pension. For the life of me I can’t believe that TWU walked away from that offer.”

Union president Willie Brown, said the terms of the contract being offered by SEPTA did not meet members’ needs.

Brown said, “We did the best we could. We tried our best to get a contract. We worked through the World Series. We’ve been working since March without a contract. And at some point in time we had to take a stand. … We can’t allow SEPTA to hide behind the economy for not giving us a fair contract.”

The union also said SEPTA wouldn’t provide the workers with “proper numbers,” but Rendell argued that point, saying the union chose to walk away from an excellent contract.

A notice on the transit agency’s Web site early Wednesday morning read, “SEPTA is prepared with an alternate service plan for our customers, but asks for patience and understanding as some of our services become unavailable and others that are running may experience heavier than usual customer use.”

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Tags: amtrak, septa, septa on strike, septa regional rail, septa strike, septa train schedule