Septa Transit Workers On Strike in Philadelphia

KYW Newsradio Team Coverage

Gates to the Market-Frankford subway-elevated were locked tight on Tuesday morning after Septa transit workers in the Philadelphia city division and the Frontier Division (serving portions of Bucks and Montgomery counties) went on strike as of 3am. 

KYW's Pat Loeb reports that Transport Worker Union leaders walked out of talks just before midnight Monday night, saying they couldn't accept Septa's offer because of a shortfall in their pension fund and disagreements on some work rule issues.

Septa general manager Joe Casey says the transit agency's offer was highly competitive:

"For the life of me I can't believe the TWU walked away from that offer."

Septa had offered raises adding up to 11½ percent over five years, a $1,250 bonus upon ratification, an 11-percent increase in pension contributions, and no increases in workers' contributions to health insurance benefits.

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell, who have been heavily involved in negotiations over the past few days, both expressed disappointment in the union.

Septa spokesman Richard Maloney says he hopes contract talks will resume sooner than later:

"From our perspective, we were very, very close. We made an offer that we thought almost anybody working today would envy in terms of wages, pensions, and health care. Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter personally spent about 13 hours yesterday trying to come to an accommodation with this union and they simply were unsuccessful." 

Listen for breaking news updates anytime at KYW Newsradio 1060

 
KYW's Al Novack reports that buses, trackless trolleys, trolleys, subway-surface cars, subways or elevated trains are not operating in Philadelphia.

All Septa Regional Rails are running. Some trains can be used as alternatives to get to and from some areas.

Paratransit was operating. The "Lucy" bus service, which runs in the University City area, around 30th Street, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania, is also operating.

Also operating on Tuesday are Suburban Transit and bus routes 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109-114, 115, 117-120, 123 and 125; the Route 101 and 102 trolleys; the Norristown High Speed Line; and contract routes 204, 205, 306, 310 and 314.


Septa was urging riders to check its web site for strike contingency plans (septa.org). Septa spokesperson Richard Maloney: 
    
"Our advice this morning for Regional Rail riders is for them to catch an early a train as possible, because the trains, once you get into the height of the rush hour, are going to be packed."  

And many Regional Rail lines were delayed by up to 30 minutes due to the high passenger volume.


The City of Philadelphia has declared a transportation emergency and has relaxed some parking restrictions during the Septa strike.  Details are at www.phila.gov/ready (printable pdf format).   Normal parking regulations will be suspended in these locations only for the duration of the transportation emergency. All other regulations will be strictly enforced, except that vehicles will be permitted to stop briefly in bus zones to pick up or discharge passengers.

KYW's Mark Abrams reports from North Philadelphia that thousands of city commuters who rely on Septa were caught off guard by the walkout.

Sylvester (no last name given) was waiting for the "C" bus at Broad and Dauphin Streets in the wee hours of the morning when I approached him with the news it wasn’t coming today.

What was he going to do?

"I don’t know. I’m going to try and call in on my job.  And I'll have to take it from there. Maybe I’ll catch a cab. I don’t know.  I’ll have to see what’s going on at work today."

Sylvester says the timing of it -- in the middle of the night -- was bad:

"I wish I would have known this last night. I would have been better prepared this morning, that’s for sure."

A short time later Sylvester got a cell phone call from his employer, who said he was sending someone out in a car to pick him up. But many other commuters weren’t as lucky.

Tenisha, from the Frankford area, was walking south on Broad Street heading for an R-5 train at Suburban Station well before dawn.

At the time I caught up with them, she and her fiancé James had already walked more than 30 blocks and weren’t in a good mood:

"I’m headed to Vanguard up in Paoli."

What was she going to do on Wednesday?

"I’m going to get up an hour earlier and walk back down here, just so I can go to work, because you still have to work to pay bills."

Tenisha says she and James work in hot kitchens all day and will face significant hardship getting to and from work for now because of the strike.
 

KYW's Paul Kurtz reports from the Frankford Transportation Center that the strike surprised thousands of commuters -- as well some bus and subway operators.

Said one Septa driver:

"I was telling the passengers -- they kept asking if there was gonna be a strike and I said no, there's not gonna be a strike, they're close to a deal. If I had known there was gonna be a strike I would've stayed up and watched the Phillies. I had to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning. I went to bed at 9:30 thinking I had to go to work. I didn't know anything till I got here."

KYW's Brad Segall reports from Fern Rock that Septa's Regional Rail lines seemed to work pretty well as alternative transportation for many people stranded by the city division strike.

The Regional Rails were running late and they were packed, but that didn’t matter to the thousands of stranded commuters who needed a way to get where they were going.

Many arrived early at the Fern Rock Transportation Center to make sure they could get a train. Among them was Melvin, who admitted that this is a big inconvenience for him:

"I've now got to go all the way into center city, hoping my boss will come pick me up at the Gallery and take me where I got to go to work.”

While many riders took the strike in stride, others were angry with the union for staying on the job until the Phillies' World Series game was over -- and then leaving loyal Septa riders to scramble the following morning.


KYW's Lynne Adkins reports that Natisha normally takes the subway downtown to cosmetology school -- but Tuesday morning was a bit different:

"My mom drove me to the (Regional Rail) train and I'm just gonna get on the train. Even though it's costing a bit more, I don't really have a choice."

But mom won't be driving her all the time, and Natisha says that means a 30-45 minute walk from her house to the Glenside train station, then back home again, until the transit strike comes to an end.

Public schools were not affected by the strike. Students in the Philadelphia School District were not attending classes on Tuesday anyway, because of a teachers' in-service day. The students had Tuesday off; staff was scheduled to attend school for the in-service day. 

Effective on Wednesday, a school district spokesman says, it would be up to parents to get their children to school on time if they do not use yellow buses.  Charter and parochial schools operate on schedules independent of the public schools and were mostly remaining open.

 
KYW is your 24-hour source for the very latest on the Septa strike, plus Traffic and Transit on the Twos every 10 minutes as driving becomes a major alternative for many regular commuters.

Septa Train Status and more

Regional Mass Transit