Local 234 Opens Contract Negotiations For 5,000 in Philadelphia Transit System

Saying that Local 234 “wants a new, more cooperative relationship with SEPTA,” President Willie Brown opened negotiations December 16 with Philadelphia’s mass transit authority. He said the new relationship must be “one that gives the members of Local 234 — the people who move Philadelphia and this region — the respect and dignity they deserve.”

After the formal opening before Christmas, the pace of the talks picked up in January as the parties work towards a March 15 expiration date. The contract, covering close to 5,000 operators and mechanics, will set the pattern for negotiations with SEPTA’s other unions.

Brown said in a statement that as ridership has increased and state funding has improved, “it is clear that we are entering negotiations at a time when the authority is positioned to expand and improve service to the riding public.”

The Local 234 leader was joined at the negotiations by Executive Vice President Brian Pollitt, Secretary- Treasurer Joe Coccio, and the other elected officers of Local 234.

Brown said that in order to improve service levels for the riding public and work more cooperatively with the union, SEPTA needs to change its longstanding management culture in contract negotiations. “They need to move away from the tired old confrontational tactics of past talks and instead adopt a more cooperative approach that enables both SEPTA and our Union to achieve common goals,” he said.

The TWU bargaining team said that Local 234 wants to help the process of improving service, but added: “We are looking for a true partnership, not window dressing.”

Brown noted that Local 234 members and the riders of the system are the two constants in the service equation. “Our members run the transit system, so they know how to make it more efficient,” he said. “SEPTA would better service the riding public if they engaged Local 234 members in a cooperative effort to improve service instead of looking at us as the enemy.”

In addition to making a case for wage and benefit improvements, the TWU negotiators also pledged to address “the expensive sub-contracts, including maintenance and repair work on SEPTA vehicles, that our Local 234 members could have done right in the first place and at far less expense.”

Noting that members would be ready to strike if necessary (the union was forced to use that option 11 times in the past 33 years), Brown said members recognize that improving service to riders will also benefit them. “That is all the more reason why we need to settle this contract and get about the business of making SEPTA the best transit authority in the world,” he said. “We hope that SEPTA will join us in that effort.”