To prevent crippling cuts to public transit – as well as layoffs – hundreds of transit workers rallied at Pennsylvania’s Capitol Building in Harrisburg in May to support Gov. Shapiro’s plan for additional Commonwealth funding.
Local 234 President Brian Pollitt, along with other labor leaders, supportive elected officials, and rider advocates, sharply criticized Senate Republicans for failing to support and pass the necessary legislation. They emphasized that the bus and rail systems are the economic engine of the Commonwealth, acting as job generators and providing essential transportation for many residents who cannot afford to own a car. Local 234 members, who arrived in four buses from Philadelphia, filled the steps of the rotunda, contributing to an overflow crowd on the main floor.
“We came here to make some noise, and it was resounding,” Pollitt said after the May 13 rally. “We have the Democrats’ support but we need the Republicans to wake up and smell the coffee.”
Pollitt politely described the conflict as a small-town, big-city issue. Republicans from more rural and suburban areas don’t want to spend money benefiting city residents. Most transit riders in the Commonwealth are in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Among the politicians who spoke, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, from North Philadelphia, delivered the most passionate and rousing short speech at the rally.
“Funding mass transit is not a f——- gift to us,” he thundered. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ridership, a major source of revenue, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, worsening a substantial budget gap. Transit agencies across the country face the same fiscal dilemma.
In a worst-case scenario, SEPTA officials say they will have to eliminate up to 55 bus routes, shut down five Regional Rail lines, and reduce the frequency of service on those that remain. Cuts would be implemented in two phases: one starting this fall, the other in January.
Senate Republicans blocked Gov. Shapiro’s proposal last year to increase state funding for transit by raising its share of the sales tax. SEPTA would receive $161 million. Supporters are promoting the proposal again this legislative session.
Local 234 has a no-layoff clause in its contract protecting all members with exception of those with less than a year on the job.