SEPTA Regional Rail on Strike - 6/14 - PEB to Mediate

NorthPennLimited wrote:Didn't the SEPTA police go on strike last year for over 2 weeks over an extra $0.50 per hour?

What did *that* strike do to the average SEPTA rider's sense of safety?

motor

South Jersey Budd wrote:What is Obama waiting for ? T-Minus 10 days. Maybe SEPTA wants them to strike.

Think about it. If there is no PEB, the engineers will strike. The train conductors settled, but with no trains moving, they get laid off.

TWU234 could take that opportunity to strike since they've been without a contract since the Ides of March.

That would shut the entire SEPTA system and the regional economy down.

I'm guessing that the plan is to hope for a PEB and find a way to settle with 234 before the PEB waiting period is complete.

This isn't a disaster movie. What is everyone on this board wishing for?

I'm not wishing for anything. I don't want to see this happen, but this is like watching the weather forecast about a bad hurricane in the Caribbean that may or may not hit us, but the likelihood that it will directly affect us gets greater everyday. You are correct in your assessment, Bob. I can't see SEPTA accepting any offer other than its own. A strike will happen eventually, whether there is a PEB or not. It's a matter of when. It does not hurt to watch and prepare for this oncoming storm. I don't want this to happen, but I am preparing to request a temporary transfer to a New Jersey office in the event that it does.

In terms of TWU 234, I looked at their websiteyesterday. It looks as though they and SEPTA are looking to begin talks again. We shall see where that goes.

Clearfield wrote:

South Jersey Budd wrote:What is Obama waiting for ? T-Minus 10 days. Maybe SEPTA wants them to strike.

Think about it. If there is no PEB, the engineers will strike. The train conductors settled, but with no trains moving, they get laid off.

TWU234 could take that opportunity to strike since they've been without a contract since the Ides of March.

That would shut the entire SEPTA system and the regional economy down.

I'm guessing that the plan is to hope for a PEB and find a way to settle with 234 before the PEB waiting period is complete.

This isn't a disaster movie. What is everyone on this board wishing for?

Smaller font?

25Hz wrote:Smaller font?

Got your attention?

While the talks between SEPTA and 234 have stalled, and the possibility of a strike by the BLET, does anybody know what's going on with 1594? It seems like they're forgotten.

BuddCar711 wrote:While the talks between SEPTA and 234 have stalled, and the possibility of a strike by the BLET, does anybody know what's going on with 1594? It seems like they're forgotten.

If no trains, buses, subways, els, and trolleys, (etc) are operating what work will 1594 have to do?

Clearfield wrote:

BuddCar711 wrote:While the talks between SEPTA and 234 have stalled, and the possibility of a strike by the BLET, does anybody know what's going on with 1594? It seems like they're forgotten.

If no trains, buses, subways, els, and trolleys, (etc) are operating what work will 1594 have to do?

If the entire SEPTA system shuts down, I'm just hoping that it will not be a lengthy strike, where it drags on for weeks (or possibly months), where it would become reminiscent of the 108-day 1983 Regional Rail strike.

I don't want a strike and as stated here earlier no one wins in a strike as there are too many people affected that rely on, in this case SEPTA, in many different ways. History speaks for itself though, as SEPTA's negotiating technique in the current and last 2 rounds has resulted in work stoppages for 234 and now it seems they have used this technique to take the BLE & IBEW to a possible work stoppage. Why does no other transit agency seem to have these continued labor work stoppages when their largest bargaining unit is negotiating their contracts? I don't think any of SEPTA's workers are the highest paid in the country.

Clearfield wrote:

BuddCar711 wrote:While the talks between SEPTA and 234 have stalled, and the possibility of a strike by the BLET, does anybody know what's going on with 1594? It seems like they're forgotten.

If no trains, buses, subways, els, and trolleys, (etc) are operating what work will 1594 have to do?

1594 usually follows 234 in what they do strike/contract wise as 234 as the largest Union sets the pattern for all of SEPTA's other unions. Although I believe at least one time in the past they did not strike when 234 did, but I'm not 100% sure.

The anti strike law seems to help prevent strikes on NYC transit.

I want a strike and hope the unions extract every penny they can from SEPTA. This is what SEPTA gets for playing "hardball" and letting these contracts expire and stack up at the same time. A management change at 1234 is needed.

Hacker wrote:I want a strike and hope the unions extract every penny they can from SEPTA. This is what SEPTA gets for playing "hardball" and letting these contracts expire and stack up at the same time. A management change at 1234 is needed.

Just out of curiosity and of course you don't need to answer, but do you or a close family member belong to any union?

Yes, and just out of curiosity are you against workers receiving a fare wage for the work they perform?

Hacker wrote:Yes, and just out of curiosity are you against workers receiving a fare wage for the work they perform?

I am against workers that strike. Striking doesn't get the public on your side. It just pisses them off. The transit workers are making plenty of money.

jackintosh11 wrote:I am against workers that strike. Striking doesn't get the public on your side. It just pisses them off. The transit workers are making plenty of money.

Perhaps by YOUR standard of living, which I suspect is not coming from a SEPTA payroll. Do you have a breakdown of their pay, work rules and what they are tasked to do on an average shift? What is out of line with what they are asking for? Or are you against striking workers merely because it may inconvenience you?

Authorizing a strike is no small feat and it's not a trivial matter. I'm wondering if anyone here simplistically coming down on either side of this understands that. The threat of a strike can be a rather common negotiating tactic, but if one is authorized and called, that means things are bad. A union does not pull its members out of work on an unpaid and indefinite timetable if the communications are ongoing and productive.

I've been on the board of a (non-transit) union that authorized a strike. Fortunately - and it came very close to the wire - we did not have to walk out on a stoppage. The authorization was not an easy decision. In case anyone thinks I'm slanting this with a pro-union background: I am not. I've been in several; sometimes they help us, sometimes they don't. There are days where I'm not such which wins out.

I'm not really familiar with either side in this transit case, but I find it curious that SEPTA has rejected binding arbitration.