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

Has TWU 234 held a strike vote, and if not, when would they be able to do so?

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 84751.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The contract for the Transit Workers Union, SEPTA's largest, expired earlier in March. According to Transit Workers Union local president Willie Brown, SEPTA wants a five year contract with bonuses for the first two years and 1%, 2%, and 3% raises for the last three years. Brown also says SEPTA wants increased health care costs and changes to employee pension contributions.

Brown said any strike would not take place until three remaining, smaller contracts expire later this week.

we still got some time before they go on a strike???

SubwayTim wrote:

Clearfield wrote:But I also believe that there will be a strike and it will be a long one. And I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

As in how long...more than a week? Are you talking MONTHS...like the Regional Rail strike of 1983?

ST: As I mentioned in my post of 3/23 the 1983 Regional Rail strike was a special case...What David Gunn (SEPTA GM at that time) wanted
was to impose transit-level wages on former Conrail employees hired by SEPTA - and I remember that the average Conductor at that time
was making around $35,000/year and the average Transit employee was making in the neighborhood of $25,000/year - That's quite a pay
cut...At that time Railroad employees had the option of staying with Conrail in freight service or going to work for another rail operation
or authority like NJTRO or Amtrak and many employees did "flow back" to find other rail employment...

There have only been two TWU strikes that have lasted more then two weeks time: 1977 and 1998 - and depending on how negations go and
the pressure to settle becomes intense on both sides a strike should be somewhat short...
I will predict 10 days if neither side agrees on anything...

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:

SubwayTim wrote:

Clearfield wrote:But I also believe that there will be a strike and it will be a long one. And I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

As in how long...more than a week? Are you talking MONTHS...like the Regional Rail strike of 1983?

ST: As I mentioned in my post of 3/23 the 1983 Regional Rail strike was a special case...What David Gunn (SEPTA GM at that time) wanted
was to impose transit-level wages on former Conrail employees hired by SEPTA - and I remember that the average Conductor at that time
was making around $35,000/year and the average Transit employee was making in the neighborhood of $25,000/year - That's quite a pay
cut...At that time Railroad employees had the option of staying with Conrail in freight service or going to work for another rail operation
or authority like NJTRO or Amtrak and many employees did "flow back" to find other rail employment...

There have only been two TWU strikes that have lasted more then two weeks time: 1977 and 1998 - and depending on how negations go and
the pressure to settle becomes intense on both sides a strike should be somewhat short...
I will predict 10 days if neither side agrees on anything...

MACTRAXX

Now, what's the likelihood of ANY transit strike ever lasting as long as the 1983 Regional Rail strike??? Why did the Regional Rail strike drag on as long as it did? What kept them from making it as brief as possible (like maybe one month tops)? Also, during the 1983 strike, how close was Philadelphia to possibly seeing the end of Regional Rail service altogether? I imagine a LOT of people thought they have seen the last of Regional Rail service in the Philadelphia area as the strike dragged on for days...then weeks...then months, FINALLY ending at 108 days! I'm just hoping we never see anything like that again!

SubwayTim wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote:

SubwayTim wrote:

Clearfield wrote:But I also believe that there will be a strike and it will be a long one. And I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

As in how long...more than a week? Are you talking MONTHS...like the Regional Rail strike of 1983?

ST: As I mentioned in my post of 3/23 the 1983 Regional Rail strike was a special case...What David Gunn (SEPTA GM at that time) wanted
was to impose transit-level wages on former Conrail employees hired by SEPTA - and I remember that the average Conductor at that time
was making around $35,000/year and the average Transit employee was making in the neighborhood of $25,000/year - That's quite a pay
cut...At that time Railroad employees had the option of staying with Conrail in freight service or going to work for another rail operation
or authority like NJTRO or Amtrak and many employees did "flow back" to find other rail employment...

There have only been two TWU strikes that have lasted more then two weeks time: 1977 and 1998 - and depending on how negations go and
the pressure to settle becomes intense on both sides a strike should be somewhat short...
I will predict 10 days if neither side agrees on anything...

MACTRAXX

Now, what's the likelihood of ANY transit strike ever lasting as long as the 1983 Regional Rail strike??? Why did the Regional Rail strike drag on as long as it did? What kept them from making it as brief as possible (like maybe one month tops)? Also, during the 1983 strike, how close was Philadelphia to possibly seeing the end of Regional Rail service altogether? I imagine a LOT of people thought they have seen the last of Regional Rail service in the Philadelphia area as the strike dragged on for days...then weeks...then months, FINALLY ending at 108 days! I'm just hoping we never see anything like that again!

ST - Answering each question:

1-Little or no chance with today's political climate...

2-The 1983 Regional Rail strike lasted long because the rail unions were dedicated to fighting David Gunn's "Transitization" scheme with
all that they had back then...noting the drastic pay cut many rail workers would have been forced to take under this scheme...

3-Yes-there WAS talk in the early 80s of a possible shutdown of Conrail-operated Commuter Rail (as this service was then known)
and the new RHSL service in 1983-84 was shaky at best after the strike...SEPTA cut fares and increased service on many lines to
boost ridership lost since the more then 50 percent 1980 fare hikes and subsequent Summer 1981 service cutbacks...The opening
of the Center City Commuter Connection in late 1984 actually indirectly helped save the Regional Rail system...

MACTRAXX

zebrasepta wrote:http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 84751.html

The contract for the Transit Workers Union, SEPTA's largest, expired earlier in March. According to Transit Workers Union local president Willie Brown, SEPTA wants a five year contract with bonuses for the first two years and 1%, 2%, and 3% raises for the last three years. Brown also says SEPTA wants increased health care costs and changes to employee pension contributions.

Brown said any strike would not take place until three remaining, smaller contracts expire later this week.

we still got some time before they go on a strike???

Did anyone read this link I posted? It just seems like you guys ignored me and continued the other discussion instead

I read the link. It doesn't make clear what "some time" means other than those other contracts expiring later this week.

motor

MACTRAXX wrote:

SubwayTim wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote:

SubwayTim wrote:

Clearfield wrote:But I also believe that there will be a strike and it will be a long one. And I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

As in how long...more than a week? Are you talking MONTHS...like the Regional Rail strike of 1983?

ST: As I mentioned in my post of 3/23 the 1983 Regional Rail strike was a special case...What David Gunn (SEPTA GM at that time) wanted
was to impose transit-level wages on former Conrail employees hired by SEPTA - and I remember that the average Conductor at that time
was making around $35,000/year and the average Transit employee was making in the neighborhood of $25,000/year - That's quite a pay
cut...At that time Railroad employees had the option of staying with Conrail in freight service or going to work for another rail operation
or authority like NJTRO or Amtrak and many employees did "flow back" to find other rail employment...

There have only been two TWU strikes that have lasted more then two weeks time: 1977 and 1998 - and depending on how negations go and
the pressure to settle becomes intense on both sides a strike should be somewhat short...
I will predict 10 days if neither side agrees on anything...

MACTRAXX

Now, what's the likelihood of ANY transit strike ever lasting as long as the 1983 Regional Rail strike??? Why did the Regional Rail strike drag on as long as it did? What kept them from making it as brief as possible (like maybe one month tops)? Also, during the 1983 strike, how close was Philadelphia to possibly seeing the end of Regional Rail service altogether? I imagine a LOT of people thought they have seen the last of Regional Rail service in the Philadelphia area as the strike dragged on for days...then weeks...then months, FINALLY ending at 108 days! I'm just hoping we never see anything like that again!

ST - Answering each question:

1-Little or no chance with today's political climate...

2-The 1983 Regional Rail strike lasted long because the rail unions were dedicated to fighting David Gunn's "Transitization" scheme with
all that they had back then...noting the drastic pay cut many rail workers would have been forced to take under this scheme...

3-Yes-there WAS talk in the early 80s of a possible shutdown of Conrail-operated Commuter Rail (as this service was then known)
and the new RHSL service in 1983-84 was shaky at best after the strike...SEPTA cut fares and increased service on many lines to
boost ridership lost since the more then 50 percent 1980 fare hikes and subsequent Summer 1981 service cutbacks...The opening
of the Center City Commuter Connection in late 1984 actually indirectly helped save the Regional Rail system...

MACTRAXX

I may be wrong...but didn't Amtrak offer to "take up some of the slack" at one point during the 1983 Regional Rail strike by offering to make local stops at select Regional Rail stations along the NEC (Wilmington-Trenton) and Harrisburg Line??? I remember one day on my way home from school seeing an Amtrak train stopped at (or close to) Crum Lynne station as my school bus was crossing the NEC on I-95. Whether or not that actually happened, I imagine Amtrak did experience a spike in ridership on the NEC between Trenton/Wilmington and Philly and the Harrisburg Line between Downingtown and Center City, especially since trains on that line terminated at Suburban Station at the time.

ST: During the 1983 SEPTA Commuter Rail strike it would not have surprised me if Amtrak offered some extra service for those
affected passengers on the mentioned lines...

I want to also mention that SEPTA did in fact experiment with operating a rail line with transit crews: The Newtown-Fox Chase
"Rapid Transit Line" as it was then called...Operating from September 5,1981 until sometime in late 1982/early 1983 (I do not
have the exact discontinue date for this) using a group of RDC's...and there is information and pictures posted on other topic
threads here in the SEPTA section on past pages...

MACTRAXX

Will other unions refuse to make deliveries or service calls to SEPTA property if it would mean having to cross a picket line? When a (non-transit) union at my employer struck some years ago, our NJT bus driver wouldn't enter the company parking lot (whether or not there was a picket line there) and left us at the nearest stop, half a mile away.

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However, a union source tells Action News that they are close, but a gap remains between the two sides before the union can take anything to its membership for a vote.
Talks are scheduled to resume again on Sunday.

The executive board of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234 met Thursday night to discuss logistics for a possible strike Monday if a deal with SEPTA can't get done.

A strike may be coming soon...

The union said they would not walk so long as they were negotiating. Has there been a strike authorization vote?

no vote yet

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 90891.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SEPTA officials and passengers have been bracing for a strike that could begin Monday. A walkout would be particularly crippling because it's expected to involve all city transit lines as well as suburban buses, trolleys and the Norristown high-speed line. Commuter rail lines would still operate.

TWU local officials say they were given unanimous consent by the joint executive board to strike if necessary.

Wonderful. Latest news on TWU 234 website doesn't look promising either.