Philadelphia’s transportation system is back on track after SEPTA and two significant unions achieved what are being hailed as positive labor deals, perhaps averting an impending catastrophe. Despite a significant budget deficit, the agency has reached a tentative one-year agreement with salary and safety enhancements that might help provide stability to a system that is in danger of losing federal assistance funds. A significant 5% pay raise is part of the contracts, and the pilot implementation of bulletproof enclosures for bus drivers is a positive step toward increased safety.
The agreement, which SEPTA COO Scott Sauer has called “fair to our hardworking frontline employees and responsible to the customers and taxpayers,” would be anchored by recently implemented safety improvements, according to an NBC Philadelphia report. General Chairperson and SMART-TD Alternate Vice President of the Bus Department Anthony Petty stressed in a statement obtained by NBC Philadelphia that “when SEPTA told us they had no budget for bulletproof glass enclosures, de-escalation training for our members, or to increase security and police presence on our buses and trolleys, that wasn’t just an insult it was a direct threat to the safety of my union family.” However, as part of a test program, SEPTA has agreed to erect bulletproof glass full enclosures around the workstations of eight buses’ operators.
The serious realities of financial difficulties, however, limit the celebration. Scott Sauer, SEPTA’s acting general manager, has expressed concern about the organization’s continuous financial situation and emphasized the need for more long-term fixes.The backdrop of the arrangement, he openly referred to as “the beginning of what we have been saying is the transit death spiral,” referring to the urgent budget deficit that SEPTA is currently facing. According to reports from ABC Action News and others, SEPTA and the unions have presented a unified front in their demands for additional financing from the state in order to avert future labor disputes and possible interruptions to transit.
The talks showed a will to cooperate for the benefit of the public, despite current financial difficulties. According to Union President Brian Pollitt, “We got a fair deal, and now we need to focus on making sure SEPTA stays strong for everyone who depends on it,” he told ABC Action News. The hundreds of thousands of people who depend on SEPTA’s buses, trains, and trolleys were spared the daily disruption when union and agency leaders prevented a strike. Pollitt told CBS News Philadelphia, “My members are happy,” indicating that a ratification would probably be approved when union members vote after Thanksgiving. As the silver lining fades into the upcoming year’s uncertainties, Philadelphia officials and residents await state intervention. Will stakeholders be able to create a more durable roadmap for operational and financial stability, or will the transit agency face another precipice?
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