TRANSPORTATION: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION : UNITED STATES: CITIES: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA : EMPLOYMENT: LABOR RELATIONS AND UNIONS: STRIKES AND WORK STOPPAGES: Rejected Pact Wasn't so Bad, Experts Say
David P. Dillard
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Rejected Pact Wasn't so Bad, Experts Say
Rejected Pact Wasn't so Bad, Experts Say
By Andrew Maykuth and Jane M. Von Bergen
Inquirer Staff Writers
Philadelphia Inquirer
<http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/
20091105_Rejected_pact_wasn_t_so_bad__experts_say.html>
A shorter URL for the above link:
The proposed contract that SEPTA workers rejected was better than most
workers are getting in the recession, some labor experts say. At worst, it
was in line with other collective-bargaining agreements successfully
negotiated in the last year.
"It looks like not a bad deal, one that any number of folks might like to
have - actual raises," said Steven T. Wray, executive director of the
Economy League of Philadelphia.
The five-year deal rejected by Transport Workers Union Local 234, which
went on strike Tuesday, included a $1,250 signing bonus upon ratification,
a 2.5 percent raise the second year, and a 3 percent raise in each of the
next three years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public- and private-sector
pay increases have followed a distinct downward trend in the year since
the stock market crashed and unemployment soared.
Annual increases in compensation - wages and benefits - averaged 1.5
percent in September. Nine months ago, the average annual increase was 2.6
percent.
In the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the erosion has been more dramatic.
Workers were getting 4.7 percent boosts a year ago. In September, they
averaged 1.4 percent annual increases, according to the bureau.
Nationwide, private-sector pay increases have shrunk more remarkably in
the last year than government compensation, reinforcing a trend that began
in 1980, said Chris Edwards, a Cato Institute economist.
Private-sector annual compensation increases average 1.2 percent, half the
increases secured by state and local government employees. Edwards said
public-sector employers tended to be more generous granting increases to
pensions and health care.
Unionized employees have tended to get bigger pay packages than nonunion
workers.
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SEPTA Strike, Day 4: Hopes Fading for Settlement
SEPTA Strike, Day 4: Hopes Fading for Settlement
Posted on Fri, Nov. 6, 2009
By Paul Nussbaum
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Philadelphia Inquirer
<http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/69362597.html?cmpid=15585797>
Hopes for an end today to a transit strike receded as union leaders
reviewed a revised contract offer from SEPTA.
Leaders of the Transport Workers Union Local 234 did not immediately
respond to the latest offer, and the lack of movement was seen as an
indication that a settlement would not be reached in time to get city
buses, subways and trolleys running in time for this afternoon's rush
hour.
<snip>
Pensions have emerged as a key sticking point. Union President Willie
Brown said Wednesday that the strikers would "stay out as long as it takes
to secure our pension."
The union also wants more control over "job picking" rights.
Since the strike began, riders have turned to their cars and the still
operating Regional Rail system, jamming roadways and packing already
crowded commuter trains.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia also reports that a count
conducted at the Walnut and Chestnut Street Bridges on Wednesday indicated
that the strike had prompted a 38 percent spike in bicycle ridership.
David P. Dillard
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Strike ends; SEPTA, Union Sign Deal
Strike ends; SEPTA, Union Sign Deal
By Sandy Bauers, Sam Wood, and Paul Nussbaum
Inquirer Staff Writers
Posted on Mon, Nov. 9, 2009
<http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/
20091109_Strike_ends__SEPTA__union_sign_deal.html>
A shorter URL for the above link:
The strike by SEPTA workers that had paralyzed much of the region since
last week ended this morning with a signing of an agreement by SEPTA
officials and leaders of Transport Workers Union Local 234.
Buses, subways, and trolleys, idled since 3 a.m. Tuesday, should be
running in time for this mornning's rush.
The end to the six-day walkout came in dramatic fashion, as union leaders
joined SEPTA officials about 12:45 this morning at a news conference
outside the Center City office of Gov. Rendell, who brokered the deal a
day after he said he was giving up on efforts to settle the strike.
Attending the news conference were U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who has mediated
SEPTA strikes in the past, Mayor Nutter and Local 234 president Willie
Brown.
Brady said he never stopped talking to the union, which over the weekend
backed off from an agreement reached late Friday.
"Negotiations never broke off. We never stopped talking," Brady said.
"Some numbers had to be massaged. . . . Everybody cooperated."
Rendell, who had blamed union leaders for the collapse of Friday's
tentative agreement, had only praise for Brown this morning. "Willie Brown
did his job well for his members," he said. "That's the nature of the
collective-bargaining process." Nutter said the most important thing was
that "the system will be up and running" this morning.
Brown, who nodded in agreement, said a ratification vote would be held in
a week and a half.
After the collapse of Friday's agreement, Rendell had threatened to
withdraw nearly $7 million in state funds to pay for bonuses of $1,250 per
worker. By signing the pact, the TWU, which represents 5,100 drivers,
operators and mechanics, preserved the bonuses.
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