The six-day strike by operators, mechanics, and maintenance staff of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ended as it began: in the middle of the night. A tentative agreement reached shortly after midnight Monday brought SEPTA personnel back to work in time for the Monday morning commute to work.
Service slowly came back on line beginning at 4:30 a.m. with subway-elevated and trolley lines plus certain key bus routes. All services will be restored by the afternoon peak.
U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.) explained at a late-night news conference called to announce the deal that even after Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell angrily announced he was pulling out of negotiations between Transport Workers Union Local 234 and SEPTA on Saturday, the parties involved continued to talk. "From time to time, people get a little frazzled, but you stay there and keep them all talking," he said. "If you don't talk, nothing will get done."
The broad economic outlines of the deal are identical to those of the agreement that collapsed on Saturday. Employees will receive a $1,250 signing bonus in the first year, a 2.5 percent raise in the second, and 3 percent raises in each of the following three years. Employee contributions to their pension fund will rise gradually from 1.5 percent to 3 percent of base pay, and contributions to the medical plan will remain unchanged.
One of the main sticking points -- a SEPTA request to add a clause that would reopen the healthcare provisions if Federal healthcare reform drives up the agency's costs -- was resolved to the union's satisfaction. Another remains somewhat up in the air -- an audit of the agency's pension plan. SEPTA told the union it hires an independent outside firm to audit the plan's books and that the union could hire its own auditor to review that audit; the union wants its independent auditor to have access to the actual pension plan books. The TWU alleges that the pension plan for management is funded at a significantly higher percentage of liabilities than is the employee plan; SEPTA denies the allegations.
The new agreement also contains a new provision for a three-year dental plan for employees.
Rendell, who criticized the union's behavior on Saturday, complimented its leader, Willie Brown, for "doing his job for his members" this morning.
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