December 13, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109 voted to go on strike Wednesday. The union represents about 170 police officers who patrol SEPTA's buses, subways and trolleys.
SEPTA's transit police union will picket outside SEPTA's headquarters in Center City on Thursday following a vote on Wednesday to go on strike.
The Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109, which represents about 170 officers, said two-thirds of the members who voted Wednesday were in favor of the strike.
“Instead of walking the beat and patrolling public transit, we will be walking the picket line,” union president Omari Bervine said. “SEPTA has devalued their patrol officers. This vote shows our members are tired of being shortchanged. We deserve comparable wages and terms to what bus drivers and other transit workers received.”
In response to the strike, SEPTA plans to bring on temporary patrol officers from the Philadelphia Police Department, university police departments and other agencies. Additional private security guards will be deployed to patrol the Market-Frankford and Broad Street subway lines. Service will not be disrupted.
SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said the contingency plan includes having a steady police presence at SEPTA terminals, transfer points, hot spots and transit corridors. Operational assistance will be provided by the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
SEPTA Transit Police have been working without a contract since March. The union voted to authorize a strike in October but continued negotiations with SEPTA management beyond a previous November deadline that had been set for a new contract.
The union has argued that transit police officers are not compensated in line with other SEPTA workers and public agencies in the area. They say their pay doesn't reflect the high levels of crime they face while patrolling SEPTA's buses, subways and trolleys, which affects hiring and retaining officers.
Contract negotiations with the transit police union have have been assisted by a state mediator since Sept. 1. The union said SEPTA management declined a proposal to engage in binding arbitration to avoid a strike.
In October, Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents about 5,000 SEPTA employees, threatened to strike amid that union's stalled negotiations. SEPTA and TWU 234 ultimately reached a one-year deal to prevent a walkout by bus, subway and trolley operators.
Busch said SEPTA's latest offer to the transit police union was a three-year contract with 13% raises phased in yearly intervals starting in March. The offer also included $3,000 signing bonuses and expedited pay raises for officers who meet longevity milestones with the department.
A sticking point for the transit police union was getting the full 13% raise to kick in within 36 months, rather than 43 months.
“We’re not asking for a dime more than what we were promised, but we are being offered less per capita and lower raises over a longer period," Bervine said. "SEPTA is willing to pay huge checks for overtime to surrounding police departments to serve as strike replacement workers, rather than offer its own police a fair deal.”
In July 2022, SEPTA reached a side agreement with the union — separate from the annual contract — to increase the starting pay of transit police officers by an average of more than 17%.
Busch said SEPTA is prepared to continue negotiations with the union.
The transit police union last held strikes in 2019 and 2012.
