(The following story by John M. Roman appeared on the Delaware County Times website on November 19, 2009.)
PHILADELPHIA — Some 5,000 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 will be voting all day and night Friday on a tentative contract with SEPTA that was reached Nov. 9 following a six-day strike by the City Transit Division.
Bob Wolper, a spokesman for the largest union in the transit authority, said the members will vote at ballot boxes located at various work sites.
Workers announced the strike late on a Sunday night, just after Game 5 of the World Series between the Phillies and Yankees in Philly. They shut the system down at 3 a.m., in the process, stranding some riders and catching many others by surprise on Monday morning.
The strike disrupted service in the city to some 928,000 daily riders.
TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown said he expected the transit workers to approve the contract.
The contract provides for a $1,250 signing bonus the first year and a 11.5 percent wage increase over five years. Health insurance remains at 1 percent of a 40-hour work week times their wage rate.
The Regional Rail Division, which is used by 124,000 daily riders, was not affected because its workers are represented by a different union.
The city’s Market-Frankford El/Subway Line, the Broad Street Line and trolley/subway-surface lines were shut down during the strike so the normally busy 69th Street Terminal virtually became a dead end, because no connections could be made to the El or city bus routes.
The previous strike in early November 2005 by the City Transit and Victory Division (formerly Red Arrow) workers lasted seven days. That was preceded by a 40-day strike in 1998 by the workers in the City Transit Division.
The contract for about 340 vehicle operators in the Suburban Transit Division, Victory Avenue District, in Delaware County represented by United Transportation Union Local 1594 expired April 1.
Notwithstanding any major sticking points, the UTU usually settles on a contract following a ratification vote by the larger city transit union.
In 1986, Victory District workers were on strike for 61 days. The longest strike in SEPTA history was for 108 days in 1983 in the Regional Rail Division, according to SEPTA records.
After a contract is approved by the unions, the SEPTA board then formally votes on the package.
UTU Local 1594 officials today could not be reached for comment on their negotiations.