What happens after SEPTA's contract expires?
With a strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 looming a week from today, SEPTA announced its emergency plan to get riders to work after midnight on March 15.
With a strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 looming a week from today, SEPTA announced its emergency plan to get riders to work after midnight on March 15.
In the event of a strike, the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line and all city transit buses, trolleys and trackless trolleys will not run.
Regional Rail will become the best way to get around in the city and in the burbs.
SEPTA's complete service interruption guide is now online at www.septa.org/sip, and Customer Service will answer questions at 215-580-7800.
The transit agency's negotiators have moved into the Sheraton Philadelphia Center City Hotel on 17th Street near Race where, SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey said, they are "ready to negotiate around the clock" until the deal is done.
TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown told the Daily News that a big issue at the bargaining table is SEPTA's policy of subcontracting out its track and station rehabilitation work, including several massive projects due to start soon, funded by the transit agency's $200 million share of President Obama's economic-stimulus plan.
"We could do a lot of that stimulus-money work but SEPTA is not using us," Brown said, referring to union members.
"We can't rebuild the Market Frankford El or build a bridge, but we can do track work and we can fix a station up. We have a whole track department. We have carpenters and all kinds of skilled workers.
"But SEPTA's decided they're not going to spend one dime of the stimulus money paying us to do the things we know how to do. They're going to subcontract everything out. That's a top issue in these negotiations and it won't come off the table."
To prepare for the possibility of a strike, Casey is urging businesses to stagger their work schedules so that all employees won't be riding during morning and evening rush hours.
The Regional Rail system is already at full capacity during rush hours and is likely to be overloaded if city transit service is interrupted.
During a strike, Suburban Transit buses and trolleys would run outside the city only. *
