Suburban SEPTA drivers approve new contract

Suburban SEPTA bus drivers and trolley operators voted Sunday to ratify a new five-year contract with the transit agency.

United Transportation Union Local 1594 members, who represent 340 vehicle operators working out of the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, voted by 107-12 to approve the contract, with three abstentions, said union vice chairman Michael Meighan. The union had been working without a contract since April.

The financial terms of the new contract mirror those of the recently approved pact with Transport Workers Union Local 234, whose members went on strike for six days last month.

If the contract is approved by the SEPTA board at its Thursday meeting, the UTU members will receive an immediate $1,250 "signing bonus," a 2.5 percent raise in the second year, and a 3 percent raise in each of the final three years. The contract increases workers' contributions to their pension fund from the current 2 percent to 3 percent, and it increases the maximum pension to $30,000 a year from the current $27,000 a year. - Paul Nussbaum