SEPTA police union puts pause on strike threat

Don't expect SEPTA transit police officers to walk off the job over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 109, which represents SEPTA police officers, announced Wednesday that it would be putting a "pause" on its strike threat for several weeks.

“After discussions this morning with the 11 members of the FOTP board, we’ve decided to hit pause on a strike for now,” FOTP president and SEPTA Police Officer Omari Bervine said in a news release.

After working for months without a contract, the union that represents 170 SEPTA police officers threatened to strike this week if it couldn't come to a contract agreement with the mass transit provider.

Bervine said that SEPTA CEO and general manager Leslie Richards joined negotiations this week, but that no agreement was reached.

The union said it set a new Dec. 13 deadline for when union members will meet as to whether to accept SEPTA's contract proposal or "immediately walk out."

"During this pause, the union’s economist will prepare an 'Ability-to-Pay' study based on SEPTA’s finances and the cost of management’s recent proposal; the economist will compare those findings to the agreement reached with TWU Local 234," the union said Wednesday. "The results will be presented to the union’s membership and shared with SEPTA’s management."

“We certainly hope that Ms. Richards and her team, after seeing the analysis, will honor their promise of pattern bargaining, improve their offer and bring us up to parity,” Bervine said.

"SEPTA has made proposals to the FOTP that are consistent with recent contracts awarded to employees represented by other unions," SEPTA said Wednesday. "We urge FOTP leadership to continue to engage in negotiations so that we can reach agreement on a contract that is fair to our hard-working police officers and is financially responsible for the Authority as a whole."

SEPTA recently reached a deal with Transit Workers Union Local 234, the union that represents 5,000 Philadelphia-area transit workers. The transit police union noted a disparity in that deal and what they were offered.

"SEPTA’s latest offer fell short, despite promises the authority made that patrol officers would be offered 'parity' with the agreement reached last month with SEPTA’s largest union, Transport Workers Union Local 234," the union said.

The union authorized a strike in October after its contract expired in March.

The FOTP were prepared to go on strike by midnight on Monday, but SEPTA released a statement Monday night that said:

"SEPTA and FOTP leadership had a productive dialogue during meetings today. We are happy that union leadership will allow our officers to remain on the job, ensuring the safety and security of our customers and employees, while we work to make further progress at the bargaining table tomorrow. Our goal is to reach a fair contract without a strike, and we look forward to tomorrow's negotiating session."

SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch reiterated that negotiators want to avert a strike but have to stay within the agency's shrinking budget.

"We never want to go on strike but it's never off the table, if that's the only fighting tool that we have we'll use it," SEPTA police union Vice President Troy Parham said. "You can't tell us you have no money when the biggest union that you have, you just gave lots of it."

Riders hope a deal is reached soon.

“We definitely need them. We actually need more, I feel like," Shanaa Brown, a SEPTA rider said tis week.