Temple’s nursing union is threatening to strike if a new contract is not approved by September 30. Their contract expires then, and Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals officials say they are concerned about the attitude the university is taking.
The university has responded that they feel their offer is fair and competitive.
Hailing a cab on North Broad Street can be impossible on a good day, so it’s a good thing that SEPTA announced it will not strike on Sunday, according to an Inquirer report.
Transport Workers Union president Willie Brown told the Inquirer that there are no plans to strike this weekend or “in the immediate future.” SEPTA workers will continue to work under their current contract but are still in effort to reach a new contract negotiations.
Whew.
Philadelphia’s favorite public transportation system is only two weeks away from a union contract deadline.
What does this mean for riders? If the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority doesn’t reach a deal with officials from the Transport Workers Union Local 234, SEPTA’s largest union, then Philly will see the absence of buses, subways and trolleys.
SEPTA’s Regional Rail would still run, since those operators are part of a different union. Service will also not be interrupted on suburban bus or trolley routes. However, city bus routes, in addition to the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines, will not be in operation.
This is no new experience for Philadelphians, however. The last strike occurred in November 2005 and lasted for seven days. At the time, Temple set up a shuttle service for students along Broad Street that stopped at the subway station cross-streets.
The Temple News provided award-winning coverage on the strike. Read about it here and here.
To prepare, SEPTA has already set up a Service Interruption Guide as an aide to commuters. The Temple News will have continuing coverage on the strike situation.
Temple University professors are currently in contract negotiations, as their current contracts will expire Oct. 15, Susan Snyder reported in Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer.
The university and professors are butting heads over the issue of whether professors should receive salary increases they want, 5 percent increases each year for the next four years, according to the Inquirer. Temple proposed merit pay instead, citing that the salary increase proposal coupled with another that would decrease what professors pay for health insurance would be too much for the university’s budget to handle.
The professors’ pursuit of higher salaries comes at an interesting time — Temple recently raised tuition $400 per year for the next five years for full-time undergrads, reported by TTN’s Nick Pipitone this week. Read the full story here for details of tuition increases for part-time students and specific colleges.
In any event, the Inqy reported that though Temple profs refuse to stay silent, they aren’t planning on striking, so don’t plan those parties just yet.
After a day of negotiations, SEPTA police officers have made good on their promise to strike.
The Fraternal Order of Transit Police has not been able to reach an agreement with SEPTA officials regarding the wages and benefits of FOTP members.
SEPTA released a statement earlier today, which says the tentative agreements monitored by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mediation were approved by SEPTA officials, but not by the FOTP.
Since negotiations began yesterday, SEPTA, Mayor Michael Nutter and the Philadelphia Police Department have been assuring riders that security will not diminish due to the strike.
SEPTA officials hope to resume discussion with the FOTP soon, as they feel “this strike was totally avoidable.”
Photo courtesy of CBS3.
