Members of the transit police union walked off the job on Wednesday evening after a final round of contract talks with SEPTA failed to produce an agreement.
Leaders of the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109 said they put the authority’s latest offer before the members without recommending support. The union represents about 170 officers who protect SEPTA stations and its buses, trolleys, and subways. They have been working without a contract since March 31.
Patrol officers went on strike just before 7 p.m., following 12 hours of voting at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Two thirds of the 124 officers who voted on Wednesday rejected SEPTA’s latest offer, according to union vice president Troy Parham. Union members are to begin picketing SEPTA headquarters on Market Street at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Service on SEPTA will not be disrupted by the strike, the agency said. The transit system would be patrolled by 60 nonunionized transit police supervisors with help from the Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Police Department, as well as officers from other agencies in the five counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Riders can continue to contact police at 215-580-8111 or, in the event of an emergency, call 911, the agency said on Wednesday night in a statement.
