Regional Rail Engineers Reach Tentative Deal With SEPTA
By Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Engineers on SEPTA's Regional Rail lines have reached a tentative contract with the transit agency, ending a five-year standoff.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 200 engineers, announced the proposed contract which includes a 13.3-percent pay hike.
The tentative deal would cover unionized workers through July of next year.
The settlement comes after a one-day strike earlier this year that ended when Septa asked President Obama to step in and end the walkout with a Presidential Emergency Board.
A second cooling-off period was requested by Septa last week and granted.
The union says it will take safety concerns to federal regulators, instead of working on them at the negotiating table. It says it still has safety concerns relating to fatigue and long hours, and wants more training for new engineers.
The proposed contract still must be ratified by the union members. A Septa spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Septa's 13 suburban rail lines carry about 60,000 passengers each weekday.
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