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Transit union board approves strike vote
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 president Patrick McMahon
Jasmine Gehris/Tribune-Review
The 20-member Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 executive board unanimously approved holding a strike vote in two weeks and recommended the 2,200-member union approve the walkout.
"We don't think the Port Authority has been taking these negotiations very seriously and that is why we decided to take a strike vote," said Patrick McMahon, the union's president, following the executive board's decision. McMahon met with reporters outside the union's Strip District office.
The transit unions in Philadelphia ended a weeklong strike yesterday after Gov. Ed Rendell helped broker an agreement.
Unless an agreement with Pittsburgh's mass transit agency is reached within two weeks, union workers are scheduled to vote in two sessions Nov. 20 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland. They have been working without an agreement since July 1. The key issue is how much union workers should pay toward health care benefits.
The Port Authority provides service for 68 million riders annually in the county and portions of surrounding counties. It is the nation's 15th largest public transportation system. A strike would force many riders to find alternate transportation.
"I don't drive and the bus is my means of transportation," said Marguerite Polk, a rider who lives in Carnegie and works in the South Side. "I can't call somebody for a ride every day. I hope they don't strike."
Port Authority's acting CEO Dennis Veraldi would not answer questions about the possible strike but issued a written statement:
"We are deeply disappointed that union officials have chosen to authorize a strike vote. Clearly, the only way these issues can be worked out amicably is through the collective bargaining process. It is our hope that the process will result in an agreement that is both equitable to our employees and responsive to our budgetary constraints.
"A strike would be devastating to our customers and detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of our community, and it is not in the best interests of Port Authority employees."
Neither McMahon nor authority officials would disclose details of the latest contract proposals exchanged Thursday.
The authority wants union workers to pay a portion of their health insurance. Workers want to keep the current coverage that does not require them to contribute. McMahon would not specify the amount the authority wants workers to pay.
Port Authority drivers earn an average $47,000 a year. The last Port Authority strike, in 1992, lasted 28 days.
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