COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA RECESSED STATED MEETING Friday, March 13, 1998 12:45 p.m. Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania RE: Bill and Resolution (not numbered) on SEPTA negotiations. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT JOHN F. STREET COUNCILWOMAN AUGUSTA A. CLARK COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN ANNA CIBOTTA VERNA COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK DICICCO COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO MARIE B. HAUSER, Chief Clerk VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS P R O C E E D I N G S.
May I have your attention, please. City Council Members are going to convene in the caucus room. We're going to have a caucus, at which time the Union will address Council Members. We will stay in recess. Council members will now go to the City Council caucus room. And Union members and members of the press are invited to come to the caucus room. (Council Members, Union members, press members recess to Caucus room.) (1:20 p.m.)
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is a recessed session of Council's regular meeting of Thursday, March 12th. We voted yesterday to stand in recess until 12 o'clock today. We have just had a caucus, at which the TWU representatives have addressed Council, and several recommendations were made. It has been agreed that the Members of Council will meet with RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS the Mayor and the representatives of the SEPTA Board at 3 o'clock in the Mayor's Office, and have agreed that the Council should stand in recess until 3:30 this afternoon, at which time it has been requested that the representatives of the TWU return to City Council, and that Mr. David L. Cohen and Mr. Jack Leary also come to City Council at that time. At this point, Council will stand in recess until 3:30 this afternoon, Friday, the 13th of March. Thank you. (Council stands in recess until 5:05 p.m.)
We're asking all Council Members to come to the chamber. All Council Members, please come to the Council chamber. (City Council Members file into chamber.)
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is a recessed session of the City Council session which was scheduled RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS for Thursday, March 12, 1998. This session was recessed until 12 o'clock, today, Friday, March the 13th. We then recessed until 5 o'clock. It is now shortly after 5. As a result of a number of meetings that Council Members have had with the Mayor, the City's representatives on the SEPTA Board, SEPTA General Manager Mr. Leary, and one of the consultants to the negotiators, Mr. David L. Cohen. I believe there are a couple of Council Members who at this time would like to offer resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna for a motion that the rules of Council be suspended to permit immediate introduction and consideration of -
All in favor, let it RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS be known by saying aye. All opposed, say nay. The ayes have it. The rules are suspended. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 1998 within the General Fund from the Department of Public Property City Subsidy for SEPTA to the Council.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Mr. President, I'm in the process of offering one resolution.
The Clerk will read RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS the resolution which Councilman Nutter is in the process of introducing as soon as he has completed the process.
The Clerk will please read the resolution, the title of the resolution. Hopefully, enough copies are available to circulate to members of the press. Do we have copies? Please make them available to members of the media.
A resolution denouncing any attempt by the SEPTA Board of SEPTA management to use administrative or supervisory employees who are not members of TWU 234 to operate the City Division of the SEPTA system in the event of a strike, because this is an anti-Union action and will create a dangerous and risky environment for the ridership; And strongly urge the City to bar any such personnel from operating SEPTA vehicles when the transportation infrastructure owned by the City of Philadelphia and calling for all parties RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS who are fully authorized to negotiate to continue negotiation in good faith, around the clock in order to avert a strike and reach agreement.
Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolution and wish to be heard on it.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I can report that all Members present have signed this resolution. I think it is a very serious matter. We cannot afford to have a system in operation with thousands of Philadelphians riding that system run by personnel -- with all due respect to any of the management people, they are not the people who run this system on a regular basis. (Applause.)
All we are asking for, Mr. President, is continuous negotiations. RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS We want to avert a strike, and we want the people who know what they are doing to run that system come Sunday morning. Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Councilman Cohen, do you have your microphone handy? (Councilman Cohen adjusts his microphone.)
Mr. President, I wanted to use this opportunity in speaking in support of this resolution and to express my thanks and, I believe, the thanks of all Members of City Council to the leadership and the membership of Local 234 in persisting and bringing this matter to our attention. I think that the work of this City Council over the last two days has brought for the first time a glimmer of hope that the lines, as Councilman Nutter expressed, may continue to be RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS working. I think for the first time there is the possibility that a strike can be averted on terms that would be satisfactory to management and that would respect the rights of all of the workers. So to them, we say thank you. (Applause.)
Mr. President, just one last thing. And if there were a strike, my personal wish is for good luck. But we hope it won't happen. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to thank Councilman Nutter and the rest of my colleagues here, and I'd like to thank the members of Local 234. And I just wanted to reiterate what I said in City Council caucus so that everybody who wasn't there understands Philadelphia has long RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS been a union town and will remain a union town. And another word for management operating trains -- and I will say what I said in caucus, a scab is a scab is a scab. And they would be scabs if they would do that, and that will never happen in Philadelphia. Thank you. (Standing ovation.)
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I certainly am proud to support the resolution introduced by Councilman Nutter and also would like to associate myself with the comments made by Councilman Cohen and Councilman Mariano. I would like to say that we appreciate the commitment of this Union. We are glad that they brought the issue to a public forum so that we better understand what some of their concerns are. And I would like to finalize my RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS comments by saying that we in Council are absolutely committed to the citizens of this City. And we are willing and have tried to do all that we can to show that in our actions and deeds, that we don't want a strike. We want this City to move. And we are committed to do whatever we can from here out to see that that happens. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to rise in favor of the resolution and to say that the recurring theme from both parties to this conflict is a necessity to talk. And this resolution calls on all parties who have the authority to bind the parties to enter into nonstop negotiations until an amicable solution is reached. And our hope is that the good faith around the clock will result in peaceful negotiations and obviate the necessity for a RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS strike. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I'm also very pleased to have signed and be supportive of this resolution. And I hope SEPTA's listening loud and clear, that we don't want a strike, and we don't want this system being operated by anyone other than the Transport Union employees. Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Mr. President. I speak also -- and Marian Tasco is here leaning over. I also rise in support of the resolution, but also I think that a unanimous aspect of this resolution in which all of City Council is joining together sends a very clear RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS message: We want negotiations, we don't want a strike. But it also sends a message to the SEPTA Board that you cannot impose a deal without giving up something, that negotiations implies that there is a give and take. I think TWU is willing to go to the table and say that because they have said that to us here. And I believe that that is what is needed at this point in order to come to a resolution. And to the individuals that live in the suburbs: We are the City, and we are the metropolitan area. Without us, the suburbs do not exist. And without us -(Applause.)
So understand that the workers need a fair treatment, they need a fair contract, and we do not need to balance SEPTA's problems on the back of the Union. So that's what we're asking. We're saying negotiate and negotiate fairly. And negotiate around the clock because, as this Council has talked and said and has stated, the RECESSED COMMITTEE OF WHOLE RE SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS political leadership of this City stands with the workers. (Standing ovation.)
All those in favor of the motion, let it be known by saying aye. All those opposed, say nay. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March the 19th, 1998, at 10 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
All those in favor, let it be known by saying aye. All those opposed, say nay. The ayes have it. This Council stands adjourned until Thursday, March 19, 1998, at 10 o'clock a.m., in this chamber. (Adjourned at 5:20 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Friday, March 13, 1998 were reported and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: RECESSED STATED MEETING SEPTA NEGOTIATIONS __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, RPR