Compensation. Average daily ridership now hovers at about 53% of pre-COVID levels, or roughly 520,000 passengers. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. Amid staffing shortages, SEPTA has been bringing in outside contractors to help address safety concerns. The perennial child pleaser is 31 years old, but will only run on the Broad Street line this year. Heres a look at why Philadelphias transit system has a separate police force, and the issues theyve been facing. Thanks for your tweet and service to the city. Then, in October 1978, following a string of attacks on SEPTA personnel, the authority started renting police academy rookies from the city several dozen individuals known as the SEPTA Strike Force. Our model gets smarter over time as more people share salaries on Glassdoor. One involved a man punching a SEPTA maintenance worker and the other is wanted for stabbing a teen after a fight on a train spilled onto the platform. Earlier this year, a SEPTA officer was shot by a suspect near the Franklin Arrott Transportation Center in Philadelphia, sustaining injuries that landed him in the hospital in critical but stable condition. The estimated additional pay is $4,578 per year. For veteran officers, the rate for pay bumps is also being accelerated. The numbers are what the numbers are. How is it possible? As the transit police struggled with understaffing, union officials pointed to pay as a major sticking point in recruiting, with salaries for SEPTA transit police officers falling $10-15k below Philadelphia Police Department and NJ Transit police salaries. Has anyone else stood behind Thomas Nestel and thought, "Exactly HOW bleeping wide are those shoulders?" Their perception was not helped by a violent attack on a SEPTA customer by an Allied Universal Security Services employee last summer, resulting in criminal charges. And they argued that thats evidence that SEPTA didnt provide enough to protect its workers and should pay more to the families who who lost loved ones. Share: By Mia Machado. READ MORE: Reports of aggravated assault and robbery on SEPTA soared during the pandemic as ridership fell. The average Septa salary ranges from approximately $36,718 per year for a Customer Service Representative to $111,809 per year for a Project Manager. In April 2021, it entered a $1.5 million agreement with Allied Universal Security Services. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has reached a deal on a new contract proposal with the Fraternal Order of Transit Police union to offer "the most significant increase in salary in more than 20 years" for SEPTA Transit Police Department officers, according to a letter from the FOTP obtained by FOX 29. Philadelphia, PA 19107 Related Searches:All Septa Police Officer Salaries|All Septa Salaries. Please give today. The starting salary for rookies entering the academy will be raised from $46,536 to $56,507, and post-graduation pay will go from $49,536 to $62,387. The authority replaced them with Glock 17s, which arrived after a delay. The union has attempted to address its concerns with SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards and other officials, but hasn't gotten much attention from SEPTA's brass. SEPTA has 210 police officers, including command and administrative staff, union president Omari Bervine said in an April interview with The Inquirer. Still, Zarrinkelk acknowledges that many riders feel safer when they see SEPTA police at stations and on vehicles. Hourly pay at Septa ranges from an average of $18.44 to $41.41 an hour. Theres more to every story if you take the time to tell it. Additional pay could include bonus, stock, commission, profit sharing or tips. Read what they think about their salaries on our Compensation FAQ page for Septa. Fundraiser created to front the cost of SEPTA Key cards for asylum-seekers. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images). Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. This move would raise post-graduation salaries 11%, from $49,000 to $62,000. And now were seeing this sketchy [overtime] system where theyre paying out excessive amounts to a handful of employees. Oh is threatening an amendment to withhold $10 million from SEPTA's budget unless more officers are hired, a position that has the full support of the transit police union, Bervine said. First published on June 15, 2022 / 5:00 AM. The officers union has long pressed that case to management. All rights reserved. The union that represents SEPTA workers fought for a $500,000 death benefit a payout that New Yorks MTA provided over the summer. I find that amount of hours worked to be difficult to believe.. SEPTA, at the beginning of the pandemic, like most agencies, was scrambling to get enough PPE for all its workers, enough hand sanitizer. "One of the biggest problems that we've had in terms of rider safety and the safety of the public is that police were leaving," Philadelphia City Councilmember David Oh said. The Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109, which represents SEPTA transit police officers in Philadelphia, is calling for SEPTA to improve working conditions and increase pay in order to recruit more officers. "It can deter people but it should help. It'll take only two years for them . Driving the news: SEPTA Police chief Thomas J. Nestel III signed off on the mandate for the transit agency's 213 sworn officers on Monday. RYAN: I think that when you you look at these stories, you look at SEPTA saying, We just dont have the money to pay out death benefits. You look where SEPTA is headed because of COVID-19 into an area where theyre saying we might have to make critical service cuts and potentially layoffs. The department is already stretched thin, the transit police union says. On the maintenance side, he said a string of maintenance crises and extreme weather incidents had necessitated the divisions overtime use. (function() {var phplive_e_1497314496 = document.createElement("script"); phplive_e_1497314496.type = "text/javascript"; phplive_e_1497314496.async = true; phplive_e_1497314496.src = "https://customerservice.septa.org/chat/js/phplive_v2.js.php?v=0|1497314496|2|"; document.getElementById("phplive_btn_1497314496").appendChild( phplive_e_1497314496 );})(); Copyright 2023 SEPTA. We have everyday emergencies that come up, Busch said. Click on or copy the following link into your address bar to find the specific physical fitness requirements for your age and gender: Prior to undergoing formal officer training, recruits are required to pass a reading exam, medical screening, physical agility test, polygraph and psychological exams. It also raised questions about the agencys oversight process, he said. The job of a SEPTA transit officer can be dangerous, too. Since 1981, the Transit Police Department has been dedicated to keeping customers safe and secure, while protecting SEPTA property and staff. PhillyVoice Staff, Driver charged in fatal Christmas Eve hit-and-run in Bristol, Video shows bouncer punch man outside Center City bar, prompting homicide investigation, City Council pushes for more funding to address quality-of-life issues in underserved communities, by an Allied Universal Security Services employee, two people were pushed onto the subway tracks, Jason Kelce could make a 'Saturday Night Live' cameo with his brother Travis hosting, School District of Philadelphia to relocate Building 21 students following asbestos exposure, Eagles wide receiver Zach Pascal robbed at gunpoint in Maryland, Eli Lilly slashed insulin prices, starting a race to the bottom. SEPTA Police Chief Thomas J. Nestel III's best estimate was there were about 10 passengers in the close vicinity of Ngoy and the woman during the rape, which started about 9:52 p.m. and ended. SEPTA Transit Police have full police powers in those areas, which spans 2,200 square miles. Reports of aggravated assault and robbery on SEPTA soared during the pandemic as ridership fell, California residents do not sell my data request. On the construction and maintenance side, it could be responding to signal issues that come up, or emergency track work that needs to be performed.. By continuing to use and navigate this website, you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Changes in the transit police pay scale will go into effect as early as Sunday, the agency said. "SEPTA must spend a significant portion of its vast financial resources on making its transit police officer salaries more competitive and improving working conditions so that we can attract the quality candidates that we so desperately need, to aid in our efforts to keep SEPTAs passengers and employees safe as they traverse our transit system," Bervine said. The estimated total pay for a Septa Police Officer at Septa is $60,798 per year. How much do Septa employees make? (Instead of a paywall). WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyones stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. The pandemic has thrown SEPTA into a budget crisis. Title: Subway . Equal parts funny and fascinating, Bullseye sifts the wheat from the chaff, and brings you hot culture picks, in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary creative people and irreverent original comedy. Rampant overtime spending. There are three patrol districts, allowing officers to easily respond to emergencies while empowering them to quickly make decisions and address local issues. You may: 1234 Market Street With more online . SEPTA highlights signs of human trafficking in new campaign. Not too many places still have a pension plan. The SEPTA Transit Police Department was founded in 1981. The job of a SEPTA transit police officer is about 90% on foot and moving through the transit system, compared to the work done by officers in other departments with more vehicle patrols, Bervine said. Kriz said workloads like his raised questions about safety for everyone involved including riders who depend on the specialist to keep subway cars in safe operating condition. RYAN: A bit less than 400 employees earned more than 50% of their base salaries and overtime. The union said the goal of the salary increases was to be more competitive with pay "in an effort to boost our dangerously low officer staffing levels" at SEPTA. The estimated total pay for a Septa Police Officer at Septa is $60,798 per year. But Joe Coccio, secretary-treasurer with Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents many blue-collar SEPTA workers, said its because managers have a stronger say in how overtime hours are assigned. SEPTA has been sued in the past for refusing to pay out overtime. A Philadelphia-area transit police department is set to implement the largest pay increase the force has seen in more than two decades in an effort to attract and maintain talent amid an officer shortage. It's a move SEPTA hopes will attract new employees. It comes down to checking on him and checking on the work to see that the quality is where it needs to be.. Spending on safety and security will increase by about 50% to $53 million for the 2023 fiscal year, which begins July 1. #cheesesandwich pic.twitter.com/EDor8ktUeG. Also on Sunday, at 15th Street Station, a man was robbed at gunpoint an incident Bervine said was "overshadowed" by the amount of crime SEPTA saw over the weekend. And at the end of the fiscal year, he had earned $212,000 altogether. SEPTA officials said Adams knew the woman in the attack and that she reported the incident to authorities. Read what they think about their salaries on our Compensation FAQ page for , Get started with your Free Employer Profile, Bus Operator salaries - 36 salaries reported, Project Engineer salaries - 9 salaries reported, Project Manager salaries - 8 salaries reported, Transportation Manager salaries - 7 salaries reported, Bus Driver salaries - 7 salaries reported, Signal Maintainer salaries - 7 salaries reported, Engineer I salaries - 7 salaries reported, Assistant Conductor salaries - 7 salaries reported, Railroad Conductor salaries - 6 salaries reported, Maintenance Custodian salaries - 6 salaries reported, Locomotive Engineer salaries - 5 salaries reported, Customer Service Representative salaries - 5 salaries reported, Operations Manager salaries - 5 salaries reported, Assistant Director salaries - 4 salaries reported, Senior Project Engineer salaries - 4 salaries reported, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. / CBS Philadelphia. Salary information comes from 1 data point collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 24 months. Septa. In a series of public hearings, one of the solutions mentioned was to create a professional transit police force. But workers like Berardi handle sensitive maintenance on SEPTAs Market-Frankford Line cars. SEPTA Police Jobs Contact Transit Police Emergency Phone: (215) 580-8111 Non-Emergency Phone: (215) 580-4487 Administrative Phone: (215) 580-3641 Emergency Call Boxes in subway stations also put you in immediate contact with Transit Police.