When it comes to the real work that needs to be done on the floor, overtime always seems to be limited., SEPTA: Dire finances prevent agency from paying out COVID death benefits. June 16, 2022 . For veteran officers, the rate for pay bumps is also being accelerated. Eltor Sumpter, also earned about as much or more than the top transit law enforcement official. The agency is mulling massive service cuts and recently declined to pay out additional death benefits to workers that succumbed to the virus. Heres a look at why Philadelphias transit system has a separate police force, and the issues theyve been facing. Before the pandemic, during a typical year, SEPTA officials said the number of officers has been closer to 220 or 230. Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh has lately pressured SEPTA to make the changes necessary to fill out its transit police force. Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter to get everything you need to know about Philadelphia, every day. (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. Know Your Worth. / CBS Philadelphia. Yet nearly half of these 800 employees earned more than 50% of their base pay in overtime, and about 45 men earned as much or considerably more than their annual salary. In 2015, the agency settled a class-action lawsuit for $13.1 million over claims the agency had forced employees to perform pre-shift work without compensation. Emergency Call Boxes in subway stations also put you in immediate contact with Transit Police. READ MORE: Reports of aggravated assault and robbery on SEPTA soared during the pandemic as ridership fell. Robberies and aggravated assaults were up 80% from 2019 to 2021, according to the Inquirer, despite or perhaps furthered by a sharp decline in ridership during the pandemic. Transit Police Officers are responsible for policing the entire regional SEPTA system, covering an area of five Pennsylvania counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) and three states (Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania). "SEPTA is among the lowest paying full-time police jobs in the area.". SEPTA: Dire finances prevent agency from paying out COVID death benefits. 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The community relies on everyone sharing. Glassdoor provides our best prediction for total pay in today's job market, along with other types of pay like cash bonuses, stock bonuses, profit sharing, sales commissions, and tips. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Over the last year, SEPTA has hired unarmed guards and social outreach workersto monitor its facilities and work with vulnerable populations on trains. The transit authority has also teamed up officers with social workers in an effort to help individuals from vulnerable populations to seek housing, help with addiction and mental health services. Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time. In 2016, Nestel introduced body cameras to SEPTAs police force, to make good cops great cops and make the rest of them follow the rules., Love Philly? 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. WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. 2023 Flower Show Weekend Extra Regional Rail Train Service, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Serving Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Rookies who have graduated from the police academy will earn $62,387 before overtime, up from $49,387, under an agreement between SEPTA management and the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109. There are three patrol districts, allowing officers to easily respond to emergencies while empowering them to quickly make decisions and address local issues. Septa employees with the job title Bus . It is this scarcity of officers that makes it possible for a woman to be harassed for the entire length of our Market-Frankford (El) Line, then eventually raped without encountering a single police officer until the end of the line, Bervine wrote. He added that police-recruiting difficulty has also strained the forces manpower, resulting in more overtime claims. Expect a more slimmed down Santa Express train from SEPTA this year. Our view on the issue, we come from a framework where we dont believe that more police and investing more money and funding into police is going to solve the issue of safety aboard SEPTA, said Yasha Zarrinkelk, manager of the advocacy coalition Transit Forward Philadelphia. 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. Last month, SEPTA and the union for SEPTAs transit police, FOP Lodge 109, reached an agreement to raise salaries, effective June 19. Its no secret to us that the top echelon of managers get more overtime, weve been seeing that and living that, he said. Investigates illegal or suspicious activities. Average Salaries at SEPTA Installation & Maintenance Signal Maintainer $33.48 per hour Mechanic $27.59 per hour Maintenance Person $33.07 per hour Project Management Project Engineer $76,191 per year Project Manager $83,851 per year Program Manager $108,277 per year Driving Bus Driver $20.73 per hour Truck Driver $30.41 per hour Driver 80. He said officials response in the past had often been to blame a few bad apples and move on. Maintains surveillance of individuals or establishments, records information about suspicious objects. (Kaminski was recently promoted to director of maintenance.) Managed vacation time is pretty generous., Learn How to State Your Case and Earn Your Raise, Climb the Ladder With These Proven Promotion Tips, A Guide to Negotiating the Salary You Deserve, How to Prepare for Your Interview and Land the Job. In April 2021, it entered a $1.5 million agreement with Allied Universal Security Services. Nestel informed SEPTA a week prior that he intended to retire after the holiday, agency spokesperson Andrew Busch said, but there were rumors hed been given an ultimatum to step away from the position and public pressure had been building. Busch defended the overtime payments, asserting that all three were charged with mission- critical maintenance roles, and that SEPTAs seniority rules meant veteran employees, like the trio, got first dibs. Michael Tanenbaum Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby discusses the change in tune as city leaders look to refund the police amid nationwide crime spike. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY. Please give today. All rights reserved. Published Jun 14, 2022. 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.. . To attract qualified candidates and to ensure our employees are fairly compensated, we strive to offer competitive compensation for the work our State Troopers do. Rookies who have graduated from the police academy will . Amid a public outcry about increased crime and antisocial behavior on the region's public transit system and difficulty recruiting and hiring candidates for SEPTA's police force, the transit agency has agreed to raise starting pay for officers a stunning 25%. According to SEPTA, the department is down 50 transit officers. 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. Ridership and revenue are both way down and the agency is considering service cuts. On the maintenance side, he said a string of maintenance crises and extreme weather incidents had necessitated the divisions overtime use. Septa pays its employees an average of $27.63 an hour. City Council is scheduled to hold a May 3 hearing on SEPTA's budget. How much does Septa pay? that they couldnt really afford to pay a death benefit to each of the families who lost someone. They reached agreement on raises after about six weeks of talks. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The perennial child pleaser is 31 years old, but will only run on the Broad Street line this year. The estimated total pay for a Septa Police Officer at Septa is $60,798 per year. Subscribe for the why behind this story and others that matter in the Philly region. Nearly 260 sworn officers serve and protect within the 2,200 square-mile SEPTA service area. A 29-year-old man was stabbed in the arm at Suburban Station during a confrontation during the early morning hours on Saturday. "Maybe a little bit safer, but I mean I wish that the whole city changes to make things better and not just police officers," one rider said. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. Average SEPTA Police Officer yearly pay in Philadelphia is approximately $50,000, which is 8% below the national average. For now, SEPTA police inspector Charles Lawson is stepping in as acting chief. Jobs at SEPTA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy SEPTA currently requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination at their pre-employment medical appointment Search by Specialty Transportation Transportation Skilled Trades Skilled Trades Professional Professional Entry Level Entry Level Support Support View All Jobs June 15, 2022 / 5:00 AM Legal Statement. Average daily ridership now hovers at about 53% of pre-COVID levels, or roughly 520,000 passengers. He threatened to withhold $10 million from the $100 million City Council gives SEPTA in order for changes to be made. The SEPTA Police Department offers an excellent benefits package, and a starting salary of $43,856 for Academy recruits. But the overtime money was not distributed equally, with fully half of all OT payments going to just 800 employees, or less than 10% of SEPTAs 9,200-strong workforce. He landed the top job at SEPTA after being Upper Morelands police chief for 5 years, and before that he served 22 years in the Philadelphia Police Department. In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reporters Ryan Briggs with WHYYs PlanPhilly and Michaela Winberg with WHYYs Billy Penn uncovered this troubling pattern, which stands in stark relief next to SEPTAs recent statement it cant afford to pay additional death benefits to families of workers who died of COVID-19. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic, Visible Intermodal Protection Enforcement Response, which is meant to reduce violent crimes on transportation, Special Operations Response Team, which handles specialized situations like armed hijackings and chemical terrorism, the criminal investigations squad, which investigates anything nefarious on SEPTA property. Hourly pay at Septa ranges from an average of $18.44 to $41.41 an hour. According to the data, here are the city's top five highest paid employees: Sam Gulino - Medical Examiner - $260,730 Richard Ross - Police Commissioner - $240,000 Albert Chu - Deputy Medical. Charles Cole Credit: Courtesy SEPTA. Some riders question if this is the best way to do that. And I think there are workers at SEPTA [who] wonder am I getting screwed over so that a manager can can get rich off of the system that doesnt really work in the favor of the average employee? Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? It is slightly less than the . And he earned $116,000 in overtime, which is more than his annual salary. Transit Police did. Copyright 2008-2023, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. TDD/TTY: (215) 580-7853. An entry-level SEPTA transit police officer will earn about $46,000 per year, a salary that increases to just more than $49,000 after graduation from the police academy. Its how we live. He said his organization applauds SEPTAs recent efforts to engage social workers. In recent years, Nestel pulled back from fare evasion to concentrate on issues considered more serious and useful to system-wide safety, and repurposed the hashtag to those pursuits. These plans have no employee annual premium contribution: SEPTA is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. Two other SEPTA cops, Officer Floyd Whitaker and Sgt. SEPTA has been sued in the past for refusing to pay out overtime. Visit PayScale to research Septa salaries, bonuses, reviews, benefits, and more! 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. The average Septa hourly pay ranges from approximately $17 per hour for a Customer Service Representative to $50 per hour for an Operations Manager. FOTP Lodge 109 leaders sought a meeting with SEPTA management to discuss pay earlier in the spring. The salary trajectory of a Septa Police Officer ranges between locations and employers. Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes not that were counting. I talked to Robert Strauss about this. Officers routinely patrol SEPTA vehicles and stations. Aug 3, 2021 #SEPTA is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect wanted in an assault of a SEPTA employee. 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. In the mid-1960s and late 1970s, the transit authority saw spikes in safety problems and complaints on the subway, according to SEPTAs own historical account. Upon completion of this training, they will attend in-service training and orientation. Interviews witnesses to obtain information about incidents. The average Sheriff/Police Chief salary in Berlin, NJ is $122,555 as of January 26, 2023, but the range typically falls between $115,725 and $130,001. The union that represents SEPTA workers fought for a $500,000 death benefit a payout that New Yorks MTA provided over the summer. January 13, 2021 / 10:06 AM / CBS Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Seven members of the SEPTA Police are under investigation after they attended last week's pro-Trump rally in Washington,. On the amount of overtime some SEPTA managers are taking home. That leaves 150 to 160 patrol personnel, he said, and many of them are assigned to specialized units rather than to walk beats. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The union for SEPTA's transit police has sent a third letter to the agency's board chairman and general manager about the need to hire more officers. 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. The fundraiser aims to raise $1,000 to help pay for SEPTA Key cards for asylum-seekers who recently arrived in Philadelphia from Texas. for the next Police Academy class starting in July 2023. The SEPTA police are commissioned by the Pennsylvania governor, and when its fully staffed its the fifth largest police department in the state, according to the agency. My hope is that they take a real good look at the top of the SEPTA pyramid, their policies, Coyne said. This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community. The first SEPTA Transit Police Department class started training in February 1981, and ended with 55 new officers. But some of the top earners were not workers responding to emergencies on the tracks, but rather the frontline managers who supervise those laborers. A SEPTA spokesperson says this increase shows SEPTA is committed to doing everything it can to make the system safe. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Prepares investigation or incident reports. Copyright 2008-2023, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. Financial records obtained by PlanPhilly and Billy Penn showed spending patterns that experts say raise serious questions about oversight, echoing a similar payroll scandal that rocked New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority with federal investigations, internal audits and ongoing political battles. This arrangement has allowed a cadre of mid-level construction and maintenance managers to catapult their salaries to among the highest in the organization. Municipal finance experts say that, generally, overtime claims in excess of 20% of a base salary indicate a systemic problem. 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. Title: Subway . 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. CBS3's Jan Carabeo contributed to this report. Nestel is a fourth-generation police officer. Veteran transit officers also will see higher wages, officials said, but the rate of increase will be slower. All tips can be kept confidential. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. The chief coined the hashtag #cheesesandwich (a reference to the meal served in a jail holding cell), which he used on Twitter when posting pictures of people caught trying to ride for free. And now were seeing this sketchy [overtime] system where theyre paying out excessive amounts to a handful of employees. This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community.