The rank and file membership of the Port Authority’s transit union have rejected the contract proposal that was presented as a tentative agreement last week. The law creating the Port Authority–the Second Class County Port Authority Act of 1965, which is codified in PS 55--states that “The authority through its boards shall deal with and enter into written contracts with the employes of the authority through accredited representatives of such employes or representatives of any labor organization authorized to act for such employes concerning wages, salaries, hours, terms and conditions of employment, and pension or retirement provisions”.
So if one party rejects a contract proposal, there is language in the act allows for binding arbitration, if both parties agree, as well as neutral fact finding, which can be requested by either party (the board or the union). A search of the PA Labor Relations Board record of fact finding reports (available back to 2011) shows that the most recent Port Authority related fact finding report involved a dispute with Port Authority police in 2014.
