PENNSYLVANIA Turnpike 'running smooth' despite strike, officials say

For the fourth straight day, cars paid a flat rate of $2.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Pennsylvania Turnpike officials reported no significant backups at toll plazas on Sunday, one of the busiest travel days of the year, despite the absence of hundreds of unionized toll collectors who have been on strike since Wednesday.
Managers and several dozen replacement toll takers were able to staff "about 96 percent" of the toll lanes that are normally staffed on the weekend, according to Turnpike Commission spokesman Bill Capone.
For the fourth straight day, the Turnpike also collected a flat $2 fee for cars, meaning that the replacement collectors didn't have to make change.
"It's been really running smooth tonight," Capone said Sunday evening. "To be honest, under normal circumstances, we would see backup at certain interchanges on a big travel day like today. And it hasn't happened this year."
No talks scheduled
There haven't been any formal talks between the commission and the three unions representing Turnpike workers since Wednesday evening, and none are scheduled, Capone said. Some 80 percent of the workers on strike make about $50,000 a year with overtime, officials have said.
A message posted on Teamsters Local 77 Web site said that, nevertheless, "progress is slowly being made between both parties." It urged workers to stay united.
While the strike may not be disrupting drivers, it is costing the Turnpike heavily. The commission said it normally collects between $1.7 million and $2 million in tolls per day, although some of that is being offset by the $2 fees.