SEPTA contract talks continue as strike looms in Philadelphia

Bus, trolley and subway operators in Philadelphia have been working without a contract since last Thursday.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024
SEPTA contract talks continue as strike looms
Bus, trolley and subway operators in Philadelphia have been working without a contract since last Thursday.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Talks resume Tuesday between SEPTA and its largest workers union, Transit Workers Union Local 234, in hope of preventing a strike.

Representatives were at the bargaining table for several hours on Monday.

Bus, trolley and subway operators in Philadelphia have been working without a contract since last Thursday.

RELATED | SEPTA Strike Guide 2024: What to know if workers hit the picket line

Wage increases remain a sticking point.

Right now, however, SEPTA is reportedly not offering any increases.

Last week, the union said that if SEPTA fails to meet its demands, members "will be on the picket line by the end of the month."

That's about 4,500 people who could go on strike.

Meanwhile, SEPTA's suburban drivers union authorized a strike on Friday. Their contract expires on November 18.

SEPTA is not the only agency facing strikes around the city. AFSCME District Council 33, Philadelphia's largest union for city employees, is voting on whether to authorize a strike.

That union has been operating without a contract since the summer. Voting is set to end on November 13.

Action News was told that union leaders are in contact with one another, and a simultaneous strike may be possible.

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