SEPTA, TWU Local 234 reach tentative contract deal; no strike this holiday season

Tentative deal reached to avoid SEPTA strike

A tentative deal has been reached with SEPTA and its worker's union to avoid a strike with thousands of workers that would have also impacted Philly area public transportation during the holiday season.

PHILADELPHIA - Commuters across Philadelphia can breathe a sigh of relief in this latest round of SEPTA concerns: TWU Local 234 and SEPTA have reached a tentative agreement, preventing a system-wide strike that was set to begin today and would have disrupted transit for thousands across the city.

What we know:

Union leadership and SEPTA announced the tentative deal early Monday, ending days of uncertainty as the threat of a walkout loomed. The new agreement spans two years and includes:

• An across-the-board 3.5 percent wage increase in each year of the agreement
• A two-year contract rather than the one-year agreements reached in the recent past
• An increase in pension benefits
• An increase in night differential pay (not increased since 1995)
• An increase in the tool and clothing allowance
• Improvements to benefits for new employees, including vision and dental benefits, kicking in after 90 days rather than after 15 months of employment.

Officials say direct involvement from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro helped break a stalemate in negotiations and bring both sides to an agreement before a strike deadline.

A work stoppage would have created significant disruptions across Philadelphia’s bus and subway lines. More than 51,000 students rely on SEPTA daily, and schools had been preparing for delays and absences if a strike went forward.

The proposed contract now heads to union members for ratification.

What they're saying:

"I am very pleased that we were able to settle without a strike. Our members had worked without a contract for the past month. Patience was growing thin and management seemed unhurried. Usually, we would have been locked into a hotel until we got this done," said TWU Local 234 President Will Vera. "The Governor and his people got key people from both sides in the same room last night, stopped the run-around, got promises from both sides and we reached a deal. Without the Governor’s intervention we would have been on strike this morning."

"I would term this a retention contract," said Vera. "The improvements made will not only keep TWU members here for the long term, it also will make a SEPTA job attractive again. We want people to want to work here."

"Governor Shapiro kept everyone at the table over the weekend and as a result, both sides have reached a fair deal for the hardworking men and women who keep SEPTA running everyday, preventing service interruptions for the Philadelphia region," Gov. Shapiro Spokesperson Kayla Anderson said. "The Governor is going to continue to bring people together to get stuff done for the Commonwealth and support critical mass transit systems like SEPTA to ensure Pennsylvanians can safely get where they need to go."

What's next:

SEPTA service will continue to operate normally while union members review the tentative agreement and schedule a vote. If ratified, the contract will go into effect immediately.

Officials say they remain optimistic the deal will stabilize staffing, improve service reliability and avoid further labor disruptions.