SEPTA, Union Reach Tentative Agreement On 1-Year Contract

PHILADELPHIA — An agreement has been reached between SEPTA and Transport Workers Union Local 234, avoiding a transit worker strike.

According to the union, the one-year contract provides a 5 percent raise and pension adjustments. It also includes safety improvements to better protect workers on the job.

The union celebrated the deal for not including any concessions to SEPTA over healthcare givebacks.

"Although these negotiations were tedious and it was a rumble, we made it happen," TWU Local 234 President Brian Pollitt said.

A ratification vote for the contract is set for Dec. 6.

"This is a massive win for Bus Operators, Subway Operators, Trolley Operators, Mechanics, Cashiers, Maintenance Workers, and Custodians across Philadelphia," TWU International President John Samuelsen said. "This victory was possible because of the TWU International and Local 234’s steadfast pursuit of contract fairness for Philadelphia’s transit workers. Now, the fight shifts to winning dedicated funding for transit in Pennsylvania, and we intend to work with Governor Josh Shapiro to make it happen. When the TWU works with our local affiliates to fightback against the bosses who seek to harm us – we win."

Scott Sauer, SEPTA's Chief Operating Officer, said at a news conference Wednesday that the agreement took around the clock work and good faith negotiations to be reached.

"This tentative agreement is both fair to our hardworking frontline employees and fiscally responsible to our customers and taxpayers that fund the authority," he said. "SEPTA's unprecedented fiscal crisis has made these negotiations particularly challenging, and thanks to the hard work that's done at the bargaining table, we've managed to avoid a strike."

Sauer said with the contract agreed upon, SEPTA can focus on securing funding as it faces a budgeting crisis.