SEPTA Strike Over
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The headache is over. SEPTA and TWU Local 234 announced a tentative five-year contract Monday morning that will bring 4,700-plus employees back to work and end a six-day strike that shut down the City Transit Division.
A vote is set for Friday, November 18 to ratify the contract. TWU members will cast secret ballots at depots and worksites across the city.
"This is a contract with many important gains, especially on pension benefits and a host of non-economic issues effecting the working conditions and job security of our members," said TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown. "As everyone with experience in collective bargaining knows, we didn't get everything we wanted -- but we came a long way from where we were prior to the strike. We made gains in pensions and wages, and minimized out-of-pocket healthcare expenses at a time when health care costs are soaring, while maintaining excellent medical coverage for our members and their families."
Service is resuming gradually throughout the day. SEPTA commuters are encouraged to check their specific route and plan to commute using alternate plans this morning.
All service is expected to be back to normal by Tuesday morning.
"We worked day and night at the bargaining table in an attempt to finalize a new contract over the past week," Brown said. "We settled just hours before facing the possibility of a back-to-work court-ordered injunction. We ultimately prevailed because our members were determined and united from beginning to end."
The strike caused a nearly week-long traffic nightmare that brought major delays to Philadelphia as city buses, subways and trolleys were halted by the walkout of nearly 5,000 workers.
Regional Rail trains were the only means of transportation in the city but they quickly became overcrowded and delayed as SEPTA riders scrambled for an alternative mode of transportation.
Meanwhile, traffic in the city came to a crawl during the morning and afternoon rush due to more cars on the road.
Friday afternoon, SEPTA announced it filed a lawsuit in seeking an injunction to end the strike.
Leaders of TWU authorized the strike in mid-October and followed through with it moments after their current contract expired at midnight October 31.
Pension and health benefits were the top priorities for TWU as negotiations took place at the Sheraton.
SEPTA released a contingency plan so riders would be prepared, but the delays proved there was no good solution.
If the strike had not been resolved by Election Day, experts speculated it would have a big impact on the election as many voters would not be able to get to the polls.
SEPTA released a statement saying they planned to seek to enjoin the strike for November 8 to ensure that the strike did not prevent any voters from getting to the polls.
Mayor Jim Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf also released statements about the strike, but both admitted their roles were limited in what could be done to end it as SEPTA is a private company.
Those leaders, as well as everybody who lives and works in Philadelphia are likely breathing a sigh of relief.
The last SEPTA strike in 2009 lasted six days.