The week-long work stoppage that sidelined subways, trolleys, and buses and threatened to complicate a closely contested presidential election ended in the pre-dawn hours Monday as SEPTA and leadership for the Transportation Workers Union Local 234 reached a tentative five-year agreement on a new contract for 4,738 transit personnel. While the agreement needs to be formally approved by SEPTA's board and union members, it means workers will come back to their jobs today.
At an early morning news conference, SEPTA and the Transportation Workers Union Local 234 said the authority planned to gradually restore the city's mass transit throughout the day Monday, with full service restored before Tuesday morning's commuters begin their treks to work - just in time for Election Day. SEPTA anticipated the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line would be the first to return to service sometime in the late morning or early afternoon. Some of the busier bus routes would follow.
The strike is SEPTA's 12th since 1975. The most recent was in 2009, when the TWU also walked away from work for six days. With each strike, hundreds of thousands of people who rely on it every day are left scrambling for other modes of transportation. Aside from the inconvenience for workers, children have trouble getting to school, mobility for people with disabilities is severely hindered and people with illnesses must contend with more difficult trips to the hospital. All part of being a Philadelphian, officials said.
