PHILADELPHIA – The possibility of a transit strike in Philadelphia could move a step closer this weekend, as members of SEPTA's largest union are scheduled to vote on a strike authorization.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234 announced that its members will meet on Sunday, November 16, at 11 a.m. to discuss the status of contract negotiations and cast votes on whether to grant union leadership the authority to call a strike.
The vote comes after the union’s contract with the transit agency expired on November 7. Since then, the approximately 5,000 members of TWU Local 234—including bus, subway, and trolley operators, as well as mechanics and staff—have been working without a collective bargaining agreement.
According to union leadership, the vote is a strategic step in the negotiation process rather than an immediate work stoppage.
"I want to emphasize that this is a strike authorization vote and not a vote to go on strike immediately," said TWU Local 234 President Will Vera Jr. in a statement. "We don’t want to go on strike."
Vera indicated that the duration of the new contract is a primary sticking point in the negotiations, which began in October.
"What we’re asking for at the bargaining table is very reasonable, including a two-year, rather than a one-year agreement," Vera stated. "But right now we are working without a contract and if there is no movement in our direction at the bargaining table a strike may prove necessary."
The meeting will be held at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall at 1311 S. Columbus Blvd. in South Philadelphia. Union officials are expected to address the media following the vote.
