Union members unanimously vote to authorize strike at SEPTA

Members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 voted unanimously to authorize a strike at SEPTA if no settlement is reached by midnight, Oct. 31.

The announcement came Sunday afternoon in a statement from Willie Brown, TWU President and head the union’s negotiating committee.

“Our members have spoken. We’ve been at the bargaining table for months, making positive and progressive proposals to address our members’ needs and move the authority forward, and yet we’ve been stonewalled by SEPTA management and their team of outside lawyers.”

Without an agreement by midnight on October 31, Local 234 members promise not report to work — bringing transit service to a halt in and around Philadelphia.

“Anyone using public transit late that evening — or anytime the following week — should be aware that SEPTA management is creating this inconvenience by failing to respond to our positive proposals at the bargaining table,” Brown said.

Union demands include addressing pension reform, health care, and scheduling and fatigue issues that cause safety issues for operators and passengers.

Local 234 represents more than 5,700 workers at SEPTA, as well as other Philadelphia-area employers.