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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — SEPTA and its largest workers union announced Friday they have reached a tentative deal one-year deal on contract negotiations, avoiding a potential strike that would have impacted more than half a million Philadelphians.
“As I told you guys before, we wanted to lock in to try to reach a tentative agreement without striking, we did that today,” said TWU Local 234 President Brian Pollitt during a press conference.
While the full details have not been released, Pollitt confirmed its a “good deal,” adding that wage and benefit increases were agreed upon.
“There’s still some uncertainty, but we were able to get to an agreement,” added SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards.
The full details will be released after both boards ratify the contract.
Transport Workers Union Local 234’s current contract was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on October 31. A strike was authorized to happen on Wednesday, November 1, if a deal wasn’t reached.
TWU Local 234 is the largest bargaining union in SEPTA and represents 5,000 employees.
The new deal comes just a day after a bus driver was killed while on the job.
Bernard Gribbin, 48, from Abington, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed Thursday while driving a Route 23 bus in the city’s Germantown section. He was a 12-year employee of the transit agency.
Both sides say safety is one issue not addressed in the contract and that will continue to be discussed.
After the tragedy, in the midst of negotiations, both sides said they were motivated to get a deal done.
“We look forward to working closely with TWU moving forward on safety and security. If anything was learned over the last day and a half, is that we want to work together closer than ever to make sure that everybody is safe– all employees, all riders,” said Richards.
Roughly 650,000 Philadelphians ride SEPTA every day. A strike would have shut down bus, train and trolley service around the city, and thousands of Philadelphia students would have been impacted as well.
Leadership says it was determined to avoid that strike to continue service without disruption.
“Strike preparations can stop. The schools don’t have to worry about kids getting to school next week,” said Richards.
SEPTA says part of the reason this is only a one-year deal is because of an uncertain financial future. Leaders have alluded to a financial cliff approaching next spring. Still, Richards said SEPTA wanted to get a deal done for the union that falls within the confines of what the transportation system can do financially.
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