SEPTA

The six-day stoppage of mass transit in Philadelphia is over, as SEPTA and the state reach an agreement with the leadership of the Transit Workers Union Local 234.

Yesterday, several representatives from the Unified Taxi Workers Alliance, Philadelphia Student Union, Philadelphia Joint Board/Workers United, Casino-Free Philadelphia, and the Media Mobilizing Project visited SEPTA workers, who have gone on strike to demand a fair contract. To show support and solidarity, we visited several picket locations across the city, including 58th and Vine, 69th and Market, Bridge and Pratt, and 49th and Woodland, and spoke with members of TWU Local 234 to get the real story.

So, there's a SEPTA strike. Yes, it's inconvenient for a lot of people, me included. So what's everyone's response? Some version of "I hate SEPTA" or "I hate the workers" or something like that.

5,500 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 went on strike at 3AM Tuesday morning crippling SEPTA. Transit workers decided to strike as SEPTA is not offering enough in salary increases and pension benefits at the negotiating table.

On Sunday October 25, members of the Transit Workers Union, TWU Local 234,voted to authorize a strike, due to stalled contract negotiations with SEPTA. TWU Local 234, which represents 4,700 workers in the city, has been operating without a contract since March of 2009. As a TWU flyer explains, SEPTA management has rejected any salary increases for workers for the next five years even though SEPTA ridership is up 30 percent and the transit authority has received increased funding from both the commonwealth and the Federal government. The authorization of a strike comes one week before the first World Series game in Philadelphia On October 31.