Leaders of Transport Workers Union Local 234 – which represents thousands of SEPTA operators, mechanics and others – sent a strong message to the transit agency warning that a strike could happen at any time.
“The patience is over. A strike is imminent. It’s going to happen today. It’s going to happen tomorrow and there will be support,” John Samuelsen, international president of the TWU, said on Friday, Dec. 5.
As detailed by NBC10’s news gathering partner, KYW Newsradio, contract talks ended abruptly last week when union officials walked out of negotiations.
Members of the union unanimously voted to authorize a strike on Sunday, Nov. 16 as the union seeks a new contract.
SEPTA and the union have been working to finalize a new two-year contract and one major sticking point, union leaders said, was how the mass transit providers handles sick pay for workers.
Another reported sticking point is how the pension fund is being managed.
The union noted that its members have been working without a contract with SEPTA since Nov. 7, 2025, when the union’s previous agreement with the transit agency expired.
“SEPTA is committed to engaging in good-faith negotiations to reach an agreement on a contract that is fair to our hard-working employees as well as the taxpayers and fare-paying riders who fund SEPTA,” a spokesperson for the transit agency wrote in a statement. “Our negotiators are ready to resume talks, and we urge TWU representatives to return to the bargaining table so that we can reach an agreement without disrupting service for our riders.”
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