“I’m tired of talking and we’re about to start walking,” TWU Local 234 President Will Vera said Friday.
Union members have been working without a contract since Nov. 7 and authorized a strike last month. The union represents 5,000 bus, subway and trolley operators and mechanics.
“If things don’t go the way it needs to go, on behalf of my members, we will be striking,” Vera said.
The two sides were reportedly negotiating as recently as earlier Friday, but late afternoon, TWU Local 234 leadership held a press conference to declare a strike call to action.
Union leadership warned a strike is imminent if SEPTA doesn’t come back to the table with “reasonable and fair offers to their demands.”
TWU’s national leadership said Saturday morning that the strike was still “imminent” but that workers were not yet on strike.
Negotiations have been ongoing between SEPTA and TWU Local 233 for weeks. Union members have been working without a deal for about three weeks.
At the center of the dispute are better wages and sick pay, pension increases and better health care.
The union also wants a two-year contract rather than going year to year, as they have been since 2023.
Talks recently got contentious with union leaders warning that if talks break down, a strike could “shut Philly down.”
Vera and national TWU Local 234 leaders issued a stark warning to SEPTA: workers are fed up and ready to hit the picket line.
“This is not the TWU. We’ve been patient. More patient than we’ve been in a long, long time,” John Samuelsen, international president of TWU, said. “The patience is over. A strike is imminent. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen. It may happen tonight. It may happen tomorrow. It’s imminent.”
If workers strike, bus, subway and trolley service across Philadelphia would shut down, disrupting commutes for thousands who rely on the system daily.
“As it gets colder, people are going to struggle getting to go buy groceries, get to their job, pay their bills,” said rider Allanah Nelligan. “It’s going to be hard to live without SEPTA and public transportation to get us around to where we need to be.”
SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch acknowledged that talks over the past two weeks have yielded little progress but said the transit agency is prepared to return to negotiations at any time.
“The tone can change pretty quickly if we get back to the table and talk through some issues,” Busch said. “SEPTA has real financial constraints, but we still think there’s room to reach a contract that’s fair to everyone.”
Before Friday, SEPTA officials had remained optimistic, saying they didn’t believe a strike was imminent.
