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 newsgathering partner, KYW Newsradio, contract talks ended abruptly last week when union officials walked out of negotiations.
As of Sunday morning, no new meetings between the two sides had been held and none are yet planned.
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.
The largest workers union for SEPTA warns that a strike could happen at any moment. NBC10’s Kelsey Kushner reports.
“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.”
How would SEPTA service change if a strike happens?
There are four SEPTA unions that are currently working on an expired contract: SEPTA TWU Local 234, SMART 1594, Victory District, and TWU 234 Frontier District.
SEPTA released new information about how services will change for riders if a strike happens.
All of metro will shut down meaning no subway or trolley lines will run.
Nearly all of the bus routes will stop except for the Lucy Gold and the Lucy Green lines while the Horsham Loop will be on a modified schedule.
The Regional Rail lines will still be running but not all of them will continue to operate as normal with some being on modified schedules.
Officials are warning riders that SEPTA.org, the SEPTA app and other schedule tracking tools may not be accurate during a strike.