SEPTA Approves Contracts With 2 Unions

PHILADELPHIA — Two unions representing SEPTA workers have new contacts with the regional transit authority after SEPTA's board Thursday approved the labor agreements.

The board approved the new contracts with TWU Local 234 and SMART Local 1594. SEPTA and TWU Local 234 reached a tentative agreement about a month ago, averting a potential massive transit strike.

TWU Local 234 represents nearly 5,000 operators, mechanics, trade specialists, and maintenance employees in the City, Suburban, and Frontier Divisions, while SMART Local 1594 covers approximately 350 operators in the Victory Division.

Members from both unions voted to ratify the two-year agreements, which include wage increases and a temporary pension enhancement for employees who retire during the term of the contract, while maintaining healthcare and other benefits.

It also adds a program designed to improve absence management and increases the pay differential for night shifts, two measures that are expected to help SEPTA ensure it has adequate staffing available as it works to improve service reliability.

“I want to thank the SEPTA negotiating team and union leadership for engaging in good-faith discussions and reaching these agreements that averted a service interruption for our customers,” SEPTA Board Chairman Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr.. said. "These negotiations are never easy, and the uncertainty surrounding SEPTA’s future only added to the level of difficulty."

The SEPTA Board today also approved a new contract with the BLET, which represents Regional Rail engineers.

"These contracts are fair to our hard-working frontline employees and fiscally responsible to our riders and the taxpayers who fund SEPTA," SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said. "I am grateful to Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to help us resolve differences and reach an agreement. Securing two-year contracts provides important stability as we approach the major events coming to Philadelphia in 2026."