A strike among SEPTA's unionized public transit workers in Pennsylvania could disrupt commutes starting Saturday.
According to Philly.com, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's Regional Rail trains carry roughly 126,000 riders a day, all of which would be affected by the complete stoppage that would occur upon the commencement of a strike.
"No one wants a work stoppage on our rails or buses, not the board or the employees of SEPTA, and most certainly not the riders," said Thomas Jay Ellis, a lawyer who represents the governor on the SEPTA board. "The governor understands that there are no winners should SEPTA engineers go out on strike."
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On Wednesday, it was announced that a federal mediator has asked the two sides to meet Friday at 10 a.m. in a last-ditch effort to resolve the contract dispute. The governor said he is also prepared to ask the Obama administration to appoint an emergency board to mediate the dispute for up to 240 additional days.
Driving the dispute between the state and the labor unions is the unions' request that the state's newly proposed contract wages and pension benefits be retroactive to the date their contracts expired.
Philadelphia magazine reported that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 744 represents 210 electrical workers whose contract expired in 2009, and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen represent 220 engineers whose contract expired in 2010.
Under the proposed contract, electrical workers pay would increase $3 to $29.50 an hour, on average. Electrical workers earn $55,120 a year on average. Engineers' wages would increase to roughly $32.50 an hour. Engineers average $95,290 a year, said SEPTA.
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