Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over, SEPTA is set to resume contract negotiation talks on Wednesday with members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 – which represents thousands of SEPTA operators, mechanics and others. The negotiations come after members of the union unanimously voted to authorize a strike as they seek a new contract with the mass transit provider. As detailed by NBC10’s news gathering partner, KYW Newsradio, contract talks ended abruptly last week when union officials walked out of negotiations. Union officials said, in a video posted online on Friday, that, one major sticking point that led to the walkout was pension contributions. “Yesterday, SEPTA refused to talk about pension,” said union president Will Vera in the online video. “And the hard part was this: they wanted us to sit there and believe that we did not have the right to speak to the people that are handling our pension.” He said union members contribute $13 million a year towards their pension fund and they “don’t trust” how the pension fund is being managed. “We don’t trust what they are doing with the money,” he said. Union officials have also said that workers have concerns about how SEPTA handles sick pay along with the rising costs of health care. But, SEPTA officials counter that talks have been productive and that both sides have been working in good-faith negotiations in order to come to an agreement on a new contract. For now, though union members have authorized a strike, the union hasn’t announced a plan to strike. But, Vera said, in the video, for members to be prepared. “Enjoy this holiday, next week I need you to prepare, as we prepare, to make our next move,” he said. Union members have been working without a contract with SEPTA since Nov. 7, 2025, when the union’s previous agreement with the transit agency expired. Last year, this union avoided going on strike by making a one-year deal with SEPTA. As noted by KYW NewsRadio, these talks come at a time as SEPTA may miss a new deadline to install thermal detector units on all of its Silverliner IV trains. SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch told the outlet that they were having trouble sourcing the wire needed for the sensors. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less