PHILADELPHIA (AP) – With a strike deadline nearing, negotiations continued late Monday between the city’s main transit agency and a union representing about 4,700 workers amid fears a prolonged walkout could keep some residents from the polls on Election Day.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it hoped union negotiators would remain at the bargaining table past the midnight Monday deadline if necessary and, if so, workers would remain on the job.
SEPTA spokeswoman Carla Showell-Lee said that while talks were progressing, “there are still many unresolved issues.”
“We have a few hours left, and the bottom line is both sides are communicating, and whenever you’re talking, that’s a good step in the right direction,” she said.
At the same time, SEPTA encouraged transit riders to prepare for a possible major disruption of service Tuesday.