SEPTA Narrowly Avoids Strike, Walkout Still Possible

Negotiations continue this week between SEPTA officials and union leaders.

1 minute read

December 9, 2025, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


White SEPTA streetcar traveling down wide street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with fall foliage on trees on either side of street.

Workers could still go on strike if further talks break down. | Krtz07 / Shutterstock

The union representing workers from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) agreed not to go on strike this week as labor negotiations with the agency continue, reports Rachel Moore for PHL17 News.

Union leaders met with SEPTA officials and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro over the weekend in a last-minute intervention that was “critical” to avoiding a strike. However, “both sides acknowledge that progress remains uncertain” as negotiations resume. “For now, service is running, but riders are watching closely, knowing the situation could shift at any moment.” 

The Philadelphia School District is bracing for a strike and weighing ways to adjust for the 50,000 students who depend on public transit. 

Monday, December 8, 2025 in PHL 17 News

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.