Posts tagged PHILADELPHIA
SEPTA strike averted after workers’ union, transit agency reach new contract
December 10, 2025 // The Philadelphia-based transit authority and TWU Local 234 tentatively agreed to a new contract Monday to stave off what could have been a devastating strike for thousands of riders. TWU Local 234 members have been working without a contract since Nov. 7, and members voted to authorize a strike last month. The union, the largest representing SEPTA employees, serves 5,000 subway, trolley and bus operators and mechanics.
SEPTA and union workers continue contract negotiations as strike threat looms
December 4, 2025 // If a deal can't be met, John Samuelsen, international president of TWU, warned that a strike could "shut Philly down." "We all authorize a strike," SEPTA body mechanic Lyle Smith said last month. "If it happens, it happens. Sorry for the public, but we gotta do what we gotta do for our families."
SEPTA union members vote to authorize strike
November 18, 2025 // SEPTA union members on Sunday voted to authorize a strike as Transport Workers Union Local 234 works to negotiate a new contract. Union leaders say, however, that the authorization vote does not mean that a walkout will start immediately – it's simply being used as leverage in negotiations. The possibility of a walkout adds to the ongoing challenges that the transit authority has faced in recent months. TWU Local 234 represents approximately 5,000 SEPTA employees, including bus, train and trolley operators, mechanics, maintenance staff, cashiers and custodians; its previous contract with the transportation authority expired on Nov. 7.
Appellate court rules against Post-Gazette
November 13, 2025 // The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit seeking to enforce an earlier federal labor board ruling against the newspaper, and as a strike against the company has passed the three-year mark. If the ruling is allowed to stand, the company said in a statement issued Monday evening that the decision “will likely force the closure of the Post-Gazette — ending nearly 240 years of continuous service to the people of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
Red Cup clapback: Pa. Starbucks workers to strike
November 11, 2025 // Starbucks baristas from across Pennsylvania, and the country, are kicking off the coffee company’s holiday season with a one-day strike on Thursday, which coincides with its annual “Red Cup Day.” According to the Associated Press, Red Cup Day is one of Starbucks’ busiest days of the year, when it distributes free, reusable red coffee cups to customers.
Wyndham Hotel workers go on strike amid contract negotiations in Center City
November 11, 2025 // Workers are pushing for higher wages, better staffing levels, and improvements to both health care and pension plans.
Penn security guards’ union prepares strike authorization if new ‘fair’ contract is not reached
October 28, 2025 // On Monday, members of SEIU 32BJ plan to rally across Philadelphia — including at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — culminating in a 3:30 p.m. press conference on Temple University’s main campus. The union wrote in an Oct. 26 press release that it was prepared to "authorize a strike” if a contract with “livable wages” is not negotiated “immediately.” Allied Universal — the world’s largest security contractor and the third largest private employer in North America — reported more than $20 billion in annual revenue last year.
Top teachers union invites pro-violence activists to shape public school curricula
October 23, 2025 // Many of the Rethinking Schools and Zinn Education Project materials promoted by the NEA explicitly target younger children. The NEA, for instance, on its official Instagram page, highlighted the work of Zinn Education Project fellow and third-grade teacher Sundjata Sekou, who hosts “racial literacy circles” where his fellow elementary educators discuss “cultivating genius in black and brown children.” Additionally, the Zinn Education Project has published reams of educational material aimed at teaching elementary school students about climate change, racism in America’s founding, and feminism, among other topics.
Marriott, Hilton workers strike in Philadelphia
October 7, 2025 // Union employees at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown and the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City are calling for higher pay and improved benefits.
Frozen feud: How Trump and the Supreme Court helped put historic Whole Foods union bid on ice
October 7, 2025 // When the NLRB will regain members depends on how quickly the Republican-led U.S. Senate moves to confirm two nominees picked by Trump in July, Boeing's chief labor counsel and an NLRB career staffer. A Senate committee is set to hold hearings on Trump's nominees on Wednesday. An NLRB spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about the delays. William Cowen, the board's acting general counsel, in an August press release addressing efforts in several states to pass new labor protections said the agency's work has "largely been unaffected" by the lack of quorum.