Sports

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Thousands will be filing to Philadelphia this weekend for Game 3 of the World Series, an Eagles game, a Pearl Jam concert and a visit from the President, but they may have a lot of walking to do.

SEPTA is warning millions of riders to prepare for a possible transit worker strike if an agreement cannot be reached by midnight.

SEPTA's largest union, Transport Workers Union Local 234, is going back to the bargaining table at 5 p.m. Without a new contract in place by 12:01 a.m. Saturday, union officials say they will strike.

TWU 234 represents roughly 5,000 SEPTA operators and mechanics. They operate the Broad Street Subway and Market-Frankford El trains, along with all city trolleys and buses.

"It's going to be tough," admitted SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey Thursday morning. "It's going to be tough for the region. It's going to be tough for our daily commuters."

Talks between SEPTA and union representatives continued behind closed doors at the Old City Holiday Inn Thursday, but a union spokesperson told Eyewitness News there are still several unresolved issues.

In the event of a strike, the El, subway, and all city buses and trolleys would stop running, along with SEPTA bus lines in Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties. Just the regional rail trains, the Norristown high speed line, the 101 and 102 Media and Sharon Hill trolleys and some Delaware County buses would continue service.

At the heart of the matter: wages, benefits and pensions.

Union officials say SEPTA is seeking a four-year contract with no raises the first two years followed by two percent raises in the third and fourth years. SEPTA also wants to freeze pension benefits and is asking workers to pay more toward health insurance.

SEPTA says commuters should prepare now and purchase regional rail tickets ahead of time. At Suburban Station Thursday, SEPTA had extra gear in place to accommodate potentially lengthy lines.

"It really will look bad," said SEPTA rider Kamena Payton. "New York will look better than us because they have transportation and we don't to get to the Phillies game."

There is also a Sixers game, the final concert at the Spectrum, and an Eagles-Giants game at the Sports Complex this weekend. Philadelphia Police say they will call in additional officers to direct traffic and are considering opening up parking lots at the Navy Yard to accommodate the extra influx of cars.

A spokesman for Governor Ed Rendell (D, Pa.) says he will get involved in negotiations if asked by either party. As of Thursday morning, that had not occurred.

Beyond the perception of a mass transit shutdown on the eve of the World Series, most transit riders say they're upset because strikes happen all too often at SEPTA.

"I think it's ridiculous that they would go on strike," said Shawn Gauthney of West Philadelphia. "The only people it hurts is the consumer, the millions of SEPTA riders."

DETAILS:

What SEPTA Service Will NOT Run?

-- Market-Frankford Line
-- Broad Street Line / Broad Ridge Spur
-- All City Transit Bus, Trolley and Trackless Trolley Routes (Routes 1-89, all lettered bus routes, Owl Service, and trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 and 36)
--Frontier Bus Routes (Routes 90-99, 124, 127-132, 134, 139, 150, 201, 206, 304)

What SEPTA Service WILL Run?

-- Regional Rail Trains
-- Some Suburban Transit (including Norristown High Speed Line and the 101 and 102 Trolley lines)
-- LUCY bus lines through University City
-- Paratransit

For full details of the Service Interruption Guide please visit http://www.septa.org/strike.

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