Public transit services came to a grinding halt on Tuesday as workers went on strike. The main issues of the strike involve wages, pensions and health benefits.
Although talks were held between the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and Transport Workers Union Local 234, they were ultimately unsuccessful. The workers union walked out at midnight, with the strike starting at 3AM. Although negotiations began last week, the workers union agreed to delay the proceedings until after the World Series games concluded.
According to Mayor Michael Nutter's spokesperson, Luke Butler, the mayor considers the strike request quite unreasonable.
"At a time when Philadelphians are losing their jobs and taking furlough days, it's outrageous for the union to walk out of these talks because the pay increase was not enough," said Butler. "There was a reasonable deal on the table."
4,700 workers are affected by the strike. Meanwhile over 800,000 people were forced to find alternate methods of transportation.
