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After a ?Yes? vote to strike on Sunday unless an agreement was reached, the president of the Transit Worker Union Local 234, Willie Brown, said that he is hopeful that an agreement could be reached before the deadline. Mr. Brown only days earlier had stated that he believed that the SEPTA negotiators may be pushing the union to strike and that the members he represents were willing to take such an action. Mr. Brown also stated Thursday that the union was willing to go to binding arbitration to avoid a strike. A SEPTA spokesperson commented that the organization believed that rather than settle for a third party?s decision of what was best for union members, taxpayers, and the organization, the two parties should continue to bargain in good faith until the deadline. SEPTA has also stated that it believes that the union?s threat to strike doesn?t add anything positive to the negotiations.