SEPTA?s largest union?s president, Willie Brown, toned down language late last week that the week before had indicated that a strike was likely. Now the union Local 234 president is saying that as long as there is progress the union will not strike. The statement was significant because the trigger for a strike was supposed to be the lack of a tentative agreement by the night of Sunday, April 6th, a deadline which passed without strike. SEPTA negotiators have said that they presented their final offer on Sunday night, but that the union has not responded. Wages and health-insurance premiums are the main sticking points, although Mr. Brown has also spoken out against the differences in retirement plans between management and hourly staff.
See "SEPTA union: No immediate talks planned, or strike", Paul Nussbaum, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 8, 2014