A tentative deal is ending the strike by transit workers in Philadelphia:
While the agreement needs to be formally approved by SEPTA's board and union members, it means workers will return to their jobs during the day.
The city's mass transit system gradually returned to service Monday morning, with full service promised before Tuesday morning's commuters begin their treks to work — just in time for Election Day.
This is great news for voter turnout. We don’t yet know how good or bad the news is for workers, though apparently it’s good enough for union leadership to accept it:
Neither party would discuss the details of the agreement. Deon, who credited Evans with helping resolve the impasse, said SEPTA had the money in its budget to pay for the deal, and no new funds were needed. The agreement included wage increases over the next five years, an increase in employee contributions to health care coverage, and, in response to the issue that dominated the talks, a completely new way of calculating pensions, sources said.
Philadelphia voters who had been taking extra time to get to work without SEPTA can now use it to go vote.
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