SEPTA and Transport Workers Union Local 234, the transit agency’s largest workers union, reached a tentative two-year contract on Monday, NBC10 reported.

According to their coverage, roughly 5,000 SEPTA employees had been working without a contract since November 7 when their last contract expired. On November 16, TWU members voted to authorize a strike. 

The tentative deal avoids that strike and increases wages and the pay differential for night shifts. It also includes a temporary pension enhancement and a program designed to improve absence management, NBC10 said.

Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township mediated discussions over the weekend and was deemed “instrumental” in preventing the strike, TWU president Will Vera said.

“I want to thank Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to bring both sides together after talks broke down late last week,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. “These negotiations are difficult, and I thank everyone involved for their commitment to reaching an agreement while keeping service moving for SEPTA riders.”

The tentative agreement now goes to union members for ratification and then to the SEPTA Board for a vote on December 18, The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

NBC10’s video coverage is below:

Image: smart-union.org