SEPTA STRIKE OVER

CENTER CITY. Buses, subways and trolleys will be back up and running this morning for the city’s 450,000 daily riders after a settlement between SEPTA’s striking union and the transit agency was reached late last night.

The tentative agreement was reached after the sides worked out differences to a contract proposal that was originally agreed to with a handshake Saturday night, but only affirmed around 11 p.m. last night.

“This is a good contract,” said Gov. Ed Rendell. “[TWU Local 234 head] Willie Brown did his job. That’s the nature of collective bargaining.”

Rendell said that both sides had “fine tuned” smaller details in the contract surrounding health care yesterday after talks had broken down Saturday.

Brown said that his union will hold a ratification vote on the contract in about a week and a half.

“Everybody cooperated,” said U.S. Rep. Bob Brady. “There are times when personalities get involved and that’s a good thing.”

Earlier in the day when the strike’s second week seemed unavoidable, some union workers in Olney said they got paid Friday, easing the burden of uncertainty. But they still were concerned about the stalemate negotiators seemed mired in as news spread that the union had reneged on an earlier agreement.