Elevator goes on strike as SEPTA officials resolve transportation strike November 11, 2009

Many Philadelphians were dismayed as they awoke to find subway entrances gated and bus stops vacant on Tuesday, November 3.

All SEPTA transportation modes, with the exception of the regional rail lines and busses served by the Frontier District, were shut down completely at 3 a.m.

The transportation halt, brought about by the Transportation Workers Union Local 234 strike, inconvenienced thousands of SEPTA riders that day and the five days following.

As a result, many of those riders were late to work, classes, doctor appointments and jury duty. Some were completely unable to make it to work while others missed their scheduled appointments and college classes.

TWU Local 234 and SEPTA finally came to an agreement to end the strike on November 9, after six days of negotiations. But the announcement of the strike’s end did not come before a couple of SEPTA chiefs got a small taste of their own medicine.

Just before 11 p.m. on November 9, SEPTA GM Joe Casey and TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown along with Mayor Michael Nutter, Gov. Ed Rendell and Rep. Bob Brady appeared at the Bellevue Hotel on South Broad Street for a press conference to announce the end of the six day strike.

But the press conference did not begin precisely at 11 p.m. As the men traveled to the hotel lobby for the conference, they were delayed by one of the hotel’s elevators, which malfunctioned.

The elevator doors would not open, and the men were stuck inside until maintenance personnel responded to the situation and pried the doors open with a crowbar.

Apparently, the Bellevue elevators decided to strike against SEPTA, too.

To read more about this account and see pictures of the conference, visit Albert Yee’s original post at SEPTAfail.com.