UPDATE: Philadelphia Rail Strike Ends Hours After Starting, Obama Intervention Credited

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski

UPDATE: Philadelphia commuter rail workers have begun returning to their jobs following a brief strike that ended when President Barack Obama intervened. Train service is expected to resume within hours.

The strike began after the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and 400 engineers and electricians couldn't reach a contract deal Friday. It shut down 13 train lines connecting Philadelphia to the suburbs, Philadelphia International Airport and New Jersey.

Obama on Saturday created an emergency board to mediate the contract dispute.

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen vice president Stephen Bruno says his union's members are complying with the order to be back starting at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

SEPTA says rail service should be running around 6 a.m.

The workers want raises of at least 14.5 percent over five years, about 3 percentage points more than SEPTA has offered.

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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama is intervening to help resolve Philadelphia's commuter rail strike.

Obama granted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett's request to create a presidential emergency board to mediate the contract dispute between the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and its engineers and electricians unions.

Obama ordered the establishment of the three-member board effective at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. He called for "a swift and smooth resolution" of the dispute.

President Barack Obama waves to graduates before delivering the commencement address for the University of California, Irvine, Saturday, June 14, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (Image source: AP/Mark J. Terrill)

Corbett says the president's action will force workers to return to work immediately and both parties to continue negotiations.

More than 400 workers went on strike at midnight, and no talks were scheduled over the weekend.

Obama is giving the board 30 days to deliver a report recommending how the dispute should be resolved.

This story has been updated.

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