PHILADELPHIA — Commuter rail service in the Philadelphia area was restored early Sunday, hours after workers returned to their jobs following a brief strike that was ended when President Obama intervened.
Jerri Williams, spokeswoman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, said all workers scheduled for morning shifts Sunday showed up and some train lines with early starts were rolling before 5 a.m.
The strike began after negotiations between the transit authority and its engineers and electricians unions failed to reach a new contract deal Friday. It shut down 13 train lines that carry commuters from Philadelphia to the suburbs, Philadelphia International Airport, and New Jersey.
Obama on Saturday granted Governor Tom Corbett’s request to create a presidential emergency board to mediate the contract dispute, forcing the 400 union workers to go back. Obama ordered the establishment of the three-member board effective at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and called for ‘‘a swift and smooth resolution.’’
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers president Terry Gallagher said Obama’s intervention was ‘‘what we were waiting for.’’ Workers are seeking raises of at least 14.5 percent over five years, about 3 percentage points more than the transit authority has offered.