SEPTA reached a tentative, three-year contract with its police union Wednesday, avoiding a possible work stoppage during Philadelphia's event-filled summer. 

More than 200 SEPTA police officers, represented by the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge No. 109, have been working without a contract since March 31. The conditional agreement must be ratified by the union's members and the SEPTA Board.

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The deal includes a 5% salary increase in the first year and 3.5% raises in the second and third years, the Inquirer reported.

A union ratification vote is scheduled Thursday, and SEPTA's board likely will consider it next week.

"I want to thank the negotiators on both sides for their tireless efforts and professionalism throughout this bargaining process," SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said in a statement Wednesday. "The SEPTA Board looks forward to considering the agreement following the ratification process."

Earlier this month, the union said negotiations had "reached an impasse" that made a strike "increasingly likely." The union had authorized a strike in February.

Union President Omari J. Bervine had said the union was willing to surrender its right to walk off the job if SEPTA agreed to a binding arbitration process, in which a neutral third-party decides the contract terms. The union said that a state mediator had been assisting in negotiations since January.

On Wednesday, Bervine thanked SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer for helping the two parties reach a resolution.

"The safety and security of our riders and employees is SEPTA's top priority and that starts with the hard work of our Transit Police officers," Sauer said in a statement. "We are pleased to have a tentative agreement that is fair to our current officers and we will continue to make a career with the SEPTA Transit Police attractive to new recruits."

SEPTA police last went on strike for three days in 2023 over the length of their contract before Gov. Josh Shapiro stepped in to expedite contract talks. The union also held strikes in 2019 and 2012.