Will union workers at Erie Wabtec strike? Or will their bargaining team reach a tentative contract with the company?  With less than a week to go before the current contract expires, that's the big question.

Members of UE 506 filed in to Iroquois High School Auditorium on Saturday morning for an update on the negotiations.

Then they had a two hour window to take a strike authorization vote.

According to social media posts, they voted overwhelmingly to authorize their executive board to take whatever action is necessary, even calling a strike if a tentative contract isn't reached by midnight on June 9th.

The union says it's got a long way to go to reach agreement on issues including a pay hike, wage progression for new hires, and the right to strike over grievances.

Wabtec issued a new proposal Friday offering two 2% wage increases over the life of a contract and two 15-hundred dollar lump sum payments.

It's back to the bargaining table next week.