|
|
|
Appetite for Destruction 2: The Countdown Continues
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
Appetite for Destruction 2: The Countdown Continues
Filed Under: News
Oh, awesome! Union negotiators have postponed talks until 5:30 this afternoon — six hours and 31 minutes before the strike deadline. SEPTA blames the delay on the union; the union isn't talking. Is the union is overselling its hand with this rather obvious ploy? The closer the strike gets, the more pressure SEPTA comes under to get something, anything, ironed out before all hell breaks loose (translation: bending over and giving the union whatever it wants). Then again, walking out of negotiations in the eleventh hour when you're already demanding raises and benefit increases while everyone else is dodging pink slips might not be the best way to engender public sympathy.
11 hours, 47 minutes to go.
I think that they should stay out. No matter what. Then get replaced. At least that would teach the rest of the unions that there's a limit even in Philadelphia.
I want to weigh in briefly to defend John in the face of so much anti-labor sentiment. Like him, I think it's really disappointing (if typical) that the anger is all directed towards one half of the negotiations. Why not ask, "How dare SEPTA put the daily functioning of the city at risk by refusing to offer the union a good contract?" Why does the blame have to always fall on the union? Working people are uniting to demand a solidly middle class wage and benefits. Maybe if other working people supported their demands -- in other countries they have sympathy strikes!!! -- the American middle class wouldn't be so steadily disappearing. Amie's point is well taken, meanwhile. A strike will have the worst effect on the poor. I work for a non-profit too that works primarily with people living at or below the poverty line. The strike will cripple our programing as almost none of our clients will have any way to get to our center city location. This is something that we'll all find very frustrating. Me, I teach an Intro to Computers class to adults on the far end of the digital divide (NOT old people -- I'm talking about middle age parents who've never touched a computer in their lives). I have no desire to have the class interrupted, but I have to believe that if we had a more unified and supported (and, yes, less corrupt) labor movement in this country, we wouldn't have the digital divide in the first place. I have to believe that because the only alternative appears to be to accept inequality and gripe about those who want a more equitable society. I recommend this book to don't believe that: http://thenewpress.org/index.php?option=com_title&task=view_title&metaproductid=1091
Let's remember: this isn't a fatcat corporation with a $10 million dollar-a-year CEO they're striking against, a CEO who's getting a 20% a year raise while the workers are asked to tighten their belts. I'd have more sympathy for that. This is a *public* transit system. It's paid for by the city, state and federal government. 60% of its operating costs are paid for by our taxes, not the system's revenue. And even with that enormous subsidy, we're paying some of the highest fares in the country. And they're striking, because $50K isn't enough money to sit on your butt all day and be rude to the people who pay your salaries?
John: If you're the main provider of a family of, say, 2, $30k - $50k a year as a bus driver isn't too bad, especially if your wife works full time and you only have one kid. If you have a bigger family, no one else working.... yes, its a problem, and it would be smart to look for another job at that point or something. Otherwise, $50k+ over 4 years isn't bad. My hourly wage is LESS than a bus driver, and that's with a degree, experience, and me working my fingers to the bone. I won't disclose how much I make a year or per hour, but I will say I pay $15 from each paycheck for MY health insurance, and its about $500 for the year. What SEPTA is offering is fair, ESPECIALLY considering how hard it is to do business right now for everyone. Talk to the 10.7% of people in this city without a job. Trust me, what SEPTA offers is paradise. At the same time, its a contract over 4 years and would be easy to re-negotiate so that it could be adjusted again. And, yes, IT'S THE UNION FAULT THIS TIME THEY'RE GOING ON STRIKE. Why? Because Willie Brown waited 7 MONTHS to call for a strike vote. He's used money, UNION MONEY, to pay for Newspaper and Television ads to complain about how SEPTA doesn't want to give them everything they want, despite not sitting down to talk to them since March. TWU 234 has a notorious history of holding Philadelphia hostage to get whatever they want. The union is practically a bully. We all know SEPTA isn't great, but you can't blame management for everything. When you have to deal with rude and mean bus drivers from time to time, it has an effect.
Also, I hate how they, and others are saying, "Come on, man, what about solidarity and workers rights? These fat cat bankers are getting all the money, that isn't right!" You know what, you're right. It isn't right that fat cats are getting tons of cash and that companies are cutting pay and benefits. It's terrible. Then again, most companies don't allow you to collect two salaries if you get disabled and let you work as a cashier, and still get a raise. Most people don't have a contract that guarantees them an annual raise no matter what or the chance not to get laid off. Most people have to work hard to get a raise, and most people have to do their best to work hard and stay ahead.
No seriously, fuck you John. Fuck you and your high and mighty attitude. Don't criticize what I have the capacity to do or not do. Don't tell me I'm throwing a temper tantrum - I'm just angry. Have you even addressed my worries as a social worker who has to wonder how my clients will fare next week if they can't get to the one place where they or their children consistently feel safe? Or family who depend on taking the bus up to visit their sick grandparents - or the health care workers that serve them? Crippling a transportation system is no laughing matter for the people who depend on it for their lives. And you really have to be on another planet if you think Philadelphians are sympathetic to TWU.
Sorry, John...but you sound like someone brainwashed by the idea that Labor Unions can do no wrong. The TWU is wrong here. They may be acting under the guise of doing this for the little people but this is nothing more than a money push. You're not going to get my sympathy because someone making anywhere from $14.50-$24.50 an hour isn't going to get a raise for the next two years and will only get a 2% raise the two years after that. You can't make me feel sorry for someone who is not paying ANYTHING for fantastic health insurance when suddenly they're being "forced" to pay 1% of their paycheck for it. I have a mother in law who has been out of work for 18 months and is paying $575/month for insurance. Pardon me if I don't cry for a spoiled transit worker who doesn't like having to pay 1/50th of that amount. No matter what you want to convince yourself, a majority of Philadelphians DO NOT support this strike. I'll bet a number of SEPTA workers don't want to strike either, but the union is not giving them a choice.
Raises should be based on positive performance reviews, not just because you've been there another year. You could have been just taking up space, doing the bare minimum. Raises should not be just guaranteed-they are to ensure that people are taking their job seriously and serving their clients to the best of their ability. Also, even paying 4% towards health insurance is cheap-what are they complaining about. I am going to lose my job if I can't get to work. There are millions unemployed in the US right now. Fire them all-I bet there would be a line 100 miles long for people willing to work for what they won't accept right now. This is greedy, insensitive and just down-right selfish!
Here's another thing. The TWU workers aren't doing Philadelphians any favors with this strike. Do you honestly believe that by holding out to get what they "deserve" will have a positive affect on other workers (non-union or otherwise) throughout the region? Positivley not! No other occupation is going to say "Hmm, look at what SEPTA just did. Maybe we too can get the same deal!" If anything it will have an adverse effect of the workers of the region because the city and the state will have to find some other way to make up for the cash flow differential it will cost to pay for these raises and the full insurance premiums. And you know where that will come from? Taxes. Taxes on wages and taxes on items that Philadelphians buy. So don't expect me to thank SEPTA for going on strike because it won't mean anything about another penny in my pocket.
Here are 18 more Philadelphians who don't support SEPTA, John. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091026_Talks_underway_to_avert_SEPTA_strike.html Still think a majority will support the strike?
Amie, I'm sorry if you've taken some offense to my comments. Understand though I'm responding to quite a number of fairly offensive remarks about the union (of which I have absolutely no relation). Criticisms of the union taking a "me me me" attitude, that they're throwing "temper tantrums," arguments that they should be "glad they still have a job." Your comments weren't quite so bad, but all three of you have expressed a real hostility to this union and the idea of a strike. Regarding the effect of strikes on the rest of the population, frankly ALL strikes have an impact on society. Either you support the right to strike or you complain every time it happens or has an impact on your life. Unfortunately it is almost always the union that gets blamed for the strike, even though clearly the company's refusal to make a more reasonable offer is as much a part of the problem as anything. The union has been working without a contract for quite a while now. Why can't people put the blame on SEPTA? When teachers go on strike we're told that the teachers aren't thinking of the children or the parents who have to take off work to babysit. Or when transit workers go on strike then they're keeping people from getting to their jobs or their sick grandmothers. These are all issues yes, but the real problem is that service workers in this country are underpaid and underappreciated. You should channel your hostility towards SEPTA.
>No other occupation is going to say “Hmm, look at what SEPTA just did. Maybe we too can get the same deal!” Heh... how do you think the labor movement in the 1930s exploded the way it did. For anyone interested, here's a short summary by TWU on why they might strike: http://www.twulocal234.com/moving.html
>You’re not going to get my sympathy because someone making anywhere from $14.50-$24.50 an hour isn’t going to get a raise for the next two years and will only get a 2% raise the two years after that. You can’t make me feel sorry for someone who is not paying ANYTHING for fantastic health insurance when suddenly they’re being “forced” to pay 1% of their paycheck for it. Marc, $14.50-$24.50 per hour isn't that great especially if you're a major provider for a family. And they're being told to increase the amount of they pay for their health insurance from 1% to 4%. From $10 per week to $40 per week (from $500 to $2000 per year), nothing at all to slouch at. The pay increases SEPTA is offering won't allow the workers to keep up with the cost of living. All this amounts to CUTS against these workers.
>Still think a majority will support the strike? Marc, internet forums like these have never been a good representation of the views of the broader population. I've followed enough transit strikes in my day - from Philly to NY to elsewhere - to know that there will always be a large number who are sympathetic, and often a majority.
Hey people, don't be so cold-hearted. You three are the ones throwing the temper tantrums. No one should have to suffer through health care cuts. It's absolutely ridiculous to criticize these workers for wanting to do something to stop SEPTA from imposing these cuts on them. Sounds to me like the people who are "me, me, me" are the ones telling SEPTA workers to suck it up and accept whatever SEPTA offers. Despite what these comments might suggest I'm going to guess that a majority of Philadelphians will be sympathetic to a strike, as they typically are. Most people who are facing cutbacks themselves will be smart enough to appreciate that others are trying to do something about it. I don't think too many people are happy about these cuts, but assume they don't have any choice. The SEPTA workers seem to feel differently. Good for them.
John, I respect your views regarding the union's right to strike as it is one of the many liberties that set America apart from other countries and lends itself to our reputation for freedom but I have to disagree with a number of the points you make. For one, rather than this "me me me" mentality the union workers seem to have adopted (and that is running rampant throughout businesses and organizations of all kinds across the country) they should, instead, be willing to make the sacrifice of smaller pay increases for a little while... at least until the country is fully back on its feet. As for the chance that SEPTA workers may be "forced" to contribute 1 percent to their health insurance premiums, that's peanuts! They really need to quit their bitching about that one and be thankful they are given the chance to have free or almost free healthcare to begin with... especially given the startling number of Americans who pay nearly half their paychecks for halfway decent care or those who don't have it at all. Frankly, I think the SEPTA workers are being EXTREMELY selfish with this whole strike business. The MILLIONS of SEPTA users in Philadelphia and the surrounding towns and cities in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey shouldn't have to suffer and have their lives inconvenienced just because SEPTA workers are throwing a temper tantrum.
I'm completely in favor of the union going on strike if it chooses. People should defend a union's right to strike, *especially* at a time when jobs, wages and our health care are so often under attack. SEPTA is demanding its workers increase the amount it pays towards health care. People already have to pay too much for crummy health care. And SEPTA is offering practically nothing in the way of pay raises over the next four years. Recession or not (aren't we being told the recession is over?), workers still deserve to earn wage increases that keep up with cost of living, at the very least. The bankers have been given hundreds and hundreds of billions in bailouts (and executive bonuses). Huge sums of money are still going towards funding two occupations that need to end. It's about time that we stop expecting workers to pay for this recession. Unions fought for and won the right to strike during the Great Depression. More unions and workers should take advantage of that right - this country would be much better off.
John, I work for a nonprofit. And the amount I pay towards my premium is increasing. But I'm not going on strike because I have a commitment to the people I serve.
There is a long history of people defending their jobs, their benefits, their pay, their everything by going on strike. There already is way too much inequality in this country. For someone who claims to be "pro-labor" you should be more sympathetic.
It's incredibly difficult to be sympathetic with TWU on this particular strike when my clients have to scramble for options on how to get to and from critical clinical appointments and counseling. It's incredibly difficult when their kids don't have a safe walk to school and have just another excuse to skip out on class.
SEPTA...every four-to-five years they either threaten to go on strike or DO go on strike. The TWU come off, in this case, as nothing but complainers! You don't want to pay more for heathcare? TOO BAD. We're ALL paying more for heathcare. You say you're not getting a raise (or a raise more than 3%) this year? TOO BAD! Hardly anyone is getting raises. You should be glad you still have a job. There are people who don't have jobs. And the ones who do? Guess what's going to happen when SEPTA goes on strike and some of them don't have a way to get to work for days/weeks? They're going to be out of work. Stop complaining every four or five years and use some common sense. The economy is lousy...and the TWU doesn't deserve special treatment. Learn to live like the rest of us.
I'm pro-labor - but only pro-labor in the name of responsible organizing. This is not responsible. While there are transgressions on both sides of the debate - ultimately, a strike of these proportions is crippling and selfish. Philadelphians young and old, rich and poor depend on public transportation. Many, including myself, use it because we cannot afford a car, or simply don't need it. Parents will struggle to get their children to school, and for many Philadelphians, getting their children to school is a difficult task with or without SEPTA. We don't need to add to the laundry list of social and economic barriers that already work against city youth. Employees will have to miss work or face stern warnings for showing up late because they had to walk or loiter for two hours in traffic. I have no sympathy for the lot of TWU. And we wonder why Philly is so mercilessly ripped apart by New Yorkers as "second rate". The behavior of this union certainly is.
Comments (0)
Popular Posts
Search this blog:
Topics:
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
