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SEPTA
This is an interesting little story, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it just yet. On the one hand, hell yeah, it's about time somebody challenged these Wall Street bastards. On the other, isn't suing Goldman for greed a bit like suing the sun for shining?
I'm going to dig around today, time permitting, but I wonder if these sorts of suits have gone anywhere. I mean, from a strictly legal perspective, I would imagine that this case is an uphill climb for the transit authority. If they don't like the way their money is managed, they do have remedies — their stockholders' vote, namely. Or they could pull their money out of Goldman and allocate it elsewhere.
Curious if there are any lawyers out there who could give me a sense of what SEPTA's chances are with this thing. If you are, or known someone who is, please e-mail me at jeffrey.billman@citypaper.net, or just hit up the comments.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly News Now, Yancey @YanceyG. Yancey @YanceyG said: SEPTA sues Goldman Sachs: This is an interesting little story, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it just yet.... http://bit.ly/63p3re [...]
AWESOME!!!!!!! Hands down, the smartest idea I've seen in terms of handling those jerks; fight fire with fire!
Goldman Sachs Vs Septa! Its like Godzilla Vs Mothman, its a joke, Septa has the best hired guns in the tri state area and so does Goldman Sachs. Does anyone really think that there was anything going on that either party wasn't aware of? Its like one big gangbang, you never know who's going to be having sex with who, friggin lawyers! Its all bullshit, Septa stands accused of underfunding employees pension plans while getting billions in city, state and federal money and Goldman S, squanders it on chancy investments, thick as thieves I tell Ya.
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| Bus Stop in Germany |
Over on Publisher's Clearinghouse, Paul Curci, the publisher of City Paper, talks about the upcoming replacement for the city's bus shelters.
There are many possibilities floating in the wind, including this swing set bus stop in Germany.
So head on over and have a look and let us know your thoughts.
As per NBC, the TWU and SEPTA have reached an agreement, and service will resume for the Monday commute.
[...] Read the original post: The SEPTA strike is over! :: The Clog :: Blog Archive … [...]
It's Our Money â now edited by former CP news editor Doron Taussig â has been blogging the strike like crazy.
A few hilights:
* Ben Waxman proposes that the transportation workers' give up their right to stirke in exchange for "binding arbitration," â in other words, if an agreement can't be reached, a decision is simply made by an arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators.
* Anthony Campisi compares the last SEPTA strike to this one.
* Doron Taussig picks a few of the best how-I-got-to-work stories submitted to the blog.
And much more â so check 'em out.
[...] It's Our Money goes strike-wild :: The Clog :: Blog Archive … [...]
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Now, I'm still pretty new in town, so I might not have a perfect feel for how these things work up here. That said, I've been around enough union negotiations to begrudgingly admire the insane, ballsy, never-gonna-happen tack the Transit Workers Union Local 234 took yesterday, when it announced that maybe, just maybe, it would strike at the end of this week, which — hey wouldn't you know it? — just so happens to coincide with the World Series. Oh, the happenstance.
But to be clear, they don't WANT to strike during the World Series. No, that would be mean, and terribly impolitic during this city's moment in the national spotlight. Just, if SEPTA doesn't give them everything they possibly want, right now, they'll have no choice. And shucks, that would be so darn unfortunate.
"This is the last week we are going to work without a contract," said Willie Brown, local TWU president, whose more than 5,000 members have been working without a contract since March 15.Yet Brown's message to World Series fans was this: "We're going to do everything we can not to have a strike."
Everything, that is, except be reasonable. See, everywhere else on the planet, workers — especially government workers — have taken to the warm embrace of the words "wage freeze." Because "wage freeze" is slightly less-sucky than "massive layoffs" and "draconian pay cuts." Our friends in the TWU, however — some of whom might be considered slightly overpaid — are balking at two years of wage freeze, followed by a 2 percent raise the years after. And that's understandable, I suppose. I've spent the last few years in companies with "wage freezes" too, and it definitely is an undesirable situation. But their reasoning — that they got raises a few years back, when SEPTA was in even deeper in the hole — strikes me as a bit flawed. As in: If you rolled your car down a mountain and flipped it a bunch of times and totaled it a few years back, what's the harm in driving it into the ditch now?
Predictably, the union is refusing to up workers' healthcare contributions, and wants the city to increase its allocation to the union's pension plan. In a normal universe, where the city is cratering in fiscal crisis, these are the kinds of demands that get laughed out of the negotiating table. But this universe is not normal. This is the week of the Series, where thousands of crazy, drunk, poll-climbing, car-flipping freaks will crowd into South Philly to watch the Phils try to repeat. And then they'll want a ride home.
To the TWU, this is, of course, leverage, which is a polite word for extortion. The city hardly wants its moment in the sun sullied by having its major transit system effectively shut down. So the union figures this is their week to make a move. Can't argue with the strategy.
Of course, if the trains stop running this weekend — which is also Halloween, wouldn't you know — people are gonna be pissed. At SEPTA workers, not the city. And rightly so; I doubt SEPTA workers will find much sympathy in an era of 10 percent unemployment and budgets that already ooze red ink. So when the TWU says it doesn't want to strike, it doesn't. It just wants Nutter SEPTA to blink first. It's a schoolyard dare. The TWU wants to see how much backbone City Hall SEPTA officials have.
I'm curious to see what happens if the tables turn: If Nutter SEPTA turns them away, does TWU have the gumption to follow through, to strike during the Series?
EDIT & CORRECTION: As Gary from the comments pointed out, SEPTA is not a city agency and therefore TWU does not negotiate with Nutter and co. You learn something every day.
If the workers want more money to deal with 8+ hours a day of ungrateful jerks, exhaust fumes, stress, and traffic, they should get it. I have a feeling that most people against this strike have cushy office jobs (like myself) and never have to experience 40+ hours a week of actual labor. Anti-union sentiment is anti-worker. If the company had their way they'd pay drivers minimum wage and give no benefits. I can understand the difficulty for someone who relies on transit to get to work, but we're all workers and we should all stick together against the REAL enemy, the CEOs who make millions then point fingers and blue collar workers and call them "greedy" for wanting a salary that can support a family.
Septa bus drivers already make more money than the average airline pilot. Think about that next time you board a plane.
I'm pro-labor, much like Stan Shapiro above - 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.
Septa workers are insane! Hpw many people dont even have a job! average septa worker makes btw14-25/ hrs if u dont know, they pay only 1% of their salary for health benifits. They strke because they know they can and nothing will happen to em. Many of us ar loosing jobs. They wanan get more money but where does the money come from? from our pocket yup its clear that septa will say yes to their demands then increse the fare. tired of these people. Gotta kno this is not the best time to strike.
"I meant amazingly narrow analysis on the part of the City Paper. What do you drive to work, a BMW?â Actually, last year, we all chipped in and bought a '78 dodge dart, which we take turns driving. I'm the publisher, so I get to take it home on weekends.
[...] Extortion: n., (1) obtaining by force, intimidation, or undue power; (2) SEPTA workers saying they might, just might, strike before the end of the week, when the World Series come to Philly, the city celebrates Halloween, and the Giants take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. (Philadelphia CityPaper) [...]
Missing something at the end?
This is disgusting anti-worker propaganda. Most of us are working people. If some of us are getting screwed due to layoffs or wage freezes or pension cuts, the people to get angry at are not other workers who are fighting to preserve those benefits. Fighting each other is a sure way to continue to drive wages and benefits down and driving the gap between rich and poor up. As to TWU's alleged extortion, that's just Billman's synonym for the right to strike. Without the right to strike there would be no union movement in this country, which evidently would be alright with Billman. Strikes do cause inconvenience. The disappearance of unions, however, would be disastrous for everyone, whether a member of a union or not, who earns a wage and hopes one day to have a real pension. Of course, Billmon may think real pensions are just an imposition on those of us who don't have them. Great, Billmon. I hope your 401(k) Wall Street ripoff plan crashes and burns the next time the stock market tanks, just like you would like everyone else's to do. And be sure to be happy about it, because everyone else should be, too, right?
This was right on. It's nothing less than extortion for TWU-234 to strike right now. They think the World Series is leverage for them and it's disgraceful. However, to correct a not-so-minor point... Nutter and the City administration are not the ones involved in transit negotiations. SEPTA is an independent *state*-chartered entity and its management will conduct the negotiations with union leadership.
Thank you, Stan Shapiro. Amazingly narrow analysis.
Oh yeah, this is why I don't like unions. You want the right to strike, perfectly fine. You want a right to wage increases? Don't let the door hit you on the way out. And by the way, you don't need to be in a union to leave your crappy job whenever you want.
I meant amazingly narrow analysis on the part of the City Paper. What do you drive to work, a BMW?
Well, I drive a 96 civic to work, and I hope this is the year where the SEPTA board gets backbone and holds the line in negotiations. The same thing Nutter needs to do when negotiating with city workers. If there's strikes, protests, and transit problems for a few weeks, so be it. The city will be better for it in the long run; the money saved can be put towards fare card system, technology improvements on vehicles, etc.
Worst. Public relations move. Ever. TWU just spent a fortune on television ads to try to get the city on their side of this dispute. If they strike during the World Series, they can kiss any good will goodbye. Last year, revelers trashed city property. This year, they may decide to trash SEPTA workers. Whether you are for the union or against the union, you have to admit, this is about the stupidest thing they could possibly do.
"I meant amazingly narrow analysis on the part of the City Paper. What do you drive to work, a BMW?" Nice try on the oppressive-elitist accusation, buddy. I'm sure the whole office will get a kick out of the idea.
It's time for Pennsylvania to enact a law that would outlaw strikes by transit workers, as is the case in 39 other states and the District of Columbia.
Billman only drove his BMWer to work while replacing the G4s wood grain trim with the graphite. And Andrew Thompson drives a solid platinum Schwinn. Stop in and take a peek sometime- these people eat bologna sandwiches for launch not lobster hoagies.
I was crushed by septa bus doors on march 13 2007 i had a crappy lawyer stating i was on new bus with no steps going down I was on an old bus/ driver left 69 st in afternoon 215pm left doors open when i got to stop shouted next stop she pulled bus three blocks away from my stop was traveling a fast speed / when i walked down the steps she shut doors on me crushing my arms so tight i asked her to open doors she refused I had to pry doors open I have nerve damage from this I hope someone who reads this could compensate me for my injuries etc Elaine t Mcvey p.o. box 86 narberth pa 19072 610 741 5692
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