Welcome to day four of the SEPTA strike. Or rather, I should say, welcome to day four of the biggest embarrassment in Philadelphia since, well, the last SEPTA strike.
That this is the third such strike that has paralyzed the city's transit system in 10 years is absurd, and it goes a long way toward showing how out of touch with reality both city and union leaders really are. They are out of touch with the constituents they serve, many of whom are stranded without any means of transportation. They are out of touch with the economic consequences of their actions. And mainly, they are out of touch with the concept that money does not, in fact, grow on trees.
What this strike boils down to is healthcare. The Transit Workers Union says SEPTA promised 20 years ago never to charge its employees for healthcare and now it's going back on its guarantee. What they fail to realize, however, is that the world was a much different place 20 years ago. Health insurance was cheap compared to today, as were doctor visits and prescription drugs. Not to mention, 20 years ago, SEPTA ridership was increasing.
Fast forward to today. Healthcare is expensive, and as much as the union hates to admit it, paid for in some part by a majority of employees in this country. SEPTA, meanwhile, has seen its ridership remain flat for at least 10 years, while its costs -- mostly benefits to its employees -- have skyrocketed over the same period.
Plain and simple, the money is not there. It is not going to be there. And no number of days on the picket lines is going to make it magically appear.
The only thing more days on the picket lines is going to do is devastate the city's neediest commuters -- it ought to be a crime.
Sure, you might want to feel sorry for the bus drivers who have not received a raise since 2003, but let's not forget these people are making $45,000 or more each year. And SEPTA's offer on the table called for a 9 percent pay increase over the next three years.
Compare that with the people who are working minimum-wage jobs and cannot afford alternate means of transportation to get to those jobs. These are the people who are getting left out in the cold by this strike.
All the while, the union is seeking pity from a public in outrage.
"We're asking for a little forgiveness as we get this thing straightened out," TWU Local 234 spokesman Bob Bedard told reporters after a meeting with SEPTA Tuesday night.
A little forgiveness? Get real. Why don't you and your 5,000 workers show a little forgiveness for the 400,000 commuters you are stranding? How about a little feeling for the people who have lost their jobs because they could not get to work on Monday as a result of your selfish walkout -- it ought to be a crime.
Unfortunately this is happening in Pennsylvania, one of 10 states in which strikes by public service unions are perfectly legal. If we were in New York, for example, the transit workers could not do this.
New York's Taylor Law -- named for George Taylor, who was a professor of industrial relations at Wharton for more than 40 years -- was enacted in 1967 to give state public service employees collective bargaining rights. They could belong to unions as any private employees could, but because their work was essential to serving the public interest -- think transit and teachers -- they could not go on strike.
New Yorkers can thank the Taylor Law for keeping MTA employees from walking out for more than 25 years. The last transit strike in New York lasted 11 days in 1980, and it only happened because the city, under Mayor Ed Koch, refused to exercise its power under the law.
More recently, Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg have been more forceful with the Transit Workers.
When the union threatened to walk out in 1999, Giuliani countered by saying he would fine each employee $25,000 for each day they did not report to work. The trains kept running.
The union tried again in 2002, and Bloomberg again threatened action. The trains kept running.
See the difference here?
Pennsylvania's antiquated laws allow its public service unions to walk out, and the mayor of its largest city has sat idly by while they have done just that.
It's time for Pennsylvania to stand up for the people hurt most by the transit strike. The legislature should draft its own version of the Taylor Law, and Gov. Rendell -- who allowed two SEPTA walkouts during his eight years as mayor -- should sign it.
The Transit Workers deserve a fair contract from SEPTA. But they should not be able to instigate a strike that jeopardizes the livelihood of millions of Philadelphians -- it ought to be a crime.
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