SEPTA's not getting there

Yesterday, a Halloween nightmare came true for half a million commuters in Philadelphia. After seven months without a contract and an equally steadfast sparring partner on the other side of the bargaining table, SEPTA's union walked out on All Hallows Eve.

That simple move by 5,000 members of the Transit Workers Union halted the city's subways and buses, leaving people without a way to get to work or school on a busy Monday morning.

Philadelphians deserve better.

Philadelphians deserve the security of knowing they will not be stranded, especially the third of them who have no other means of transportation.

What is most disgusting about this mess is that everyone who could do something to prevent it saw it coming for months.

SEPTA's board and the union bosses never reached a compromise despite having plenty of time to hash things out.

Gov. Rendell, who was witness to two transit strikes during his eight years in City Hall essentially sat on the sidelines while one of the larger state agencies barreled out of control. His $200 million federal windfall this spring may have stopped some temporary bleeding by SEPTA, which has been operating in the red for years. But that obviously was not enough.

Mayor Street, meanwhile, is ... well, where exactly is Mayor Street in all of this? What has the mayor done for the hundreds of thousands of his constituents -- let alone the thousands of his own employees -- who did not have a ride to work this morning? Nothing.

If someone in Wharton's management department wanted to write a book about leadership in a time of crisis, this city administration would provide the perfect counterexample.

Someone needs to step up and get the two sides on a track toward compromise.

Every day that passes without mass transit is another challenge for low-income citizens to get to their jobs. It's another challenge for the 27,000 students in the Philadelphia School District who get to class each morning on SEPTA. And it's slap in the face to any kind of economic momentum the city is trying to drum up.

Nothing says "bring your business to Philadelphia" better than national headlines declaring your personnel will not be able to get to the office.

As much of a disgrace this is for the city, it is in some ways an opportunity for Penn to lead. The administration, at least on day one, has kept the University on track. But it's long past time for the city's largest employer to start jumping up and down demanding a solution.

Both the union and SEPTA have reasonable demands they are seeking for their constituents. But what must not be lost throughout this negotiation is that the people of Philadelphia are all of their constituents.

Every day the trains and buses are not running is another day unnecessary hardships are placed on those constituents. Something has to give.

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