Possible SEPTA strike (school, minimum wage, living)

[CHIP72]

How do you think most roads get built and maintained?

[solibs]

Originally Posted by waltlantz

The AUTO industry gets subsidies??! Overlooking the stimulus and funding for roads, I thought certain capitalists said that the downfall of public transpo outside of New York City was due to the reign of private auto ownership and sales.

Well, yeah, that's true. Starting 70 years ago successive federal and state governments decided that cars and highways were the future and put all of their eggs in that basket. Then they decided that cars and airlines would supplant high-speed rail.

[waltlantz]

It broke down.

SEPTA workers going on strike | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/03/2009

[Blackbeauty212]

I really feel sorry for the people of Philly, it never fails every 2 years SEPTA threatens the strike, and every 4 years one actually happens...

When is the City going to stop letting SEPTA cripple its workers who depend on agency, seriously....Its too hard to put something into the effect to the like of the MTA here in NY where its illegal for the MTA to strike.....Philadelphia needs something of the same, people are losing jobs left and right already and these bastards go and do something like this in the middle of a recession and 10% unemployment

[kyle19125]

I rely on SEPTA as my primary means of transportation but I really want this strike to last a while. There is some hope that perhaps it will create some dialogue to either open competition for other transit providers, or create an overhaul of the SEPTA system. Though I somehow doubt any thing progressive like that could ever take place in this city.

[Shino306]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

I really feel sorry for the people of Philly, it never fails every 2 years SEPTA threatens the strike, and every 4 years one actually happens...

When is the City going to stop letting SEPTA cripple its workers who depend on agency, seriously....Its too hard to put something into the effect to the like of the MTA here in NY where its illegal for the MTA to strike.....Philadelphia needs something of the same, people are losing jobs left and right already and these bastards go and do something like this in the middle of a recession and 10% unemployment

Couldn't agree more on both accounts. The Union only hurts the citizens of Philadelphia that depend on that part of SEPTA to get to work and their image in the city, regardless of how warranted (to them) the strike may be.

[Shino306]

Here's the NY Times article on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/us...t.html?_r=1&hp

Seems the average pay is $52k a year excluding the benefits they recieve. The deal on the table had been 11.5% in raises over 5 years, but no raise this year (when Social Security will also most likely not be rising for our country's senior citizens and others), so 11.5% over 4 years equates to 2.88% a year. I'd like to know how much the other benefits make up in order to look at total compensation: pensions, health care (SEPTA didn't want to contribute more than 1% to the cost, laughable in my opinion), disability/life insurance, etc.
Even when you're looking at just base salary, but more especially and more relevant, when looking at total compensation, it's higher than the median wage/compensation an employee in Philadelphia makes.

Like I said, they really are only hurting their image at this point, moreso when considering the greater economy right now.

[BPP1999]

It's long past time to end the union stranglehold in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in general.

[lititzman2003]

Good thing for the union members that SEPTA can't move their operations to Mexico like most companies are doing, especially after resolving a strike. Ashamed they don't realize how fortunate they are not only to have a job but even to be offered an increase in salary.

[waltlantz]

Dude I am pro union, but this is beyond belief. And if what Nutter said on CBS 3 is true (that rank and file union members are calling his office asking what the hell is going in) that is just....wow. SEPTA and unions need to be reorganized.