Public transit in Philadelphia has a plan A and plan b. Plan A would be subways, trolleys, and buses - all on strike. Plan B would be the regional rail system since their workers belong to a different union. Well tonight was the worse case scenario - the regional rails suffered a power outage at rush hour. And to answer the question, there is no plan C.
The members of TWU 234 are holding the public hostage. Strikes should be aimed at hurting management and shareholders. With SEPTA the strike is aimed at hurting the riding public. And why are they striking? They want free health insurance. Most people I know pay for health insurance (at least here in the states). They say their health insurance isn't free - they have to pay co-pays - WHO DOESN'T? And then I see their workers hamming it up for news cameras when I'm stuck trying to get home. It's plain disgusting.
Now mind you SEPTA as an agency is not without blame. They are the most expensive transit agency in the country and yet their service is horrible. Breakdowns are common. Trains run on limited schedules. Much of their equipment is well past its prime.
It's time for the governor to step in, take the leverage used by holding the public hostage away, and force each side to negotiate.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment