WDEL Blog: Allan Loudell
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Surprise! SEPTA strike
Some baby-boomers - and even more so, Generation X'ers and beyond - consider labor unions mostly irrelevant, something of a relic from the decades just after World War II. Others still regard organized labor as a useful tool.
I blogged just a few days ago about the United Auto Workers - in an ultimately self-destructive move, from my perspective - failing to ratify concessions which would put Ford more at parity with rivals General Motors and Chrysler.
Now, our latest example of how NOT to win friends and influence people:
The Transport Workers Union Local 234 -- SEPTA's largest union -- went on strike early today, as of 3 a.m.
(Regional rail service - including the R2 line through Wilmington and Newark - won't be impacted, because rail workers are covered by a different contract.)
Pennyslvania's Governor Ed Rendell blasted the decision to strike before dawn. "Irresponsible", he said.
Doubtless, transit riders are getting up this morning without a clue.
After all, over the weekend we heard Governor Rendell, Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter, and union officials all talking as though agreement was almost a fait accompli.
No matter the legitimacy of the transport workers' grievances, the union should have at least given riders a heads-up. Leaving transit riders in a lurch does nothing to win the P.R. war.
Posted at 6:47am on November 3, 2009 by Allan Loudell
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Comments on this post:
| Shirley |
Tue, Nov 3, 2009 11:06am |
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I imagine there were a few choice words spoken in a few households across the area this morning (I know there were in my house :))).
Although the Regional Rail is not on strike, we are still affected as the trains will be super-crowded and will run late due to people paying in cash.
In my workplace (in Philly) I am not hearing much sympathy for the TWU. |
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