Philadelphia Union, Helping or Hurting Economy?

The Philadelphia Transit union folks are on strike. This is effecting 920,000 rides per weekday per the article. If a person goes to a destination, then at the end of the day the get home probably using the Transit system again. This number could probably be divided in half. About 460,000 people are advsersley effected by the strike.

Per the AP article, the president of the local union stated the following, justifying the order to strike;

"Members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 have not had a raise since December 2003. SEPTA is the fifth-largest transit agency in the country but workers' wages rank 20th, according to TWU president Jeff Brooks."

Is Jeff Brooks suggesting the fifth largest transit agency should be ranked fifth in wages? If the previous was truly the relationship (wage relative to transit membership size), then I as a union member would find out, "Which city has the largest transit authority? They must pay the most!"

Union leaders also rejected a 9 percent pay increase over three years... "They did offer the raise with one hand and then withdrew it with the other hand," Bedard (TWU spokesman) said. "Under their health care proposal, if you or your spouse or kid ended up having to go to the hospital for five days, you'd spend your whole raise."

The union currently pays 0% of their health care premium. They are being asked to pay for 5% under the new contract. The argument by Bedard above appears purely emotional. If MoreThanCorn spends 5 days in the hospital, the amount spent would erase much of his last raise as well. The raise is a "free 5 days in the hospital" from the employer. But if no one goes to the hospital, the union member gets to pocket it. It still sounds like a raise to me. Everyone has to spend something when they go to the hospital...except the poorest of our nation and illegal immigrants.

On the TWU Local 234 website in Philadelphia, one can read; union President, Jeff Brooks had recently been appointed to PA Transportation Funding and Reform Commission. President Brooks is quoted as saying, “The Commission provides an historic opportunity to make a positive impact for the environment, the economy and in the daily lives of the millions of people who depend on public transit to get to work, to attend school, to shop and to worship."

Tomorrow morning, TWU local 234 members will not be at work, or on the picketting line. The rest of the "Commonwealth" will be walking or finding a ride to work.