Archive for October, 2005
Monday, October 31st, 2005
This Halloween I am dressed up like a Bike Commuter
I had planned on hanging it up until the spring. With the new job and the change of seasons, I figured I should give it a rest. No bike commuting for a while. And now Septa is on strike. So back to the regular ride, albeit a few miles shorter now that I work in Center City and not South Philly.
I spent most of last week thinking that the Septa union workers were a bunch of greedy clowns, because that was the word. They weren’t contributing anything for their healthcare. No co payment. SEPTA pays 100% of their medical benefits. This is what I was told. This was how the discussion of the potential strike was framed for the last few weeks.
Then I did some googling last night and stumbled on this and this
Choice pull out from link the first link:
Consider what your benefits at work are, now consider this: SEPTA workers gave up sick days (they still get long term illness benefits) already, and they also pay for all their prescriptions, dental and vision. Now management is asking SEPTA workers to give up maternity leave, some vacation time, and all weekly overtime. In addition, management has proposed a 20% increase in health care premiums and a 20% decrease in the benefits. Management would not be affected by any of these concessions.
It hardly seems fair to blame the union and SEPTA employees, does it? Sure, SEPTA employees are often surly and unhelpful, but they don’t deserve the blame in the way that the local media will have us believe.
From #2:
SEPTA workers have made sacrifices. In fact, the first health care compromises came in 1989 when SEPTA workers began returning the Cost of Living Agreement to defray the rising costs of health care. SEPTA workers pay for all of their prescription, dental and vision and 30% of their medical for the first two years and for every doctor visit (co-pay) and prescriptions after the first two years. In contrast, SEPTA management (remember, there is nearly one manager for every worker), get 100% health care coverage from day one. SEPTA workers have forgone any raises for two years. These savings have played a big role in keeping the system solvent. Management raises, however…. you can guess what the answer is. Additionally, SEPTA workers have given up any sick pay for the most common, short term sicknesses. This concession was made to help meet rising health care costs for the workers. Any illness that keeps a workers off the job for three days or less are paid for by the workers themselves up to six days per year. Management gets full sick pay from day one. This health care giveback alone has saved SEPTA millions of dollars per year. SEPTA has not only proposed 20% premium increase but also 20% cuts to the benefit. They are asking for a 40% give back and cuts from both ends of the workers health care. SEPTA workers have made big and reasonable sacrifices for there good health care but this is not just about these benefits. SEPTA management wants much more.
#1) So basically, here are two points of view about the unions that as far as I can tell have been totally avoided/neglected in the media. Management is framed as a rational entity, trying to make the best of a difficult situation with surly, difficult workers and an uncertain financial situation. Has there ever been any discussion of how much management contributes to the uncertain financial situation? or why it seems like union workers should be made in this or any other situation to make concessions? Aren’t SEPTA union workers ranked like 13th in terms of pay in the nation? Union orkers are a cost center that needs to be trimmed.
#2) Perhaps the saddest thing about this strike and the framing of Union workers in this way, is that Philadelphia as a whole loses. Philadelphia as a whole looses in the short term because 400,000 folks are scrambling to get around, either in cars or on regional lines(I have no illusions that folks like me, that are able, let alone willing to ride their bikes 12-18 miles roundtrip for work in this weather are few and far between). If the union manages to hold out and keep from making anymore concessions, they loose wages in the short term, in the long term they have even less popular support. Management can continue to point the finger at them as the problem with septa and its budgeting woes. Since there is a good deal of anti septa union sentiment in philadelphia to being with, there won’t be any real challenge to this line of thinking. Certainly, not from major media outlets, as already demonstrated.
All of this mess gives even more ammo to the rest of this state to not approve a dedicated source of funding for SEPTA and for public transit in the Philadelphia 5 county region. And Philadelphia’s public transit system stays screwed. and we with it.
Wednesday, October 12th, 2005
Sunday Ride
I never saw so much of Bridesburg and Port Richmond in one day. Richmond Ave seems kind of vibrant. Like a north Pennsport.
Tuesday, October 4th, 2005
The Commute II
Way in.
Way out.
Pretty uneventful. some mist in the morning.
28 Miles yesterday. 17 miles today.
Monday, October 3rd, 2005
The Commute
8.5 miles into work, the rest a round about way home.