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58 Comments
- Ghostalker, on 11/09/2009, -3/+38I want to support unions, I really do, but this is getting out of hand. They were offered an 11% raise over 5 years (no raise for ONE year, then a 3% every year guaranteed), a $1250 bonus per person, AND no increase in their health plan dedications. Keep in mind that most of the union members make $50k a year. They got a pretty sweet deal in a down-turned economy and threw it out as "unreasonable".
They don't exactly preform some high-skilled job where them striking means there's no replacements. If that deal isn't good enough, I know LOTS of unemployed people who would love to take that deal with that kind of pay for driving buses and selling subway tokens. - pfennigweise, on 11/09/2009, -2/+18It's not as cut and dry as you all think. SEPTA (the transit authority in Philadelphia and surrounding areas) has been raising prices for the last 5-10 years. I remember taking the trolley to the terminal in middle school and it was $1.50, now that costs at least $3.00. SEPTA doesn't have any money to give to the union. It's just a bad situation on both ends
- gigi52, on 11/08/2009, -3/+17it is stuff like this that make insurance so expensive. not a medical necessity. if you want/need it so bad, pay for it yourself.
- tastic, on 11/09/2009, -3/+16They pay 1% of their base pay towards health insurance. Welcome to bankruptcy, SEPTA. Jackasses. What private sector employee pay so little? Public sector and/or union employees with over grown senses of entitlement choke the economy. Fire all their asses, let them see how much health insurance unemployment pays for after that. Seriously. I bet the jobs would be refilled within 30 days.
- bringitontimx, on 11/09/2009, -1/+14is this real?
- beccabob, on 11/09/2009, -1/+9Oh, you mean like a large ownership stake in the company? Or, still having a very good paying job with incredible benefits for the level of work? Or not doing away with rules such as needing a union electrician to plug in a plug that fell out. Oops, sorry, the union ran over the company.
- govsucks, on 11/08/2009, -5/+13WORK SLAVES! "WHIPTISH"
Your government "servants" need viagra. - TheKriket, on 11/08/2009, -4/+12If you can't get it up, then what's the point?
- spacerobot, on 11/09/2009, -1/+8Sounds like they got a firm grip on the situation. They had to stand tall to get their way, but at least they'll be able to get back to work, erecting a relationship with their employer. Looks like they get a nice big bonus out of the deal, hopefully they don't blow it all in one place.
- MickFu, on 11/09/2009, -0/+6Whoa. 11% raise over 5 years, no health cost increases, AND a pension? Yeah - I am feeling the plight of the union worker now. Probably some kind of anti-reduction clause in there too?
- Kazbaeden, on 11/09/2009, -0/+5"and threatened to embarrass the city during the World Series."
Phillies did that for them. God damn it. *fumes* - thcobbs, on 11/09/2009, -0/+4You've got two feet... walk your happy ass to school....
Ah, dad.... such memories. - S2000, on 11/09/2009, -3/+7The workers need to realize they're already getting a great deal for unskilled labor. If they don't like it, they can ***** off, because there's a double digit rate of unemployed people that would gladly take it.
- Mareshalu, on 11/09/2009, -0/+4They were having a great time last night when I passed by their depot as far as I saw , grillin and chillin. Screw them.
- Ghostalker, on 11/09/2009, -0/+4My feelings exactly MickFu. I didn't know they had a pension to go along with everything else. Are there any other awesome benefit's they get, but want to strike over it not being good enough?
- ohhoe, on 11/09/2009, -0/+4Septa has more issues than just their ridiculous strike.
The buses are never on time, and when they are on time they're usually packed with people way over the limit.
The only reason I've been taking the bus is because this city has such a bike theft problem, I've had two bikes stolen this year.
I can't afford taxis anymore though so I just got a new crappy one.
***** SEPTA, everyone bike to work / school - thcobbs, on 11/09/2009, -1/+5But I know thirty that could after the one-week training class.
- Haz3rd, on 11/09/2009, -2/+6Seriously, ***** SEPTA. Fire them all if they don't go back to work. I'm sure they can find new people.
- swantamer, on 11/09/2009, -5/+8Unions are nothing but criminal organizations in the modern era and civil service unions are the worst. The rest of us can no longer afford to support lazy, indolent hacks the majority of whom are not even contributing to society in any meaningful way. Fire 'em and raid the pension funds and redistribute the ill gotten gains back to the tax payers who have been robbed blind by these losers for way too long.
And speaking of unions, I always laugh convulsively when some dumb UAW ***** who made ten times what he should have for twenty years is there on the news crying "how am I gonna' feed my five kids now?" because the outrageous demands and ***** work ethic of him and his brethren led to the plant being closed down. Maybe you should have thought of that before you had the kids on a high school education and the short term luck of living near a factory, dumb ass. - lukas88, on 11/09/2009, -0/+3They are flaccid with rage!
- MonoDede, on 11/09/2009, -1/+4***** SEPTA.
- JoeHague, on 11/09/2009, -1/+3Trolleys in Philly cost $2 or 1 token. 1 token costs $1.45 School tokens for school children are significantly less and sometimes free.
P.S. This story is *****, the strike has nothing to do with Viagra. - kkkondorrr, on 11/09/2009, -0/+2Are you kidding me?
Seriously?
You are actually defending the hypothetical, father of five who's worked at a low-level, high-paying job for most of his adult life?
Wow.
I seriously hope you indeed ARE doing something "to achieve something better for when I have children."
Because underachievers who are content with being a drain on the system without contributing to society in no meaningful way deserve to starve, in my opinion, also.
You? I bet you're flipping burgers at Mickey D and your life goal is to make assistant-to the night-shift manager. - GordSandalwood, on 11/09/2009, -1/+3One day, we'll form a union and get the fair and equitable treatment we deserve! Then we'll go too far, and get corrupt and shiftless, and the Japanese will eat us alive!
- beccabob, on 11/09/2009, -0/+2Probably with one hand a lot.
- SLuM, on 11/09/2009, -1/+3The Onion has done it again...
- FearNLoathing, on 11/09/2009, -0/+2So you hope that they get everything they ask for because of the power they wield? SEPTA is robbing the city/state blind. I got no raise this year and I have a highly specialized skill set and I went to college. Why the ***** is someone driving a bus making what I do? Why the ***** should they be guaranteed 4% raises every year? Philly can barely foot its budget as it is. I know it'll never happen, but they best thing the state could do would be to send these jackasses to the unemployment line and make SEPTA non-union.
- QQQQUUUU, on 11/09/2009, -0/+2Ride a bike, it GREEN
- erkokite, on 11/09/2009, -0/+1I was surprised to see it wasn't the Onion.
- korvan504521, on 11/10/2009, -0/+1Driving a bus is an extremely skilled job?
Seriously? Anyone who has driven a truck could drive a bus. Its not *that* hard. - audiophile214, on 11/09/2009, -1/+2Onion? Is that you?
- omae, on 11/09/2009, -1/+2rise up?
cmon thats too easy - pfennigweise, on 11/09/2009, -0/+1I should have been clearer, the $1.50 used to include a transfer. Then it went up to $2.00 with a transfer, then $2.50, then I believe it's $2.80 for a ride and a transfer now? It's been a while, but after I had to put $3.00 into the machine because I never carry any change, I disowned the trolley. I never needed tokens, only took the trolley 3-5 times a week at the most
- JoeHague, on 11/09/2009, -2/+3I'd like to point out, that offer and the latest offer were not rejected by the the local TWU. They were rejected by basically one person, who has not allowed any offer to be voted on.
I'd also like to point out the TWU did offer to end the strike if SEPTA agreed to binding arbitration.
I'd also like to point out, that driving a bus is an extremely skilled job. You need a special license to carry passengers and driving a large city bus on city street during rush hour is not easy.
In short you probably know no-one who could step into the role of bus driver tomorrow. - fragMasterFlash, on 11/09/2009, -2/+3It's always Oniony in Philidelphia.
- gnomeh, on 11/09/2009, -3/+4The union has been working with a contract since March. They agreed not to strike until after the World Series and a strike after it was over was no surprise. I believe I also heard rumors of the city/state dipping into SEPTA's pension fund and not returning the money. Ultimately, the governor has given up on negotiations and an end doesn't look anywhere close.
This article also just picks the most obscure item and makes it the focus. I guess they need to get views somehow to their ***** site.
Also, unions protect the worker and they are doing the same thing any respectable union should be doing. Used to take SEPTA and have been effected by a strike before but more power to their union and I hope they get everything they ask for.
As for fair hikes, I'm moderately sure that ever major transit system runs in a deficit (LOL at AMTRAK). They need government funded money to exist and are a necessity in most cities. An understandable problem is the rest of PA doesn't want to pay for Philly's (and Pittsburgh's) problems. - MisterFurious, on 11/09/2009, -0/+1Is that a foghorn I hear? How does it feel?
GO DODGERS! - niradg, on 11/09/2009, -3/+4it's all the unions' fault that everyone's so poor! the robber barons at daily finance told me so!
- korvan504521, on 11/10/2009, -0/+1bicycles are always a good solution.
- kkkondorrr, on 11/09/2009, -0/+1The penis mightier?
- bossm4n, on 11/09/2009, -0/+1They deserve to be put out on their ass. Unions have outlived their purpose and their usefulness. Union extortion killed the US auto industry. If they aren't happy with their jobs and compensation, GTFO. At 10.2% unemployment, it won't take long to find someone else who never graduated high school to fill their spot.
- DA13, on 11/09/2009, -1/+1Haha you said rise up
- MickFu, on 11/09/2009, -0/+0PATCO!!!!!
- korvan504521, on 11/10/2009, -1/+1if unions didn't act like douches and did what was both in their own best interest and their employers, we wouldn't have this problem.
A good union provides an adjustable labor source, at a proper level of education for the service. They encourage young people to take to the trade to maintain a level of competency and quality, while not putting too many people into the program that some are constantly unemployed. These sorts of unions are a benefit to employers. They don't fight lay offs, they understand that sometimes there is no work.
Bad unions don't do these things. They hold their employers hostage by strikes and picket lines. They force unreasonable wage hikes. They prevent layoffs when the work isn't available. - Ptasty, on 11/09/2009, -1/+1trolly is only 2 bucks
- inactive, on 11/09/2009, -3/+3lol.... You gotta wait wait until you get a chest hair to chime in. I have that working for me but before you slam the ones that don't, live a day in their shoes.
- MaxterICC, on 11/09/2009, -1/+1oh yeah well my dad's in a union member.
- JoeHague, on 11/09/2009, -1/+1NO really you don't/
- shark72, on 11/09/2009, -1/+1So how exactly do they steer their buses?
- bmiami69, on 11/09/2009, -2/+1so what
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