Dear SEPTA union workers:
I, and everyone else I know, would like to inform you that you are selfish scum. While I was angry with your arrogance from the beginning of the strike talks, the below article INFURIATED me:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091104/ap_on_re_us/us_philadelphia_transit_strike
Due to the SEPTA strike, I am forced to get up at 5:30 AM everyday to get ready and out of my house 45 minutes to an hour earlier than usual, hop in a gas guzzling car I had to borrow from my parents while mine is in the shop, drive all the way from my house, a mere 2.5 miles from my office, into the suburbs to pick up a coworker who does not have a car or another transportation option and drive back into the city in an attempt to make it into work by 8:30 AM. Due to traffic tie ups because of the R-5 fire this morning, I was 2 hours late to my job today and because of the lack of notice regarding the strike, I was an hour late yesterday. My work is suffering as a result and I will be here until 8:00 PM tonight to make up for the missed time. I can’t ride my bike into work both because it is too dark to ride when I come home and I am my coworker’s only possible form of transportation. Parking in Center City costs a minimum $11 dollars daily (if I get to a cheap lot before it is full) and the tank of gas I just had to buy cost $45.00.
I make decent money, especially for someone who never finished college, and I make less than what the average salary for a SEPTA union worker is. Because of the current economic state, pay raises for most people I know and for myself, were miniscule or entirely nonexistent this year. Most of us also saw an increase in healthcare costs, so that we effectively make less money than we did a year ago. Many employers have dropped health coverage all together. Pensions stopped existing for most people years ago. Still, I can’t complain about all of this because I, like every other employed person in this city and country, am lucky to even have a job. Many of my friends and family members have not been so lucky after years of hard work and education.
Many SEPTA jobs do not require much education or training; nonetheless a 4 year degree, yet union workers, on average, make more money than many of my highly trained friends who do have (in some cases, high level) degrees. They make more than teachers, physician’s assistants, sociologists, etc. They also have guaranteed job security, something many of us would love. I know that I often times feel like I am getting a ulcer stressing out about whether my job will be here for me tomorrow so that I can keep paying my mortgage and putting food on the table, especially since through no fault of the other party, I am currently the sole income in my home. A good friend killed herself earlier this year after the stress of unemployment launched into a deep, spiraling depression.
Today’s train fire on one of the few functioning lines proves something everyone in this city already knows: our public transportation vehicles and equipment need some major maintenance; the lack of which is putting people’s safety at risk. Trains, trolleys and buses have not received proper maintenance because there is no money to do so. Maybe the City should contribute more, but they don’t even have the money to keep libraries open or police officers and fire fighters employed. Commuter rates are already some of the highest in the country.
There is no money. Not for you, or for anyone else. The city doesn’t have it, the SEPTA organization doesn’t have it and the commuters who you are hurting definitely don’t have it, yet it will ultimately be those same, struggling commuters who foot the bill so that SEPTA union workers can continue receiving luxuries that few of the rest of us are able to obtain in our current workplaces, especially without more than a high school diploma and little training.
SEPTA union workers: You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Your entitled attitude has crippled this city; a place filled with people who don’t have it as well as you do and would love to be in the shoes you are complaining about. I don’t sympathize with you and I doubt many people do. If I had it my way, I would have you all fired and never give a single dime to any of you again. Unfortunately, I have no other remotely affordable options. Moreover, I would welcome a class action lawsuit holding you responsible for all issues caused as a result of the strike (car accidents, decreased revenue to businesses, injuries, client losses, etc.). This strike is irresponsible and disrespectful to the people of the Philadelphia area. You have proven that you don’t deserve the good job you are lucky enough to have and I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to take your place. I’d like them to have the chance.
