Give SEPTA workers a little bit of credit. At least they delayed their unjustified strike until after the World Series left town.

Aside from that solitary note of decency, it's time to call them what they are: A gang of non-violent urban terrorists.

When members of Local 234 of the Transport Workers Union decided to go out on strike at 3 in the morning Tuesday, they knew exactly what they were doing and how dire the consequences would be. By abandoning their buses, trolleys and subways, they would deny hundreds of thousands of workers, merchants and tourists an effective and efficient way to get around, and strand some 54,000 students who depend on SEPTA to get to and from school every day. City highways and byways would be packed with extra vehicles, and commerce would take a hit.

TWU members have no room to complain, and that's why much of the public has little or no sympathy for their self-imposed plight. They already make great wages, pay a minuscule 1 percent of the cost of their health insurance, and have a no-layoff clause.

SEPTA is a transit agency, not an employment agency for people who figure they'll be the ones to decide when to drive or repair the buses, trains and trolley cars. As a vital public utility, SEPTA should be a strike-free company.

And still, legislators lack the spine to outlaw work stoppages by public transit employees, even though the general public and the local economy would clearly benefit. The only people who would be hurt by a ban on strikes would be the 5,000 greedy members of the TWU. But sadly, they're the ones calling the shots these days.

They should no longer be allowed to bring the region to its knees.

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