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Friday, November 6, 2009
Rendell: Nutter's tone may be an issue, but he deserves no blame for strike

Mayor Nutter yesterday said he had "no idea" what he did to provoke SEPTA union transit chief Willie Brown, who has called the mayor a "little Caesar" and blamed him for the union's decision to strike.

Today, Gov. Rendell said the same thing.

"He told them the same things I did," Rendell said in a phone interview this morning. "He did not say or do anything that would have precipitated ill will." The governor made his comments after briefly discussing what happened in the final minutes Monday night after he and the mayor relayed to Brown SEPTA's contract offer, and why they both thought it was a good deal. Brown, of course, summarily rejected it and called for the 3 a.m. walkout.

"It's not like he (Nutter) was there working to somehow minimize the offer," Rendell said. "I think the mayor acted apropriately. ... He believes what he believes and he is pretty strong about expressing it."

That said, the governor attributed Brown's adversarial reaction to the mayor to two potential factors.

First, he said there was a natural "mistrust" of the mayor on Brown's part since the mayor had cited concerns that the outcome of contract negotations with SEPTA could impact City Hall's ongoing contract talks with the city's four municipal unions. (The contracts for all four - police, fire, District Council 33 and District Council 47 - expired June 30.) As Rendell himself is on his final leg in office, there is no similiar mistrust of his own motives, he said.

Second, the governor said Nutter's tone that evening may not have been the best. "It may have been just that his tone was a little bit more vehement than mine," Rendell, Philadelphia's former mayor and district attorney, said. "The years have taught me to be a little more conciliatory, to say things in a different way. ... I'm not saying I'm a pussycat, but I may not be the tiger I was at 40."

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

Posted by Marcia Gelbart @ 12:05 PM  Permalink | 31 comments
Comments   
Posted 12:36 PM, 11/06/2009
SayHello2MyLittleFriend
Don't give in to the union thugs Mayor!
Posted 12:57 PM, 11/06/2009
gobirds556
the problem is that Willie is taking it personal. People in a position of power should know the difference between personal affronts and the nature of doing business.
Posted 01:02 PM, 11/06/2009
ruserious
Negotiating with any group is an art. It is interesting that they are still at the table with the Governor but refuse to meet with the Mayor. There has to be more to it than this and maybe the Governor is even in this account is being "nice" about it. The Union may not be all right but they probably are not all wrong either. Even if you are playing hard ball it wouldn't make sense to have as many people helping to resolve an issue as possible. Time will tell - I bet there is something else to this.
Posted 01:12 PM, 11/06/2009
concerns25
The problem is the longer the strike goes on the more ridership Septa will lose, if everyone would stop complaining and make like we are finding our ways to get to work, the union members will start feeling the pain they caused us. The longer they stay out the more their families will hurt. What goes around comes around, they can be replaced. We need a second transit company to add competition.
Posted 01:15 PM, 11/06/2009
Mark Chalupa
Yep, the governor is right, Nutter has no idea.
Posted 01:19 PM, 11/06/2009
Mike S.
FIRE ALL TWU workers now!!!
Posted 01:25 PM, 11/06/2009
chrissmith
gobirds: exactly. Negotiation 101: if you come across a great deal, take it and run away! Don't let your ego get in the way. Don't argue just to demonstrate your "power." Big Willie is an amateur.
Posted 01:32 PM, 11/06/2009
AmRon
I think this is absolutely assasine! He didnt like his tone? So you call a strike in the middle of the night leaving the people of this city stranded? Maybe the union members should have voted Brown to the office of THE SPOILED BRAT of the year instead of union president. Of course Nutter would consider how these negotations will effect what the other Muncipal unions demand if the city and Septa give into the TWU's outragous demands. But I guess expecting the TWU members to understand that this isn't just about them is asking to much, huh?
Posted 01:36 PM, 11/06/2009
Brwd48
I think SEPTA leadership is to blame. Before the strike, I talked to many of the people who drive the bus and they were not for a strike, because it would hurt them greatly in this economy. I forget his name, but there was another union leader who called a "ridiculous" strike back in the 1990's, and he also was an amateur. I think it is time for the "members" to really look seriously at who they vote as union leaders. While driving for SEPTA is no easy task, I agree, they really ought to count their blessings as there are many out of work. I have a job but now all I have to look forward to is increases in my premiums and less job security and I ironically work for the insurance company that insures SEPTA. The insurance company does not give a break to its own employees, so why is SEPTA so special to deserve special consideration. While I do not always agree with Mayor Nutter, he has every right to be angry about all the shennanagans this union has pulled over the years to the detriment of those who ride the busses and subways and those who work for SEPTA, but have to deal with the work stoppage and no pay every time a union leader throws a "hissy fit." It's time, perhaps, to start changing the rules and "fine" the SEPTA union everytime they pull this "ridiculous" stunt. New York did it about a year or two ago, and it's time for us to do it. Without being too harsh, I agree, you don't want to work you best be fired.
Posted 01:51 PM, 11/06/2009
jphil
I am a septa rider. I suggest we form a ridership union. Our demands are simply to be taken to and from work without any grief. We are ok with paying high prices for the train. We are ok with our tax dollars already being used towards Septa payrolls. We are not ok with these buffoons striking without notice, rejecting an offer that even the so called "fat cats" would love to have, and we are not ok with union greed. Get back to work, or we will have monkeys replace you on the job.
Posted 02:19 PM, 11/06/2009
Centrist
I suggest the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania adopt something like the Taylor law in New York State where it is illegal for the transit workers to strike along with lots of other folks. Hey, the get government money which comes from you and I; lets hold them to binding arbitration.
Posted 02:45 PM, 11/06/2009
dreinterests
I think there's more to it than that as well, Willie Brown is friends with Jannie Blackwell, an enemy of Nutter's. The corrupt Democrats are trying to ostracize Nutter to protect their own fiefdoms.
Posted 02:55 PM, 11/06/2009
emmkay
New union leaders go on strike to prove they have balls. A totally ridiculous reason to inconvenience an entire city - including the members of his union who aren't getting paid this week.
Posted 03:04 PM, 11/06/2009
union guy
Mike Nutter is just trying to make sure that nothing sets a precedent for the City worker unions to use against him. Glad somebody is standing up for his membership.
Posted 03:17 PM, 11/06/2009
newbolder
We don't even get cost of living increases in my company this year. It's a little hard to feel for the SEPTA workers who don't really have mentally taxing jobs, are usually overweight, and get to sit all day. Sure, it's not the greatest job in the world, but c'mon--if you don't like it, quit. There are plenty of other unemployed people who would love to have a paycheck. Oh, and by the way, did anybody else notice the banquet hall rentals on the TWU local website? Is that a little weird? Can we have Willie Brown DJ our parties too?
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