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Letters: Outraged at middle-of-the-night SEPTA strike

Philadelphia Daily News

WHILE THE local media worries about sports, the trials and tribulations of animals, and other things that don't matter in the long run, the union bozos at SEPTA decide to be sneaks and strike - yet again.

When is this city going to get another transit system? SEPTA's service is inefficient, dirty and quite rude. The union doesn't realize people don't get top-of-the-line benefits anymore and SEPTA management needs to cut their inflated salaries by a third and put the rest in the till. I hope everyone associated with SEPTA seriously burns!

Donna Di Giacomo, Philadelphia

"Union workers, who earn an average $52,000 a year, are seeking an annual 4 percent wage hike and want to keep the current 1 percent contribution they make toward the cost of their health-care coverage."

Are you kidding? We need another transit company to prevent this kind of baloney. The union said that the economy is bad, so they need a better contract. What? The cruddy economy doesn't affect the entire country?

The union wants SEPTA to bend over backward to give them what they want. But what do the citizens of Philadelphia get in return?

I'll tell you: surly attitudes, dirty and broken buses, late or no arrivals. If they see you running to catch a bus they intentionally speed up so you miss it, and they never pull to the curb, so you could be hit by a car while getting on while they sit at a light.

I work for the government, and am unable to strike. We have to accept the raise they give us. And those raises have never gone up to 3 percent, much less the 4 percent that SEPTA employees want. We usually only get a 2.9 percent raise and put out an enormous amount of money for our health care - I pay $662 per month for health insurance, $20/$25 co-pay for office visits, $10 for every school form, $100 for outpatient care and $50-$75 for an emergency-room visit.

What makes the SEPTA workers so special that they don't have to put out that kind of money for their health insurance?

So, as of midnight last night, I have to drive my son to school in Mount Airy and my husband has to stay awake until school lets out (he works midnight-8 a.m.) so he can pick him up. How is this helping our family?

We need to get another transit company in here so we won't have to put up with being held hostage by SEPTA every two years.

Tina Derrickson, Philadelphia

Oooops

A hearty thank you to Gov. Rendell, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and Mayor Nutter for becoming involved in negotiations between SEPTA and TWU Local 234. Their influence brings results.

The economy of this region depends on reliable public transportation.

Jeanne Aldworth, Philadelphia

Charlenni's fate

To all the people who were supposed to care for little Charlenni Ferreira, you failed!

To the family, especially the parents, of little Charlenni, who were supposed to love and care for her, you failed!

May my goddess give you the safety and love in death that sadly you did not get in life.

Magdalena Cancel, Philadelphia

Comments

Posted 05:52 AM, 11/04/2009

Down in the Basement

Magdalena...I agree... The nurses seem to be getting a lot of credit... If credit is due...fine...but I wonder how a girl could go to school...and no-one has the "cajones" to say that the girl needs to be protected by the police...or an agency... I see a lot of blame to go around...

Posted 08:45 AM, 11/04/2009

georgeholmes

3am walkout of the fourth biggest transit in the country! Striking septa workers start fires to slow down the other transit systems! average septa worker makes $55.000 a year! We the people are on the brink of a do or die with America! Cruschoff??? was right. Not a single bullet. I'm buying a gun.

Posted 09:17 AM, 11/04/2009

Niko

Tina- unlike a lot of the Septa workers, I bet you have a college degree.

Posted 09:23 AM, 11/04/2009

Imagine

The unions are not to blame for the dirty buses. The riders are.

Posted 09:37 AM, 11/04/2009

nb378

"[...]the trials and tribulations of animals, and other things that don't matter in the long run": eff you Donna Di Giacomo. Some people, unlike the union and YOU, care about things other then themselves. Don't knock people are work to make conditions better for sentient beings who can't defend themselves against the negative effects of this city's residents.

Posted 09:54 AM, 11/04/2009

horriblekitty

nb378, I agree with you about the animals. What did they do to deserve to be maligned? A person can be angry about the stike AND care about animals.

Posted 10:04 AM, 11/04/2009

whsmith

i was nodding my head while reading tina's letter... i have experienced the bus driving away from me when i was close enough to board - once the driver closed the door, and sat at a red light, but would not let me on. they never pull over to let people on/off, which is a problem for the riders and the vehicles driving nearby, as we never can tell what a bus is going to do next... these don't sound like workers whose valuable services could never be replaced.

Posted 10:31 AM, 11/04/2009

lulu

Yo Donna Giacomo - you can't be angry about Septa without looking like a complete a**? The media should ignore such things as animals being tortured and something that brings great unity to the city like the World Series, and just focus on you not being able to get on the bus? Some people should just not exist.

Posted 10:49 AM, 11/04/2009

dreinterests

who cares about friggin roosters? it's despicable the way people care more about roosters than people.

Posted 12:48 PM, 11/04/2009

nb378

dreinterests, I've forgotten that one cannot care about both humans and animals at the same time. Silly me, of course they are mutually exclusive. *rolls eyes*

Posted 12:50 PM, 11/04/2009

tonyS

SEPTA's workers and their union should all be dismissed.

Posted 01:04 PM, 11/04/2009

Monster Joe

I took the R-5 on Sunday and the Septa people I spoke with couldn't have been nicer. Stereotypes are useful to no one.

Posted 01:19 PM, 11/04/2009

donnybrook

bunch looks like a giant quivering dollop of pudding.

Posted 01:20 PM, 11/04/2009

donnybrook

the regional rail operators are in a different union and are a whole different story. they're nice, yes, in stark contrast to city operators.

Posted 01:33 PM, 11/04/2009

Lori T.

Interesting that more people seem to be concerned with how "their" commute was interrupted by SEPTA than the suffering of Charlenni or the twin girls hit by a car...Your true nature is showing Philly! For those calling for the burning of the union members...again, what a great group of people you are! YOU make the buses dirty, YOU put the lives of drivers and passengers in jeopardy, YOU kill each other at an alarming rate, YOU are only concerned about YOU and DO NOTHING unless it affects YOU. Where were all of you people when the union contract was up months ago? I'm listening to the silence! So glad to be in the burbs...