Support
anti-war,
anti-racist
news

:: Donate now ::

Email this article 

Printable page

Email the editor

Translate this page

Strength of Philly transit strike stops bosses' scab plan

By Joe Piette
Philadelphia

About 2,500 striking transit workers and supporters came together June 10 in Northeast Philadelphia in a mass noontime show of support for Transit Workers Union Local 234. Over 5,000 workers at the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority have been on strike since June 1.

On the eve of the rally, SEPTA officials announced that they had "postponed indefinitely" plans to run trains and trolleys with supervisory scabs. What made the bosses back down?

The Philadelphia AFL-CIO had pledged to call a general strike and organize a march of a million labor unionists if scabs took over strikers' jobs.

"I think that SEPTA realized it would be an inflammatory move, that it would provoke the wrath of the entire labor movement" if it tried to run with scabs, said TWU business agent Bruce Bodner.

TWU officials were joined on stage by dozens of local and national union leaders including AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka. The rally took place at SEPTA's Bridge and Pratt Bus and Elevated Train Terminal.

The union walked out rather than accept 47 SEPTA contract demands. The bosses' proposal includes privatizing transit service, cutting compensation rights, using part-time workers, and changing many work rules.

At the rally, there was a strong show of labor unity in support of the strike.

Union officials handed Local 234 solidarity checks totaling $110,000. Transport Workers Union representatives from Ohio, Oklahoma, California, and Washington, D.C., had flown in to express their support.

Local labor leaders at the rally included officials from the Service Employees, Electrical Workers, Communications Workers, Federation of Teachers, Food and Commercial Workers, the East Coast Longshore union, Newspaper Guild, Postal Workers, and State, County and Municipal Workers. The presidents of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO were also there.

Speaker after speak er aimed the sharpest criticism at SEPTA's chief negotiator, David L. Cohen. He is notorious for breaking an AFSCME strike here over the issue of privatization.

TWU officials slam med SEPTA for refusing to bargain in good faith. On June 4, Local 234 President Steve Brookens had offered to end the strike immediately if management would agree to submit the contract to binding arbitration.

The union leadership apparently felt the strength of the strike would bring a positive decision in arbitration. Still, this was a risky gambit on the union's part, because arbitrators are not actually neutral. Nevertheless, Cohen immediately rejected the offer, and the union is painting SEPTA as unfair and unreasonable.

A June 8 Daily News poll asked Philadelphians, "Which side are you on: the TWU or management?" The response: a 58.7-percent pro-union vote.

Transit workers continue to picket at 30 locations every day. Union members have also disrupted SEPTA's Regional Rail operations several times.

High-speed trains from the surrounding counties into Philadelphia had been running at much higher volumes than normal since the strike began. These commuter trains are operated by transit workers represented by the Locomotive Engineers, the United Transit Union and other unions whose contracts will not expire this year.

On June 8, tens of thousands of commuters were stranded at dozens of stations when striking members of Local 234 set up picket lines at the R1, R2, R8, the Airport Line and other terminals. The conductors, switchers, train engineers and other workers on the non-striking rail lines honored the TWU picket lines, until SEPTA persuaded a federal judge to order the non-striking rail workers back to work.

On June 12, TWU members blocked the R7 train from Trenton, N.J. They stopped SEPTA's rail service from picking up thousands of commuters from Torresdale, Holmesburg, Tacony, Wissinoming, and Bridesburg stations.

SEPTA's union-busting management has run to court repeatedly to get orders against picketers. Chester County, west of Philadelphia, is now the only county in SEPTA's service area without an injunction in force against the TWU.

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY,NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to:info@workers.org. Web: http://www.workers.org)

Copyright © 1998 workers.org