As some of you may already know, I live in Philadelphia. (BTW, I was ballot number one in my division today. How exciting is that?) I work in Center City and commute using the Regional Rail system run by SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Today was the first day of the TWU strike here in Philadelphia which stopped service on everything but the Regional Rail, whose workers are covered by a separate contract. All through the day I heard what people were saying about the strike. Some of the statements, and my thoughts on them, below the fold.
All through the day, I heard variations on a theme. That theme was that this is a bad economy and the workers shouldn't be striking. They should just accept what is being offered by management and move on from there. Oftentimes, this was coupled with arguments about how the union shouldn't be expecting good terms on health care and pay because the individual making the statement couldn't get that at work. Somehow, if things are bad for us and we are mistreated by our employers, then everyone should just accept that and move on.
What I fail to understand is why so many people feel this way. The average income of a SEPTA worker is about $50,000, give or take. (My apologies for no link. I read it in the Metro this morning and I can't seem to find the story online.) This is the sort of salary that we should be applauding. It's a salary that a person can raise a family on. It's not extravagant, but it's a reasonable living salary. And we should be applauding the fact that they have a decent health plan.
Yet, somehow, the problem is that the union is fighting to ensure that they get pay increases that at least match the rate of inflation. The problem is that they had the organization and tenacity to organize themselves into a force that equal the power that management has so that pay negotiations are a fair fight. But, in reality, the problem isn't the union. And the problem isn't even management. If both sides have relatively equal power, they'll come to a reasonable decision eventually. You know what the problem is?
The problem is all of us. The rest of us who aren't in a position to organize into a union. The problem is the labor laws that allow employers to actively dissuade and destroy organized labor before it can even get out of the gate. The problem is a general feeling in this country that labor unions are filled with lazy people who feel they're entitled to more than they deserve.
When did we all forget that unions are nothing more than working men and women who decide they're tired of getting screwed and decide to join together and have a voice? Unions aren't the tired organized crime stereotypes that the Chamber of Commerce wants you to see. They're the people who drive the train that gets you to work. The smiling face of the people bagging your groceries. The people who build our cars, our tractors, and many other items that are proudly made in America. And, lest we forget, they're the people we call on when our house is on fire or we've been the victim of a crime.
Today was Election Day, but every day is a day when we must actively take a role in our democracy. We need to fight for better labor laws, including card check and the rest of EFCA. In addition, we need to fight for democracy at work. We shouldn't be denigrating those who have had the opportunity to form a union and get a fair shake. We should kicking ourselves for not making it happen for ourselves.