SEPTA strike takes toll on city's commuters

Union members briefly shut down several regional rail lines in addition to the city's buses and subways. Much like the trains idled on the subway tracks, talks between SEPTA management and the Transport Workers Union to end the current strike are going nowhere fast. Actually, they aren't even going anywhere slowly. No talks are planned, according to TWU business agent Bruce Bodner because "SEPTA [management] apparently doesn't want to negotiate." And Monday morning -- the one-week anniversary of the TWU Local 234 walkout -- saw more disruption as SEPTA's regional rail lines were also brought to a halt when picketing union members blocked the tracks. The regional rail standstill was short-lived though as U.S. District Court Judge Eduardo Robreno ordered the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers back to work Monday afternoon. The non-striking union does have a contract which prevents them from staging sympathy strikes. SEPTA tried to make amends to the 135,000 passengers left stranded in the morning by providing free rides to all during the evening commute. The regional rail, which normally carries 90,000 passengers a day, has been forced to pick up the slack, transporting those displaced by the strike. Bodner, who said the union was within its first amendments rights in picketing Monday, urged the public to get mad -- at SEPTA, of course. "Our fight is against SEPTA and we don't want it to operate any of its systems, he said."I think people should get fed up and angry, as long as they realize who's causing this." And riders were hit with another blow Tuesday when SEPTA announced that it would table a plan to have mangers operate subway and elevated trains. The plan, which would have eased the city's transportation freeze, might have led to fierce protests by union members and possibly violence. SEPTA board member Richard Voight told The Philadelphia Daily News yesterday that such a move might have "raised the hostility level." "That's why we're holding off, to show we're not trying to break the union," Voight said. In a battle over public sentiment, union members are fighting hard to gain the consensus as evinced by yesterday's rally at the Frankfurt Depot which attracted 1,500 to 2,000 supporters and raised over $100,000 for TWU's cause. According to to Bodner, the union offered to end the strike last week if SEPTA would agree to let submit the dispute to a third party for arbitration. "Apparently SEPTA doesn't care about the public," he said. "We'd go back to work today if they'd agree to arbitration." SEPTA spokesperson Stephan Rosenfeld was unavailable for comment yesterday. The University community as a whole appears to be coping with the strike, as it prepares to enter a third week. A few minor adjustments have been made in the routing of shuttle buses, according to Transportation Services Manager Ron Ward, who is coordinating the University's role in the effort to cope with the strike. "I think we can hold out as long as the strike continues," he said. "The way we formulated [the alternate transportation plan] was based on the fact that it might be a long strike." But although things may be going according to plan for the University, employees impacted by the strike seem to be of a different opinion. "It's affecting my commute," said Mike Wilson of Housing Services. "I have to wake up early just to get to work on time." And Wilson was not very sympathetic to the plight of the union workers. "I can sit on my butt and drive a bus all day," he added. And University Bookstore employee Saleem Steadley, who relies on SEPTA for her daily commute from 55th and Chester Avenue, has also been negatively affected. "I have to wait around for someone to drive me to work because a ride that used to cost a token, is now $7 or $8 [by cab]," she said. "I'm praying it won't last."