Local unions rally for TWU

If you think the SEPTA strike is an inconvenience, it could be worse. In fact, things may very well get worse before getting better, judging from the threats made Tuesday during a union rally at City Hall. Several elected officials and local labor union heads attended the noontime demonstration to show support for the 5,200 striking members of the Transport Workers Union. Local 234 President Steve Brookens called on union members to "go to jail" if necessary in order to obtain a suitable contract. "It's time to do whatever we've got to do," Brookens said. He also promised to "shut down the city" with disruptive rallies, offering a pointed warning to Mayor Ed Rendell. "And Ed Rendell, if you think the city's not hurting, keep watching -- it's gonna hurt real bad," Brookens added. And Philadelphia AFL-CIO Council President Joseph Rauscher was just one of the other labor union leaders who offered works of encouragement to Brookens and members of the union, who have gone without a paycheck since walking out on the job June 1. "You are in a fight now that is out to destroy you, and eventually, the labor union," Rauscher said. "We, as the labor movement, have never been more united." Following the rally, Brookens lead nearly 500 union picketers to SEPTA headquarters and then on to the building housing the law firm of David Cohen, SEPTA's chief negotiator. Police were compelled to reroute traffic on Market Street, which was disrupted by the marches for nearly an hour. Although there are court injunctions against picketing at these two sites, union members dispersed before police were able to make any arrests. Union leaders did take time out of their busy marching schedule to attend a short-lived round of negotiations at 5 p.m. Tuesday, which ended just two hours later with no apparent progress. No new talks are scheduled. SEPTA spokesperson Stephan Rosenfeld said there were "at least two dozen unresolved issues," holding up the contract process. "The unresolved issues include our desire to adjust the number of part-timers we will hire; our desire to make changes in workers compensation; our desire to makes changes in the drug and alcohol policy; and our desire to streamline disciplinary procedures," Rosenfeld said yesterday." Although several other labor union heads publically pledged their support for the TWU at Tuesday's rally -- with some even promising to be arrested right along with the transit workers -- Rosenfeld claimed yesterday that "there hasn't been any display of solidarity" between labor unions. "A couple of unions may support [the TWU], but the vast majority are wondering why this union hasn't accepted the proposal," Rosenfeld said. "They're perplexed as to what's going on with the TWU." But City Councilman Angel Ortiz said he believes the unions are indeed sticking together. "I think it's starting to happen for the union," Ortiz said yesterday. "Organized labor has to show solidarity and unity, because what happens to one is a precursor of the fate of the entire movement." On Tuesday, Ortiz called on other local unions to help shut down the city for a day or two. "Labor negotiations are about give and take, but at the current time, SEPTA believes it's immovable," he said. With the city's subways, buses and trolleys shut down, the 39-day-old strike has left nearly 435,000 area residents searching for alternate modes of transportation. The current transit freeze is less than one week short of matching the record-length SEPTA strike of 1977, which lasted 44 days. By comparison, the last strike, in 1995, lasted only 15 days.