Among the issues most commonly discussed are individuality, the rights of the individual, the limits of legitimate government, morality, history, economics, government policy, science, business, education, health care, energy, and man-made global warming evaluations. My posts are aimed at intelligent and rational individuals, whose comments are very welcome.

"No matter how vast your knowledge or how modest, it is your own mind that has to acquire it." Ayn Rand

"Observe that the 'haves' are those who have freedom, and that it is freedom that the 'have-nots' have not." Ayn Rand

"The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not 'selflessness' or 'sacrifice', but integrity." Ayn Rand

For "a human being, the question 'to be or not to be,' is the question 'to think or not to think.'" Ayn Rand

11 November 2009

Public Transport Workers Striking Philadelphia

The average transport worker in the SEPTA transportation system of Philadelphia is earning $52,000 a year.  They pay 1% of their earnings for their health insurance plan.  They must pay about the same amount, however, in union dues to the union.  This payment is $530/year.  This is the 8th SEPTA strike, with an average strike duration of 34 days.  The Transport Workers Union is demanding an average annual pay increase of 2.7%.  It seems to me that these workers are already being paid very well given the skill level of these jobs.  They have already taken serious advantage of the government-run monopoly on transportation and of the local riders and taxpayers.

The Democrat Congress is considering making it mandatory for all policemen, firemen, and emergency public employees to become labor union members.  We will soon see strikes everywhere of critical government employees, if they do this.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do not consider it a likley event that the Democrats as you put it would make it mandatory that you be a part of a labor union. Pressure you yes, but the backlash of anything considered mandatory or the ring of the " peoples labor party" would put a unwanted microscope on the unions and fuel the fires of resentment and condemnation. Democrats would further shoot themselves in the foot to force any kind of unionization on first responders, these folks got backbones and mostley an attitude of community service that translates into being a proud American who can and does make the hard choices for better or worse, but will die or live standing behind these choices.
Ron

Charles R. Anderson, Ph.D. said...

Ron, thanks for your comment. I have not seen this proposed legislation, so I admit to taking the "mandatory" phrase from the National Right to Work Committee. As I understand it, the Obama administration is using the Stimulus Bill, the ObamaCare bills, and funds in grants from Homeland Security to pressure recipients of federal funds into using union labor and paying union labor wage rates. They are being quite overt in their favoritism of unions. I very much hope that many Americans will resist these pressures adamantly.