I awoke to an eerie quiet last Tuesday morning. The usual soundtrack of the “el” and city buses was not heard, but it wasn’t until I got into the office that I found out that SEPTA (South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) and the Transportation Workers Union (TWU) were on strike. For the 900,000 people that rely on the city’s public transportation daily, this unexpected walkout created a gridlock on the streets of Philadelphia. The strike lasted for six days, ending at 12:45am Monday morning, in enough time for the morning commute to be back on track (pun intended).
Catholic Social Teaching tells us "All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life."
Initially I sided with the workers, believing that they were acting in accord with CST, seeking just wages. But after learning more about the discourse between the TWU and SEPTA and the City, it seemed, more and more, that there was a push for more cash from a city whose unemployment rate is 11%.
The Union had SEPTA in the palms of their hands while nearly one hundred thousand people were unable to get to their jobs, their doctor’s appointments, and even their soup kitchens for meals. I received a call from a woman on Friday who normally takes public transportation to get to St. Francis Inn and didn’t have any food in the house for three days because of the strike. The last sentence above “No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life” is what really settles this whole thing for me. Not only are people losing money because they are unable to get to work, but they are doing so at the expense of people who are seeking more money in an already unstable economy.
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