TWU Local 234

by John Johnson, Jr., President Transport Workers Union Local 234 

“Which Side Are You On?” is a song written in 1931 by Florence Reece, the wife of an organizer for the United Mine Workers. The lyric, “It seems like it's illegal to fight for the union anymore,” feels very current. Even the right to collective bargain is under attack by state governments. This push against unions is raising questions about basic workers’ rights.  

Unions are a very important part of American history, yet it is a topic rarely taught in schools. Labor Day is a time to reflect upon all the gains won by the labor movement for all workers and why we have the right to be proud of who we are, what we stand for and our history. 

The six-day stoppage of mass transit in Philadelphia is over, as SEPTA and the state reach an agreement with the leadership of the Transit Workers Union Local 234.

Political Scientist Michael Parenti catalogued seven generalizations about the way the news media create anti-union messaging--from painting workers as greedy, to omitting the salary of management or depicting public officials (like Mayor Nutter) as neutral. Using this lens to dissect the coverage of the SEPTA strike, it becomes clear that local media like the Inquirer and Daily News have a dangerous anti-union bias, once again making the case that to build our own movement we need our own media.

5,500 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 went on strike at 3AM Tuesday morning crippling SEPTA. Transit workers decided to strike as SEPTA is not offering enough in salary increases and pension benefits at the negotiating table.

On Sunday October 25, members of the Transit Workers Union, TWU Local 234,voted to authorize a strike, due to stalled contract negotiations with SEPTA. TWU Local 234, which represents 4,700 workers in the city, has been operating without a contract since March of 2009. As a TWU flyer explains, SEPTA management has rejected any salary increases for workers for the next five years even though SEPTA ridership is up 30 percent and the transit authority has received increased funding from both the commonwealth and the Federal government. The authorization of a strike comes one week before the first World Series game in Philadelphia On October 31.

Photos by Mariel Waloff

Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of Philadelphians came out in the rain to send a message to state legislators (who were meeting nearby) that Mayor Nutter's attempt to balance the city budget on the backs of city workers is unacceptable.

On Tuesday, public employees from four major unions in Philadelphia (TWU 234, AFSCME D.C. 33 and D.C. 47 and SEIU 32BJ), will hold a rally to demand that local and state politicians do not solve the city and state fiscal shortfall on the backs of working class families and public employees.Squeezing low-wage workers is no way to deal with the economic crisis,said Wayne MacManiman, 32BJ Mid-Atlantic Area Director. We are calling on Mayor Nutter to protect the wages of the working people who keep our City running.”The rally comes at a critical time, as workers in AFSCME DC 33 and DC 47 as well as police and firefighters have been working without a contract since June 30th. While these unions are currently in contract negotiations with the City of Philadelphia, there is speculation that it will be difficult to find compromise as the Mayor seeks to flatten workers' wages and cut contributions in healthcare and pension.

Check out MMP's audio and video coverage of the last public employees rallyhere