| Green Party of Philadelphia Supports SEPTA Workers
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| Written by Hillary Aisenstein, Mike Rosenberg |
PHILADELPHIA - As thousands of Philadelphians walked, biked, and
carpooled to work and school today, the Green Party of Philadelphia
(GPOP) expressed its support for SEPTA workers amidst the first transit
strike to take place in seven years. "Like many Philadelphians, SEPTA
workers are being squeezed on their health care benefits, while SEPTA
management - and more importantly the legislators that fund the agency -
have seen pay raises and increased benefits." explained Hillary
Aisenstein, chair of GPOP. "A high-quality and well-compensated
workforce is key to sustaining any industry, including public
transportation," she continued. "Yet, our state legislators are
always telling us there is no funding available for SEPTA and other
transit systems across Pennsylvania. Perhaps, if they didn't increase
their own pay by 16-32% this summer, there might be enough money
leftover to ensure bus drivers have affordable health care coverage."
Mike Rosenberg, GPOP Membership Secretary agreed. "Right now we have
working people with little health care coverage pitted against other
working people with health care coverage arguing about how quickly the
latter group can be saddled with the same problems as the former.
Instead, we all need to unite behind the Transport Workers Union and
United Transportation Union and put the attention on those who really
deserve it - SEPTA Management and our state legislators."
GPOP has long advocated improvements to SEPTA service and reduced or
stabilized fares, taking leadership in an effort in southeastern
Pennsylvania to secure dedicated funding -- a permanent, dependable
source of revenue -- for SEPTA. Aisenstein, who took part in many
pro-transit demonstrations in Harrisburg last year, recalls that union
members were at the forefront of the fight to prevent service cuts and
fare hikes. "It is time that SEPTA Management and the riding public
remember that," she said.
Marlene Santoyo, GPOP's 200th District State Representative
candidate in September's special election, agreed. "Some Pennsylvanians
complain that SEPTA workers should be happy to pay 'only' 20% of their
health insurance since a lot of people have no healthcare coverage at
all," Santoyo said. "But that's a race-to-the-bottom argument! The fact
is a lot of unions and other employers will form their own policies
based on what happens between SEPTA and the unions. When SEPTA workers
lose, we all lose," she further explained.
GPOP is concerned that SEPTA workers have been working without a
contract for months and applauds the workers' dedication to keep
services running in Philadelphia during that time. "Philadelphia
needs mass transit, and mass transit needs a well-paid workforce,"
Aisenstein continued. "Public transit is critical to a functioning and
healthy city."
The Green Party of Philadelphia, <www.gpop.org>, is founded on the
four pillars of grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom
and nonviolence. GPOP (pronounced "Jee-Pop") works through educating the
public, direct action, and inclusive electoral politics. GPOP is
currently active on issues such as improving public transportation,
stopping the war in Iraq, and informing high school students an option
of preventing their school from giving their names, addresses, and phone
numbers to military recruiters. For more information, contact
gpop@gpop.org or 215-243-7103.
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