Strike misfortunes

My friend had to walk from his house at 7th and Ellsworth, with a painting, to his art class up at Temple. My other friend has to take cabs to school and work because of the strike. I bet cabs are making a killing during all of this.

septa news post #1

http://a.getweb.info/business/2009/11/04/union-president-says-underfunded-pensions-key-to-septa-strike/

Union Local 234 President Willie Brown claims they will stay as long as they need to to solve this today (Wednesday). They just want a fair contract. I wonder how this is going to turn out!!

Now that SEPTA has gone on strike, many people at Temple University fear that it will only be drawn out over the next few days. The first day of the strike did not seem take its toll on the number of students in my classes, but we shall see what happens over the next couple of days.

-Adam Mitchell

R5 Septa Train Catches Fire

By Asia Broadus

Temple Student

PHILADELPHIA- Just when we thought the SEPTA strike was inconveniencing everyone, there is more that tops the cake for transportation. The Philadelphia Commuter, R5 SEPTA train caught fire today wednesday morning. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it was possibly an electrical fire said Richard Maloney from the Philadelphia Transportation Authority. The flames were seen sparking from the first car of the train at 7a.m this morning. The train was heading east from the Overbrook station toward the Amtrak Station in Center City. No injuries were reported. "Great. now i can't go home. There is nothing worse than wanting to go home but can't" said 20 year old Temple Student Danyielle Lambert from Coatesville P.a. "Now what am i going to do?!"

Septa Strike in Suburbs Too!

Apparently, the Septa strike spread beyond the city limits this morning. The Inky is reporting that the TWU was picketing buses that run through places like Upper Darby and Drexel. Governor Rendell said he's meeting with Union leaders.

I've heard a lot of people recently describing demands for a raise as the core of the issue. However, having been involved in a union/employer dispute over the summer in which the employer framed the union as greedy, when in reality the union was only seeking to temper some of the steeper cuts to benefits, I realize how misleading word-of-mouth can be. This article from the Philadelphia Business Journal describes the main Septa complaint as relating to the pension plan, and Septa's misfunding of the plan (though Septa obviously disagrees with the union's assessment). Take from it what you will, it seems to me to be the more likely rationale for the strike than simply higher wages.

-Michael Gaudini

Purpose of Strike

On Tuesday the union went on strike. The pension is the key reason why Septa workers decided not to return to work. They wanted 11 percent increase for their pension.

Supreme Court Session Starts Monday with Sotomayor's First Seating

By Andrew Small

Temple student

PHILADELPHIA–As the Supreme Court starts its new session Monday, many will look to the court's newest justice, Sonia Sotomayor, for how her appointment will affect the court's decisions.

The first Hispanic justice and the third female justice to join the bench is expected to bring a new perspective to bench. Philadelphia residents at Constitution Center weighed in on how they believe her life experience will affect their lives.

Some like Susan Sich, who was visiting the Constitution Center with her sister Barbara, believe Sotomayor's appointment to the bench represents a positive change from the court's prior appointments.

“The court will be more balanced when more women are on the bench, things will be better with her,” Sich said.

When Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor in May, he noted her life experience being tested by obstacles and barriers growing up in the Bronx would bring a much needed empathy to the court's decisions.

Robert Cammacho, a tourist trolley driver, says he can relate to her unique upbringing.

“I say it's about time we got another minority in the court," said Cammacho, "It's a good thing, we've got a woman, a Latina. I'm half-Latino myself and now there's someone who understands my experiences.”

Sotomayor's experience extends beyond her difficulties growing up in the Bronx. She graduated summa cum laude at Princeton University and graduated from Yale Law School. After being appointed by President George H.W. Bush, she spent six years as a judge on the District Court for the Southern District of New York and she sat almost 11 years on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals after President Bill Clinton appointed her to the position.

However, some people like New York lawyer Toby Feldman, believe Sotomayor still lacks the knowledge necessary to interpret the Constitution.

“I don't think she has enough experience to make informed decisions compared to the other members of the court,” Feldman said. “I don't trust her understanding of the Constitution.”

Others trust Sotomayor's judgment more than Feldman, they believe her understanding of the Constitution is just as easily as biased as any of the other justices.

“Everyone is going to bring their biases to their decisions. No one is entirely objective,” Patricia Rizzo, a lawyer and graduate from Temple Law School, said. “I think her background is amazing, she has a lot of experiences that others in the court haven't had so I think that makes her perspective valuable. She's actually an excellent choice.”

Contact Andrew Small at tub57268@temple.edu.