Lessons From The Strike

No, no, I'm not going back on my promise to leave the baseball blogging until spring training, nor am I going to wax on wax off about the writer's strike of a few years ago. I'm talking about the transit worker's strike in Philadelphia over the past week. Now that it appears to be over, there's a few items that have crystallized for me and I'm passing those little diamonds along to you to save you the trouble of thinking really hard.

First, the political lessons:

• Organized labor may, at one time, have been essential to moving forward as a country, but that time has passed.
• Asking for unreasonable demands in an economy like the one we have right now is no way to gain public sympathy and support.
• Union leaders really need to be made aware of the fact that they, like politicians, represent a constituency. They need to look out for them, not their own consolidated power.
• At the end of the day, $50K for driving a bus is a hell of a lot of money.
• If you choose to strike, you need to be prepared to absorb the wrath of the people's lives you have damaged in the process. Don't expect everyone to cheer for you because you strong-armed someone into giving you more than the bulk of America is getting this year.

Next, Road Rules addendums:

• If you don't drive normally during rush hour, you're probably doing it wrong.
• Yes, we know you're inconvenienced, but you don't get to break the law because of it.
• Don't make lanes where there are none. The yellow lines mean something.
• DON'T BLOCK THE BOX! If you don't know what this means, turn around and drive home immediately.
• Patience, Courtesy. You will get there. The earth will continue to turn.

And finally, the IQ rules:

• If you don't take the trouble to really understand how these issues work, please keep your mouth shut. On the other hand, don't get pissed at someone else for pointing out your ignorance. Yes, this is for all of you who think any mass transit agency has money to spare.
• Don't take your anger out on the wrong people. The union instigated the strike. The people who are still working did not. They deserve a thanks for the work they're doing.
• Employers shouldn't use the strike as an excuse to fire people who are genuinely impacted by this strike. On the other hand, workers shouldn't use the inconvenience of the strike as an excuse for a vacation.
• For those of you who think mass transit is a big waste of time and money, you may now return to the rocks from under which you have crawled.