"Septic" Strike

For those who haven't heard, the city of Philadelphia is now in Day 3 of a crippling mass transit strike. SEPTA (the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) drivers, as usual, are walking the picket lines and holding my town hostage. I say "as usual" because it seems that SEPTA strikes (or threatens to do so) every year. The last work stoppage in 1998 lasted over 40 days.

I have little sympathy for SEPTA - which is universally regarded as the worst (and most expensive) mass transit system in the nation - primarily because police officers are forbidden by law to strike . . . and we usually get screwed more than Paris Hilton.

Which brings me to my beloved employer. Every night since the walkout, the top brass have been ordering officers to work an Emergency Response Team (ERT). This idea is ridiculous during my shift (11pm X 7am), where the chance of a picket line riot is non-existent. As a result, the cops assigned to the ERT spend eight hours sitting in a district HQ twiddling their thumbs, awaiting a radio call that probably will not come.

Now, I'm no genius (obviously), but wouldn't it be more productive to keep the officers in their district to answer 911 calls, instead of having them warm a bench somewhere? Just a thought.

Editor's Note: Yours truly is scheduled to work the wagon again tonight. Under my not-so-supervisor's "fair" system, this will be my third time in seven days. My loss is your gain, since post-wagon writing usually generates the most positive response. I'm not sure if you guys are laughing with me or at me, but . . .