To Our Friends in the Bay Area Who Call Us Greedy:

While we apologize to the working class for the difficulty you have had with your commute this week, we DO NOT apologize for our quest to get a fair contract. It breaks my heart to hear the Bay Area community calling to have us fired, saying we are spoiled, comparing your pay to our pay, crying over how much you pay for your medical versus how much we pay for ours. And the particularly classist remark (and misguided assumption) that you are college educated and we are not and therefore, we should be paid far less. To all of you, I say you are missing the point.

 We are desperately trying to remain in the Bay Area middle class. If you make less than us or pay more for your medical, we are on strike FOR YOU TOO! Come join us. We believe everybody should earn a living wage. Everybody should have affordable medical care. When working class society compares each other’s wages we are playing into the hands of the upper class. They want to divide and conquer us. They want you to concentrate on our nickels and ignore their million dollar bonuses.  The middle class shrinks every day. We all took a hit when the economy sank, but now the economy is coming back and we all deserve to be fairly compensated. When you are against us, you are for Wall Street. They would like nothing better than to get rid of organized workers. Don’t take my word for it, look at labor history. If not for the unions, we would all have unsafe working conditions, no vacation, no sick leave, and a seven-day work week.

Please stand up for the working class. We want an upwardly mobile life just like you. We want the American Dream just like you. All workers deserve it. Demand it.

 To my union brothers and sisters: Stay strong. Be safe.

 In Unity,

 Deborah Sullivan

ATU 1555