By Peter Loftus
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
PHILADELPHIA -(Dow Jones)- Public-transit employees here remained on strike for a second day Wednesday, while businesses scrambled to make contingency plans for their workers' commutes.
Tens of thousands of people who normally take Philadelphia's subways, buses or trolleys to work have been forced to carpool, walk or ride cabs or bicycles. Thousands of schoolchildren also have had to find alternatives.
"We're just really trying to be flexible and patient and everyone is trying to get through this," said Jenni Moyer, spokeswoman for Philadelphia-based cable-television giant Comcast Corp. (CMCSA).
The company has encouraged employees to carpool where possible, and has steered employees to the public transit Website for updates about transportation options. Comcast's new headquarters tower sits atop a downtown train station served by commuter-rail lines that continue to operate.
About 5,000 members of the Transport Workers Union of America went on strike early Tuesday after reaching an impasse in negotiations for a new contract with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, surprising many commuters who thought a strike had been averted.
Still, the strike's effect on commerce has been partly mitigated due to the continued operation of commuter-rail lines that connect the nation's sixth-most populous city with its suburbs. Train conductors and engineers remained on the job because they're part of a different bargaining unit than the subway, bus and trolley operators.
The running of the regional rail lines has allowed thousands of commuters to get to work, albeit in trains made more crowded by refugees from the shuttered modes of transit. One train car caught fire Wednesday morning, apparently due to an electrical malfunction, but no one was injured, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The city subways, buses and trolleys have an average weekday ridership of about 930,000, while the regional rail system's ridership is about 124,000, according to SEPTA. A simultaneous shutdown of the regional rail lines would have caused even greater disruption.
Hahnemann University Hospital, which is owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC), hasn't experienced excessive employee absences as a result of the strike, said spokeswoman Coleen Cannon. It also hasn't seen a significant increase in cancellations of patient procedures or visits, she said.
The hospital, which employs about 2,870 workers, has beefed up the parking-attendant staff at its garage and lots to handle increased automobile traffic, and has encouraged employees to carpool.
Philadelphia-based health insurer Cigna Corp. (CI) has advised employees to walk or bike to work if they're able to, said spokeswoman Gloria Barone. The company has partnered with Zimride, an online service that lets people find co-workers who live near them and share rides.
Cigna, which has about 1,100 workers in the city, also has allowed people to work from home or work flexible hours if they run into obstacles getting to the office.
The TWU issued a statement Wednesday afternoon indicating that a major sticking point in the labor negotiations is pension funding. A SEPTA spokesman said there was nothing new to report on the labor talks.
-By Peter Loftus, Dow Jones Newswires; 215-656-8289; peter.loftus@dowjones.com