By Tom MacDonald

– Is manufacturing being squeezed out of Philadelphia? One member of city council wants hearings on the issue.

City Councilman Bobby Henon says he worries that industrial land is being gobbled up by shopping plazas. He’s calling for hearings to ensure there’s a home for modern manufacturing in Philadelphia.

“It’s a different type of manufacturing, it’s a different type of industry,” he said. “It’s high tech it’s advanced manufacturing computer numbering and simulation machines. So we as a as a marketing tool need to tell businesses and show them that we have the land and we’re preserving the land for you.”

Henon says luring the Dietz and Watson plant back from New Jersey to Philadelphia is a recent example of a success.

“We have legacy industry businesses that are here in the city we want them to grow and we also want to send a message that land preservation is important as a marketing tool to attract more companies to come here in the city.”

He says keeping a home for manufacturing is vital since those jobs often pay more than service-sector ones.

Source: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/73511-manufacturing-hearings-in-philadelphia-city-council-?linktype=hp_impact

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– We have one month until the most important gubernatorial election in recent Pennsylvania history. On November 4, the polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

The stakes are high and it is up to you to make sure voter turnout is, too. If enough voters come out, the right candidate will win, and that is Tom Wolf. To find your polling place, click here.

In order to participate in voting on November 4, you need to register! If you have not done that yet, you only have two days! October 6 is the deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania. For more information on the many ways to register, click here.

Don’t let the October 6 deadline pass you by. There are multiple ways to register so there is no excuse to go unregistered. Make sure to get yourself, your friends and your family registered and vote for Tom Wolf on November 4.

Source – http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=4582

By the PA. AFL-CIO

– Pennsylvania AFL-CIO’s Labor 2014 Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign kicked off on Wednesday and the RV hit the road.

The RV stopped at United Steel Workers (USW) Local 5652, Intermetro Industries, to hand out flyers and talk with workers about the high stakes that working people face in the November 4 election.

From there, the RV stopped at AFSCME District Council 87 in Dunmore, Pa. for a meeting with the Northeastern ALF where union members discussed strategies for Labor 2014 and plans for future events.

Speaking of events, a few GOTV RV stops included Voter Registration events yesterday at East Stroudsburg University and today, Friday Oct. 3, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bloomsburg University in the parking area between the Bakeless Building and the Student Center of Laubach Drive. We will also be at Millersville University on Monday, Oct. 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. – more details to come.

We are thrilled about all the enthusiasm surrounding these events and we look forward to being part of a historic election. Please spread the word and feel free to join us as we Get Out The Vote all over Pennsylvania!

Source: http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=4746

– 10/1 Today In PhillyLabor Radio Podcast w/Howard Gensler, President, Bill Ross, Exec Director of Newspaper Guild 10, Patty Eakin, President, PASNAP and Eleanor Dezzi, The Dezzi Group

Listen To This Week’s Featured Topics – What’s going on with the writers and workers at The Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer, Getting Out the Vote on Nov and an update on the nurses strike at Chester Crozier Hospital

(TO LISTEN) to the podcast, go to: http://wwdbam.com/2014/10/01/jk100114_mono/

By the PA. AFL-CIO

– The October 6 deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is just one week away, which means there is not much time to be sure your voice is heard on Election Day. If you are already registered, why not get some family and friends registered before we hit the deadline?

There are multiple ways to register to vote. You can register to vote in person by visiting a County Voter Registration Office.

You can register to vote by mail through one of two ways. One way is to request a Voter Registration Mail Application from the state or federal government. The Secretary of the Commonwealth and all county registration commissions supply Voter Registration Mail Applications to people who request them. Also, you can email ST-VOTERREG@pa.gov with the subject line: “Request Voter Registration Mail Application.” Be sure to include your full name, home address and number of requested registration forms in the email.

You can download a Voter Registration Form and either mail or deliver in person to a County Voter Registration Office. Locations of County Voter Registration Offices are conveniently printed on the form.

You can register to vote at a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) photo license center when you obtain or update your driver’s license. You can also register to vote at multiple other government agencies such as state offices that provide public assistance and services to persons with disabilities, Armed Forces Recruitment Centers, County Clerk of Orphans’ Court offices (including each Marriage License Bureau), Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living, County Mental Health and Mental Retardation offices, student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education, Offices of Special Education and DA Complementary Paratransit offices.

Don’t let the October 6 deadline pass you by. There are multiple ways to register so there is no excuse to go unregistered. Make sure to get yourself, your friends and your family registered and vote for Tom Wolf on November 4.

Source: http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=4575