*Sheet Metal Worker’s Local #19 Strike Update*
It has been reported that today Sheet Metal Worker’s Local Union #19 and their contractors association have reached a tentative agreement. There will be a ratification meeting set for this coming Monday May 6th at 7pm for Local #19 members to vote on the agreement.
Local #19 leadership would like to thank the membership, who stood up for each other even during such uncertain economic times. You have proven that solidarity really works!
**This is Official Notice that for the first time in 39 years Sheet Metal Worker’s Local #19 in Philadelphia is on Strike**
It is crucial that all card carrying members who are not working for contractors that have signed retro-actively come out tomorrow morning at 6:30am and support your Brothers and Sisters!
These 9 contractors are being picketed:
In New Jersey
ADS, SSM, AerDux, Luthe Sheet Metal, Fisher Balancing
In Pennsylvania
Thermo Design, Donovan, Air Concepts, Ernest D. Menold
If you need directions to any of the Shops, please contact Joe Rispo at the Union Hall starting at 6am tomorrow.
After all these years of working together to advance our industry, all the hard work that Local 19 Members put in year in and year out this is what we get from the Contractor’s Association.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=568640379823942&set=a.162571487097502.30537.133026076718710&type=1&theater
by Sonya Sorich
Believe it or not, May 1 has more significance than a cute “it’s gonna be May” meme featuring Justin Timberlake.
Perhaps you’ve always wondered about references to May Day. A Huffington Post contributor explains May Day celebrations “were born more than a century ago out of a struggle by American workers for the eight-hour day.”
In the late 1800s, times were tough for workers in the U.S. You can blame the growing rise of corporations, which didn’t always create the best work conditions. Workers’ campaign for an eight-hour work day reached a milestone on May 1, 1886.
The aforementioned blog post notes:
Gradually, plans took shape for a day of worker protests demanding the eight-hour day. And on May 1, 1886, protests erupted all across the United States, with some 340,000 workers taking part. An estimated 190,000 went out on strike.
May Day celebrations later spread to Communist governments, which naturally didn’t make the U.S. government too happy. That’s why in 1958, President Eisenhower proclaimed May 1 as Law Day. The History Channel explains, “May Day had communist overtones in the minds of many Americans, because of its celebration of working people as a governing class in the Soviet Union and elsewhere.”
Law Day encourages Americans to focus on the rights established “in the fundamental documents of American democracy,” it adds.
For what it’s worth, after the 1886 protests, it still took decades for many Americans to finally see an eight-hour workday.
So what’s up with references to maypoles on May 1? Remember, May 1 was a celebration of spring in medieval and modern Europe, according to Encyclopædia Britannica.
May Day dances still take place in some communities.
The New York Times explains, “The May Day dance may seem a trifle outdated, but every spring in communities here and there across America, celebrants follow the ancient custom, erecting a maypole, usually cedar or birch, and dancing around it, typically weaving colorful ribbons around the pole as they go.”
One more May Day tradition worth noting: Wikipedia notes that in some parts of the U.S., people fill baskets with goodies on May 1. They put a basket on the recipient’s doorstep, ring the doorbell and try not to get caught. Believe it or not, I did this as a child.
Fun times.
Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/04/30/2485595/may-day-2013-everything-you-need.html#storylink=cpy
It has been reported that the working agreement between Sheet Metal Worker’s Local #19 and their contractors association officially expired as of 11:59pm EST, April 30, 2013 which means the union is officially on strike putting thousands of hard working trades men and women out of jobs till further notice.
Phillylabor.com calls for the support for local #19 and it’s members and will follow this situation closely and provide updates as they come in!
Philadelphia, PA – This month, Pennsylvania dropped to 49th in the nation in job growth because of Tom Corbett’s harmful economic policies.
“Governor Corbett has overseen a Pennsylvanian economy in decline,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn. “The last economic report just further illustrates how disastrous Tom Corbett’s economy has been for the middle-class. Tom Corbett is more focused on giving tax breaks to corporations than he is on investing in education, lowering property taxes, and stemming rising tuition costs.”
Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate Is Higher Than The National Average. “The Department of Labor and Industry said Friday the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent in March, down from 8.1 percent in February.The national unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in March. [Associated Press, 4/19/13]
Pennsylvania Labor Force Falls Biggest Amount In 30 Years. “The size of Pennsylvania’s labor force shrank in March by the biggest one-month amount in almost three decades, as unemployment and payrolls also fell. A survey of households showed the number of people working or looking for work fell in March by 33,000 to just above 6.5 million. That’s the largest one-month drop since 1983.” [Associated Press, 4/19/13]
When Tom Corbett Took Office, Pennsylvania Was 7th in Job Growth.
[Job Growth USA, 01/11]
Now, Pennsylvania Ranks 49th In Job Growth. “Where’d everybody go? Earlier today I spoke with Mark Price, a labor economist with the Keystone Research Center. He noted — with the caveat that numbers can fluctuate from month to month — that in March Pennsylvania ranked 49th in the nation in job growth, ahead of only Wyoming.” [Philadelphia Daily News, 4/23/13]
Pennsylvania Is The Only State In The Nation With An Over-The-Year Percentage Decrease In Employment.
“The only over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Pennsylvania (-0.1 percent).” [Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 04/19/13]
