2012 will be remembered as a very important year in the history of the labor movement — a year in which unions across the Philadelphia region and the nation banded together in solidarity to take action on a plethora of issues, many of which will directly affect the future of organized labor. Once again we stood together to preserve our existence as a movement, as a voice and as an advocate for the rights of working people and the middle class… From national events like the Presidential election, Wisconsin’s anti collective bargaining law, Fighting Hyatt’s working conditions, the Chicago teacher’s strike and the Great Walmart Walkout, to important local Philadelphia based events such as SEIU 32bj District 1201 leadership’s fight for survival against privatization, the fight by Philadelphia construction trades against Post Brothers, the city unions negotiations with the Nutter administration to get contracts after years each without one, all remind us that we must always stand strong together in solidarity as a community in the face of greed to ensure that working families always have a voice.

In honor of those issues and many more, Phillylabor.com has comprised a list of labor’s top stories of 2012 as collage and as documentation for the purpose of always remembering, learning that we must always be ready to join together now and in the future to protect the standards that our forefathers fought so hard to achieve in order to maintain their legacy today and pass it on tomorrow.

(Scroll Down on the home page of this story and navigate to the next several pages to view 22 of labor’s top stories both locally and nationally)

In what many said was the most important election in the history of the labor movement in America, against anti-labor GOP candidate, Mitt Romney, who vowed to repeal Davis-Bacon, Project labor agreements and to enact “Right To Work” legislation across the land on “Day One” if elected, organized labor showed an unprecedented commitment of Solidarity in representing working families and the middle class on the campaign trail every step of the way to help President Barack Obama get re-elected for a second term.

In a long and stressful negotiation with the school district of Philadelphia with potentially catastrophic circumstances in the balance, SEIU 32 BJ District 1201 union leaders, George Ricchezza, Dennis Biondo and Co. representing the school district’s blue collar school employees fought off attempts by the school district to privatize their industry and negotiated a multi-year contract with the school district of Philadelphia that literally saved the union itself and jobs and the livelihoods of over 2700 of employees in an unprecedented display of courage, commitment and strength on behalf of their union’s membership.

Labor leaders and union members from various Philadelphia based building and construction trades unions have been participating in an ongoing protest with general contractor, Post Goldtex GP, LLC. for wages and standards. The purpose of the protest is to protect the wages and benefits of the highly skilled men and women of the union construction industry throughout Philadelphia and vicinity. To date,  Post Goldtex has allegedly hired non-union workers in the form of independent contractors in an attempt to circumvent union standards.

This situation is still in doubt and, as per one high ranking union official,  make no mistake about this — if not resolved, the outcome of this very serious situation could negatively impact the FUTURE of the entire union construction industry throughout the Philadelphia region.

In a bitter contract dispute between the Fire Fighter’s Union and Mayor Nutter’s administration, after an arbitration panel first awarded a contract with pay raises to the firefighters in 2010, the city of Philadelphia appealed to Common Pleas Court to block the wage increase, arguing that the award did not comply with the law that created the Philadelphia Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, the city’s financial overseer. Local 22 of the International Association of Fire Fighters argued that their much-deserved pay increase came after the firefighters had worked without a raise or contract since 2009.

In a December 12, 2012 Press Release made by Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz stated, “It’s disconcerting that Philadelphia’s Fire Fighters have been without a contract since 2009, especially when these men and women put their lives on the line every day to ensure that citizens and visitors are protected.”