Chairman Bill Green
School Reform Commission
School District of Philadelphia
440 N. Broad St, Suite 101
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Dear Chairman Green,
We are the leaders of Philadelphia’s labor unions, representing an incredible diversity of the region’s workers. We stand unified in our commitment to Philadelphia’s public school system, which is part of the bedrock of our community and our economy. We are dedicated to the principle that justice and social progress are impossible without a seat at the table for working people.
On Monday October 6th, you held a hastily organized and barely publicized meeting at which you voted unanimously to cancel your collective bargaining agreement with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Imposing terms unilaterally on over 12,000 teachers, counsellors, librarians, nurses, and assistants in your school system constitutes a direct attack on those who teach and care for our children. It also constitutes your abandonment of any pretense of bargaining in good faith with the PFT. In fact, it represents the effective destruction of collective bargaining.
The problems in our School District will be solved only with adequate, stable funding from Harrisburg and productive collaboration between District leaders and your staff. Collective bargaining is essential to that kind of collaboration. By abandoning the negotiating table, you’ve turned your back on the input of thousands of dedicated, experienced professionals.
Philadelphia’s children deserve well-staffed, well-funded schools with a full complement of professional staff who are treated with respect by their employer. Working people deserve a voice in the decisions that affect our work, our schools, and our communities. We oppose your canceling your contract with PFT in the strongest possible terms, and will continue to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers as they fight to reverse your decision.
Sincerely,
AFGE Local 2006, President Beverly Wilmer
AFGE Local 2058, President David Fitzpatrick
AFSCME District Council 33, President Pete Matthews
AFSCME District Council 47, President Fred Wright
AFT Pennsylvania, President Ted Kirsch
American Maritime Officers, National Executive VP Robert J Keifer
American Postal Workers Union Local 89, President Nick Casselli
American Postal Workers Union Local 7048, President Vince Tarducci
Association of Catholic Teachers Local 1776, NACST President Rita Schwartz
Boilermakers Local Lodge 13, Business Manager John Clark Jr
Bricklayers Local 1, Business Manager Dennis Pagliotti
CWA Local 13000, President Jim Gardler
District 1199C NUHHCE AFSCME, President Henry Nicholas
Elevator Constructors Local 5, Business Manager Ed Loomis
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, President John McNesby
Gas Workers Union Local 686, President Keith Holmes
Heat & Frost Insulator & Allied Workers Local 14, Business Manager Steve Pettit
HPAE, President Ann Twomey
IAFF Local 22, President Joe Schulle
IAM Local 1776, Recording Secretary C.A. O’Brien
IATSE Local 8, Business Manager Michael Barnes
IBEW Local 98, Business Manager John J. Dougherty
Ironworkers Local 401, Business Representative Charles Roberts
IUPAT District Council 21, Business Manager Joseph Ashdale
Laborers’ District Council of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Government Affairs Representative Ken Washington
Laborers’ Local 332, Business Manager Sam Staten, Jr.
National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 157, President Randy Zebin
Operating Engineers Local 542, Business Manager Robert Heenan
PA Conference of Teamsters, Joint Council 53 and IBT Local 157, President William Hamilton
PASNAP, President Patricia Eakin
Pennsylvania Federation BMWED – Teamsters, General Chairman Jed Dodd
Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee, Director Michael Hersch
Philadelphia Joint Board Workers United, Manager Lynne Fox
Philadelphia Building Trades Council, Business Manager Patrick Gillespie
Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, President Patrick Eiding
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Local 3, President Jerry Jordan
PhilaPOSH, Director Barbara Rahke
Plumbers Local 690, Business Mgr./Financial Secretary Treasurer John Kane
SAG – AFTRA Philadelphia, Vice President Catherine Brown
Seafarers International Union, Business Manager Joe Baselice
SEIU 32BJ Mid-Atlantic, Director Daisy Cruz
SEIU 32BJ District 1201, President George Ricchezza
Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, President Gary Masino
Sprinkler Fitters Local 692, Business Manager Wayne Miller
Steamfitters Local 420, Business Manager Anthony Gallagher
Teamsters Local 107, Trustee Ed Shaw
Teamsters Local 830, Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Grace
TNG-CWA Local 38010, Executive Director Bill Ross
TWU Local 234, President Willie Brown
UAW Region 9, Area Director Terrence Dittes
UFCW Local 1776, President Wendell Young, IV
UNITE HERE Local 274, President Rosslyn Wuchinich
UNITE HERE Local 54, President Bob McDevitt
USW Local 10-1, President Jim Savage
Pat Eiding, President
Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO
Cc: Feather Houstoun, Member, SRC
Farah Jimenez, Member, SRC
Marjorie Neff, Member, SRC
Sylvia P Simms, Member, SRC
Governor Tom Corbett
Mayor Michael Nutter
Source: http://www.pa.aflcio.org/philaflcio/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=a790879c-0d9f-40a3-9d06-168d57223286
