6 Killed, At Least 13 Others Injured

The construction company contracted to do the demolition on the building that collapsed last Wednesday at 22nd and Market St. in center city Philadelphia, killing 3 and injuring 13 others, was non-union construction company Griffin Campbell Construction, located at 1605 Butler St. That North Philadelphia address is also the residence of Griffin T. Campbell, 49. Laborers on the demolition crew were also non-union workers.

Witnesses who saw the building prior to it’s collapse were reported to have been concerned enough about the building’s condition to express a desire to warn the people inside the Salvation Army Thrift Store, located adjacent to the collapsed building, but the building collapsed prior to being able to warn them.

Griffin Campbell Construction has city permits to demolish six other properties, including three other Market Street properties owned by STB Investments Corp., the owner of the collapsed building. The principal of STB is Richard Basciano.

It is unknown yet why the building’s owners chose to use a non-union company, whose owner has a criminal record, to do the demolition on the building but it is suspected that saving money was a possible motive. Just one question, what kind of savings is worth the lives of the 6 innocent people who were killed and the many more who were injured as a result of the collapse?

PhillyLabor.com