By The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO

– On December 10, 2014 the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO unanimously passed resolutions supporting 2 labor peace bills before City Council. One bill pertains to subcontractors at Philadelphia International Airport; the other to hotels in which the city has a direct financial interest. City Council passed both bills the following day.

Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO Resolution
In Support of City Council Bill #140860 on Labor Peace

WHEREAS Philadelphia is a world class city in a convenient location, with a unique place in our national history, great restaurants and an expanded convention center; and

WHEREAS our national AFL-CIO and its affiliated 57 national and international unions spend millions on conventions and meetings each year; and

WHEREAS labor unions strive to hold their events at unionized hotels with a labor peace guarantee, rather than run the risk that a labor dispute might mar their event; and

WHEREAS Philadelphia is losing out on an additional $30 million in union convention business, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer (9/7/10); and

WHEREAS AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka AFL-CIO wrote to the City Council last year, urging a labor peace agreement at the W/Element hotel, adding “Labor peace enhances the marketability of Philadelphia as a meetings destination, especially for progressive groups such as ours;”

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO urges the Philadelphia City Council to pass Bill #140860 to require labor peace agreements at hotels where the City retains a proprietary interest.

Approved unanimously, December 10 2014

Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO Resolution
In Support of City Council Bill #140829 on Labor Peace

WHEREAS, the Philadelphia City Council recently introduced an ordinance, marked Bill No. 140829, Amending Section 18-201 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Leases of Airport Facilities,” by requiring Ground Handling Service providers under service contracts with air carriers, including subcontractors providing such services, who are operating at Philadelphia International Airport to secure labor peace agreements to minimize the risk of service disruptions and lost revenue to the City generated from enplanements.

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has a strong proprietary interest in protecting the substantial revenues it receives from the efficient operations of air carrier transportation at the Philadelphia International Airport (“the Airport”) and the volume of passenger enplanements at the Airport; and

WHEREAS, The poor working conditions of contractor employees who perform Ground Handling Services at the Airport has elevated the risk of strikes, boycotts and other forms of service disruptions due to labor disputes among these employees which directly threatens the critical volume-based revenues the City receives from efficient operations at the Airport; and

WHEREAS, A requirement that air carriers who lease Airport terminal space from the City retain only those Ground Handling Service contractors who have a proper Labor Peace Agreement in effect to ensure the continuity of such services at the Airport effectively protects the City against any loss of volume-based revenues the City receives from Airport operations by preventing labor disputes among these employees; now, therefore

RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO supports airport workers in their ongoing efforts to improve working conditions at the Philadelphia International Airport; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO urges all Philadelphia City Council members to support and vote for passage of Bill No. 140829 as introduced by City Council on October 23, 2014 ; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO will support any effort on the part of city officials to encourage a fair resolution to current labor disputes at the Philadelphia International Airport and to grant airport workers long-term job security; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO shall transmit this resolution to all relevant elected officials in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including the Governor, members of the State Legislature, the Mayor of Philadelphia, and members of the Philadelphia City Council
Approved unanimously, December 10 2014

Source: http://www.pa.aflcio.org/philaflcio/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=847921df-9080-4d97-ba0d-b2eef1b11e5b