PA Labor and Union Report, 9-30
Labor Welcomes Pope
The State AFL-CIO joined millions of Americans in welcoming Pope Francis to the United States and especially to Philadelphia, where he said Mass before a crowd estimated in excess of one million people on Sunday, Sept 27.
The current Pope has been critical of unbridled capitalism, as a statement from the State AFL-CIO put it, "Americans of all backgrounds are listening closely to a Pope who puts human dignity and the common good before a profit-first mentality."
Walker Takes A Hike
This past week also brought the departure of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker from the 2016 Republican Primary field. As someone who became a darling of the American Right with his attacks on Wisconsin's public employees, Walker's departure was celebrated by Pennsylvania Labor and it's allies.
AFL-CIO President Rich Bloomingdale put it well when he said, "Fortunately for our nation and for millions of working families, Scott Walker will not be pushing his anti-working family economic agenda from the Oval Office."
Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder added, "Here is a politician that displayed the audacity to compare his union-busting crusade in Wisconsin to fighting terrorists on a national stage," and gave a warning to like-minded politicians in Pennsylvania, "his humiliating departure should serve as a lesson to politicians of both parties that working people want good jobs and good wages not someone who blames them – a lesson that politicians in Pennsylvania, who share this misguided agenda, better be aware of!"
Labor Shines Light on Addiction
On September 22, several unions joined in a forum on addiction that followed a showing of "The Anonymous People" at the Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg.
Labor has a tradition of fighting addiction both among employees and in the community as a whole. They also are playing a larger role in overcoming the stigmas associated with addiction.