Las Vegas, NV
Transport Workers Union Local 234 in Philadelphia is engaged in a battle against the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority over the very existence of the union and its ability to protect the rights of the men and women employed by the Authority.
The Authority has publicly announced its intention to operate portions of the transit system with non-union scabs or by contracting with other transportation companies and in the event of a strike.
These actions are clearly aimed at destroying the Transport Workers Union in Philadelphia by denying the union members the fundamental protection of the collective bargaining process.
This effort will also jeopardize the health and safety of the men, women and children who use the transit system by allowing unskilled and untrained individuals to operate highly-complex vehicles in an unsafe manner.
This blatant attempt at "union busting" is a direct assault on all labor organizations in the city of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The political leaders of the city of Philadelphia have so far refused to take any significant action to stop this blatant assault on the Transport Workers Union’s existence despite having received substantial support from working families.
These politicians are now seeking to host the Democratic Party’s National Convention in the year 2000.
The AFL-CIO emphatically opposes Philadelphia being considered as the site of the Democratic Party’s Presidential Convention in the year 2000 unless and until the city’s political leadership demonstrates by their action that they are committed to supporting Transport Workers Union Local 234 and all of organized labor in its fight against the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s attempt to destroy or curtail the rights of workers to join together for their mutual benefit and protection.