So, yes, the wedding was lovely up here in the mountains—but too much to eat and drink. And, now, from the beautiful mountains over to the Lehigh Valley…
To which I have my own special connection, having hauled my sorry ass there during the election to knock on doors for Kerry (okay, I can hear it now–“Tasini, you’re ranting all the time about labor not doing federal elections…” True, but the lesson is that we have to fight for changes but still be good soldiers to try to make the collective decisions work). And there I was on Election Day, in the Steelworkers Hall in Bethlehem, feeling mighty good that we had won Pennsylvania and, then, boom, Florida…and, well you know the whole story.
But, this digression really has to do with what has just happened in the Lehigh Valley as an outgrowth of the disaffiliations from the AFL-CIO. Here’s an article from the local press (and thanks to a reader who sent it along–please do send along other things you’all read in local press…I usually see the national press stuff).
Labor council ousts unions
National turmoil leads to schism in local labor group.
By ANTHONY SALAMONE
The Express-Times
The national rift that started last month among major unions and the AFL-CIO has filtered down to the local level.
Lehigh Valley Labor Council, a local consortium of 30 unions representing about 40,000 employees, has ousted more than 10 percent of those workers because their three unions have broken ranks.
It also led the local council to change leadership, because three of the four top executives have connections with two of the three unions that have left the AFL-CIO.
Jerry Green was chosen president this week of the local labor council, replacing John Werkheiser, who has held the labor council’s top post since 2000 and was up for re-election later this year.
Green said the council also removed Dawn D’Andria, executive vice president, who was replaced by Carl Breidinger, and John Weiss, recording secretary, who has been replaced by Ellen Benzak.
D’Andria and Weiss belong to the Service Employees International Union, while Breidinger and Benzak belong to United Auto Workers.
“These guys are our friends,” Green said. “They have to understand we were put in a lousy position “
But after consulting union documents and conferring with a state AFL-CIO official, Green said he and executive board members concluded that they had no choice. He said he was voted in as president 9-0 with two abstentions.
Werkheiser said he wishes the council well but added, “It’s a shame they took this action of excommunicating us, because there are some darn good people who are not participating any more to help workers “
Werkheiser, who formerly served as president of Northampton County Labor Council beginning in 1997, took over the Lehigh Valley post after a merger with Lehigh County’s council.
Werkheiser realized he likely could not stay on as the council’s top officer. But he said to him, the issue was that local union workers can’t participate in council functions or events.
He estimated the three unions represent about 5,000 to 6,000 workers.”
END STORY…or really to be continued…
