Union Reps Honor Workers Memorial Day 2011

One-hundred years ago 146 workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City. Today in downtown’s Market Square, union leaders joined together to say what it will take to make sure a similar disaster could never happen today.

The union representatives gathered at the Workers Memorial and expressed fear that today’s politicians are breaking down the workplace safety standards with consistent attacks on collective bargaining agreements. The unions say they rely on these contracts to achieve certain safety standards in the workplace.

Jack Shea, President of the Allegheny County Labor Council AFL-CIO says the Workers Memorial is a yearly reminder that the fight for workers rights rages on.

“You know every year on this date when we come here we mourn for the dead, fight for the living and we will continue to fight until one day we won’t have to come here anymore,” Shea says.

Frank Snyder, Secretary Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO also spoke at the event. He says the number of work-related deaths is more than the common person may realize.

“Think about this: Every day in this country 149 workers lose their lives as a result of their workplaces, 12 will die from injuries and 137 from diseases. Every day,” Snyder says.

According to the AFL-CIO, 166 workeRS in Pennsylvania were killed on the job in 2009.

Push For Minimum Wage Boost in PA

A liberal-leaning Harrisburg think tank is urging lawmakers to increase the state's minimum wage next year.
Economist Mark Price of the Keystone Research Center says tying the rate to inflation would make a big difference for poorer Pennsylvanians.

"If you raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania to account for inflation over the last year, that would work out to about a 12 cent increase. Which would be less than 300 dollars a year. So it's important to note we're not really talking about large sums for most people. But these are low-wage workers who make the order of about 15-thousand dollars a year. And even that small amount goes a long way."

Price says poorer Pennsylvanians are getting left behind, as the cost of living goes up...

"And a minimum wage increase that was, say, tied to the rate of inflation would help put a break on it. It's not going to end poverty in Pennsylvania, and it won't lift a lot of these workers out of poverty. But again, 300 dollars - that means a lot to a lot of low-income families."

Pennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25 - the same as the federal rate.
A 2006 state law gradually increased the minimum wage by more than a dollar between 2007 and July 2009, when it was last increased.
The governor and legislators' salaries are tied to inflation rates, as are cabinet officials' and state judges' pay rates.

CCAC Launches new Focus on Shale Jobs

The Community College of Allegheny County says it will begin offering new degree and certificate programs specifically designed to create graduates ready to work in the Marcellus Shale fields of Pennsylvania. CCAC Allegheny County Workforce Alliance Executive Director Charles Blocksidge says the college began by looking at all the skill sets in demand in the shale gas industry and then tweaking the classes already in place to make sure they fit the needs. Blocksidge says for students already enrolled in welding or other in-demand-skills classes, graduates will be ready to take jobs in a few weeks. Others just starting such programs could have the skills in as little as 15 weeks. At the same time, the school will be building new programs to answer demand. Blocksidge says those new programs include a welding associate’s degree aimed at the skills needed to build natural gas transmission lines, a bio-remediation certificate which includes a partnership with Frac Biologics and Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, a drilling industry certificate which will be a non-credit, short-term training program addressing many of the skill sets in electronics, instruments and controls needed by mechanics and other industry personnel, and a First Responder PA DOH certification to train individuals who might be first on the scene of an industrial type emergency. Blocksidge says, “Current state and regional proposals focus on helping individuals become entry-level field workers for the industry. CCAC also wants to position itself to serve those industry employees who seek more substantial positions in the industry and to assist entry-level workers in their move up career ladders.” In all, the college identified 11 existing associate’s degrees and 10 credit certificate programs that align with industry workforce needs. Blocksidge says additional programs, both credit and non-credit, have substantial overlap with skills required by positions in the industry.