City of Philadelphia - File #: 150297

• File #: 150297
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 4/9/2015
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 4/9/2015
• Title: Calling on the Council of the City Philadelphia to condemn the actions of Crown Holdings and to call upon the company to drop its anti-union demands and negotiate a fair contract that gives all of the employees of the United Steel Workers a fair opportunity to return to work.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Neilson, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember O'Neill

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
4/9/2015	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar - Rules Suspended	Pass
4/9/2015	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED

Title
Calling on the Council of the City Philadelphia to condemn the actions of Crown Holdings and to call upon the company to drop its anti-union demands and negotiate a fair contract that gives all of the employees of the United Steel Workers a fair opportunity to return to work.

Body
WHEREAS, Crown Holdings, formerly known as Crown Cork and Seal, is a major multinational corporation with roots in the Philadelphia area dating back to 1936; and

WHEREAS, Crown moved its headquarters to Philadelphia in 1958. Today Crown Holdings ranks among the top ten Fortune 500 companies located in the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area; and

WHEREAS, Crown, with over 140 plants and 21,000 employees worldwide, wields enormous power over its employees; and

WHEREAS, The members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9176 in Toronto, Ontario were forced to strike on September 6, 2013. Crown demanded major concessions from workers that included hiring new workers at wages 42% lower than existing ones-a roll back to levels of 1987. Ironically, Crown called for these concessions not long after being named the 2012 "Plant of the Year" in North America; and

WHEREAS, The average seniority in Crown's Toronto plant is over 20 years; some employees have worked at the plant for over 40 years. Crown, in its latest offer almost 19 months after the workers initially decided to strike, has demanded even further cuts; and

WHEREAS, Crown has informed the USW that it does not want to take back 34 workers, including those most dedicated to picketing and to the campaign for public support, and that Crown does want to keep its replacement workers, even if the union agrees to reductions in wages and benefits; and

WHEREAS, The USW has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, alleging Crown has violated labor laws by failing to bargain in good faith with the USW; and

WHEREAS, Striking USW members have traveled to Philadelphia numerous times, pickete...