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File #: 180194    Version: 0 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: ADOPTED
File created: 3/1/2018 In control: CITY COUNCIL
On agenda: Final action: 3/8/2018
Title: Affirming the strong support of the City of Philadelphia for public sector workers whose rights and freedoms are threatened as the Supreme Court considers Janus v. AFSCME, and recognizing the important role unions play in raising standards for all workers.
Sponsors: Councilmember Gym, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez
Attachments: 1. Resolution No. 18019400.pdf, 2. Signature18019400.pdf
Title
Affirming the strong support of the City of Philadelphia for public sector workers whose rights and freedoms are threatened as the Supreme Court considers Janus v. AFSCME, and recognizing the important role unions play in raising standards for all workers.

Body
WHEREAS, It is our belief that all families should have the means to thrive in safe and healthy communities; and

WHEREAS, The working people who make the City of Philadelphia run must have stable, well-paying jobs that can support families; and

WHEREAS, Over the last forty years, working people have become more productive than ever, yet wages have declined and CEOs continue to earn more than ever before: 347 times more than the average person; and

WHEREAS, Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he marched and rallied in support of city sanitation workers on strike to demand their dignity, their humanity, and their union be recognized; and

WHEREAS, Those Memphis sanitation workers, who Philadelphia City Council honored in Resolution No. 180088, carried signs proclaiming "I AM A MAN" and struggled for basic freedoms: the freedom from discrimination, the freedom from degrading work conditions, the freedom to come together in strong unions to improve their place of work. To do justice to their commitment and tenacity, we must continue to do justice to all public sector workers, and especially those who are people of color; and

WHEREAS, Today, as economic inequality has grown and the ability for workers to organize has come increasingly threatened, workers across the City of Philadelphia and the country struggle for those same basic freedoms and a high quality of life for their families; and

WHEREAS, Being able to participate in unions gives all of us - particularly women and people of color - a powerful voice in speaking up for ourselves, our families, and our communities, and ensures that each worker in the City of Philad...

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