Several thousand protest Philly school cuts, 14 arrested
Several thousand blue collar union members marched through Center City today, snarling traffic in a protest against planned cuts and layoffs by the Philadelphia School District.
Several thousand protest Philly school cuts, 14 arrested
Kristen Graham
Updated at 2:20 p.m.
Several thousand blue collar union members marched through Center City today, snarling traffic in a midday protest against planned cuts and layoffs by the Philadelphia School District.
After marching from the Municipal Services Building across from City Hall to the School District headquarters on North Broad Street, scores of the protesters retraced their steps and sat down at Broad and Race Streets.
Fourteen people, including union officials, were arrested for blocking traffic.
"Anyone who stays will be arrested," a police official warned, and a cheer went up as the 14 refused to budge.
"Save our schools!" the crowd shouted. "Save our schools!"
Among those taken into custody was George Ricchezza, head of the union 32BJ SEIU.
During the march, the union members followed a Teamsters Union tractor trailer as it blew its air horn.
A sea of purple shirts reflected membership in SEIU, 32BJ, the union that represents district bus drivers, cleaners, building engineers and other blue-collar workers.
District officials have sent layoff notices to every member - over 2,000 workers - of 32BJ. The district, teetering on the brink of financial insolvency, says it does not want to lay off the workers but must negotiate $50 million in savings. Union officials fear the jobs will be privatized. The workers' contract requires a full year's notice before layoffs; pink slips started to go out last September.
The rally is part of a statewide protest of the "dismantling of public education by Gov. Corbett and the School Reform Commission," union officials said.
Shannon Lane, a bus aide for 16 years, faces being laid off at the end of the year. "We're defending public schools," she said. "We think it's unconscionable that wealthy corporations aren't being taxed fairly, and public schools are being cut.
"This is privatization. Children will lose."
Maintenance worker Steve Seibert, a 12-year disctrict veteran. is worried about his paycheck and benefits. His 10-year-old son is paralyzed and needs constant care. "I need medical coverage," Seibert said. "I don't want to go on the system. I've got pride in myself. I want to work."
City Councilman Bobby Henon said he stood with the workers. "There are all-out attempts to privatize municipal governments and school districts," he said. "What's next? Privatizing our children?"
Henon was one of several councilpeople who joined the marchers. The others were Councilman Wilson Goode, Councilman Dennis O'Brien, Councilman Mark Squilla and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. Teachers' union president Jerry Jordan was also on hand, and addressed the crowd.
"Don't think that you're out here by yourself," Jordan said. "You're not. You're not!"
Building engineer Ernie Bennett energized an already-frenzied crowd.
"We didn't create this deficit," Bennett shouted, motioning to district headquarters at 440 N. Broad St. "We should not be held accountable for the mismanagement of these people in here."
At Bennett's urging, the crowd faced headquarters.
"Shame on you," they shouted. "Shame on you!"
The district is in the middle of massive upheaval, with a planned overhaul of the way schools are organized and run under discussion. District officials have said they want to dramatically shrink central operations and place schools in "achievement networks" run either by district staff who have contracts with the SRC or outside entities such as universities or charter organizations. That plan has drawn criticism, especially from district employees.
Union leaders say they do not intend to disrupt students' rides home from school, but the district has warned that delays are possible.
years and years of waste, greed and corruption has finally caught up with the people who created it. WHAH WHAH WHAH..... TOO BAD!!!!!! in the end it will be the kids who win and not the incompetent educators who will be responsible for this lost generation.( not the teachers btw.... they're, unfortunately, the useful pawns in this whole charade)— FBO4ever- All this anti-union fervor is astonishing. If they close union jobs, the work still needs to get done. Buses still need drivers. And union drivers have to be licensed and up to standards. Subcontractors with private bus companies are not as fussy about whom they hire to drive your kids to school.
And the money saved will be used to subsidize carpetbagger companies that make profits but pay little taxation in our state. Also to build more prison cells.
Our schools are being sold out and no one cares.— Magistra - Union propaganda. Keep drinking the kool-aid while the Bobby Henons of the world stuff their pockets. — E
- It's amazing how all Union Run businesses (Septa, Auto Companies, Philadelphia expo center etc...) always need tax bailouts. The only one that doesn't is the Wine and Spirits stores, and thats because they won't allow competetion and charge higher prices then NJ and Delaware. They even make it illegal to bring liquor across state lines to force you to pay exaggerated prices. — towelie
- they don't want to save the schools, they want to save their high wages and benefits.— krautmef1
- I love all these people sitting in the street in the middle of the day instead of actually WORKING.— E
- Where was CASA when I got laid off 6 months ago? Do your thing 32BJ and SEIU!— brizz33
- Is their protest classified as union business and as such do the taxpayers pay them to protest instead of being at their jobs? Just wondering!— elkie
The people whose jobs are targeted are the ones who are needed; union or non-union doesn't matter. The problem is so much money is pocketed on salaries, benefits, and pensions for those at the top that not enough is left for those that actually work. How about some administrators step up and earn some of their money by driving a bus or being a lunch aid. Instead of wasting taxpayer money.— jp8899- Awful, these people know they are over paid. Balme your sista Arlene— cmoney
- Boy those maintenance workers and their inflated salaries...If being a public school employee were easy money men like George W. Bush and Mitt Romney would have snapped up the jobs years ago.— mick-of-the-moment
- workers in China risk jail and torture to try and form unions. chinese people are smarter than americans. americans should fight to save unions. we must look pretty stupid to the chinese people.
- I bet all of you posting the negative comments wouldn't/couldn't last 5 minutes as a PSD bus driver, custodian, nurse, or teacher. Make that 3 minutes!— adoptdogs
Comment removed.- I stand 100 percent behind my blue-collar co-workers - except for their decision to stage a sit-in in the middle of traffic. You don't make friends that way, and in order to prevail, the unions need support from the average citizen.— Devoted Teacher
During the school year, you’ll frequently find her hosting live chats about the district on Philly.com. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.
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