UNITE HERE takes a stand + Ori Feibush cowers
No. 2 | Monday, June 17, 2024
City News
Local real estate developer Ori Feibush closed all three of his OCF cafes, laying off 45 workers and admitting that the workers' union campaign motivated him to close the cafes. A majority of workers planned to affiliate with Workers United Local 80, which represents unionized workers at cafes across Philly: Elixir, Reanimator, Ultimo, and Bluestone Lane. The union is raising funds to support the laid off workers, which include Philly DSA members. You can support them by donating here.
Undergraduate and Graduate Resident Advisors at Penn, represented by OPEIU Local 153, unanimously ratified their first union contract, which includes raises of $3,000 in stipends, 20 additional meals, and a $750 contract ratification payment for those who worked in Spring 2024. This achievement comes after 2 years of union busting from Penn administration and is one of the first successful RA union contracts in the country.
A month after Philadelphia police dismantled the Kensington encampments, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel announced at a press conference that 75 new graduates from the police academy will be dispatched to Kensington this week to begin "active enforcement" in the area. Bethel pledged that arrests will be made.
City Council passed a bill to reform the use of Landlord-Tenant Officers, Philadelphia's opaque and often violent private security force tasked with carrying out evictions. The bill will create licensing and training requirements for officers, but its fate is uncertain. Mayor Parker has not indicated support for the bill, and a representative from L&I claimed "the department lacks the expertise" to oversee the new rules.
The largest union for Philly city workers, AFSCME DC 33, elected Greg Boulware as their new president in a mail ballot runoff election this week. Boulware, an ally of former president Ernest Garrett, unseated current leader Omar Salaam and stated his slate is “trying to get back to the essence of unionism and educating and training our people to mobilize.”
Philly DSA joined hundreds of UNITE HERE workers at a rally outside Aramark headquarters to demand the $19 billion corporation bargain a contract that finally gives Philly stadium workers healthcare and real wages — at stadiums where the company charges $13 for a slice of pizza. Workers hung a massive banner over the Schuylkill River, and 45 people — many DSA members including State Senator Nikil Saval — were arrested shutting down traffic on the Market Street bridge.
State News
New federal regulations require public water systems to test for toxic PFAS—so-called "forever chemicals"—in the water supply. Nearly 19% of Pennsylvania water systems fail to meet the new standards, including water systems in Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties.
According to a new lawsuit brought by the ACLU, Pennsylvania's public defense system is inadequate and unconstitutional. The ACLU says the state needs to spend $100 million to provide the defense Pennsylvanians are entitled to. Currently, Pennsylvania only spends $7.5 million on the system.
As the Supreme Court considers a ruling that could criminalize homelessness, Allentown's City Council has forwarded a Homeless Bill of Rights measure, but without recommending its passage. The limited action leaves the city's most vulnerable in limbo.
A judge granted scammer, diva, and former congressman George Santos permission to enjoy a summer vacation in the Poconos as he awaits trial for defrauding donors, stealing identities, and lying to Congress.
The Weekly Rose
Philly DSA members get arrested with UNITE HERE workers fighting for a fair contract outside Aramark headquarters on Market St.
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