The Philadelphia Convention Center is to undergo a 700 million dollar renovation project. The start of the project has
been held up for various reasons, one of which is lack of diversity in the trade unions. City Council has proposed that
some of the contracts for the construction should be open to nonunion contractors so a quota of minorities can be
met. City Council has stated that the trade unions aren't doing enough to employ minority workers and that they
continue to give false information on the amount of minorities employed by the unions. City Council has also proposed
that the work force for the project should consist of of 25% African American, 15% Hispanic, 5% Women and 5% Asian.
Council said it would not sign off on the project unless the workforce quota can be met, the project is supposed to
employ about 1700 workers.

City Council is off it's rocker, here's why; City Council doesn't learn from it's mistakes:

in 1985 the Mayor okayed an incendiary device to be dropped on the roof of a house occupied by the radical
group MOVE. After the device was dropped the fire department allowed the fire to rage. When the smoke
cleared half the block of Osage Ave.  burned down. Facing lawsuits, City Council voted to rebuild the entire
block, they also chose to use a 100% minority workforce. After several delays and cost overruns the block was
finally rebuilt. Within 10 years of the completion of the project the City had to pay out millions in settlements
and had to buy back all the rebuilt houses because they were deemed unlivable.

The Osage Ave. disaster wasn't because minority labor was used, the disaster happened because unskilled labor
was used. Minority contractors had a hard time manning the job because there wasn't enough skilled labor in
the City so they were forced to hire workers who weren't qualified to do the job.This is a World Wide problem,
there is a shortage of skilled craftsmen. City Council has to understand that todays youth doesn't want to be
in the building trades no matter what their race or sex is. You can throw out all the quota numbers you want,
if it is my job, I would want 100% skilled workers.

Trade unions in Philadelphia have tried to employ minorities. The Sheet Metal Workers, for whom I work, has a program
in place to help minorities into the apprenticeship. this program has hired 400 minority workers over the past few years
with hopes of admitting these workers into the local as skilled journeymen, other unions have similar programs. City Council
says the unions must do more but what more can done when no one wants to learn a trade.

Just a thought; Hiring someone because of race is just as much discriminating as not hiring someone for the same reason.

You know how most kids today think they're too smart for manual labor? Like that has anything to do with smarts ::)

I mean it's great that people stay in school until they hit 18 but they shouldn't be going to college to study law or communication or whatever else if that's not right for them just cause their can afford it like most seem to,i see so many college students who should've never been admitted in the first place...not all are fit for it.

But nowdays we have this culture of suitwearers where it's all about appearances,you can be starving yourself to buy that damn suit,but it's better than making a lot more money as for instance a plumber.

Like i always say a job is what you do,it's not who you are. I knew cleaning ladies who were true philosophers and college professors who were as dumb as Paris Hilton.

I agree with you Kevin,i think right now society has to realise that without skilled manual labor we can't subsist,and if the poor minorities are the only ones willing to do it then we need to invest on them,maybe by the good examples and by higher pays ('cause soon it will be worth gold),others who never thought about going that route will want to too.

Trade unions in Philadelphia have tried to employ minorities. The Sheet Metal Workers, for whom I work, has a program
in place to help minorities into the apprenticeship. this program has hired 400 minority workers over the past few years
with hopes of admitting these workers into the local as skilled journeymen, other unions have similar programs. City Council
says the unions must do more but what more can done when no one wants to learn a trade.

Just a thought; Hiring someone because of race is just as much discriminating as not hiring someone for the same reason.





Please.  I am a minority in a trade union in Boston and can say without a doubt that I was treated radically different in terms of getting in to the union, and how I was treated during my apprenticeship, and how I am treated now that I am a journey man.  And I am well qualified, and was before I got in, but didn't know the right persons to get me in.

I put it on the line to some of my "brother members" who had to agree.  The union has to hire women and minorities and it is quite obvious that they have a way of hiring a great majority of those who they know will fail.  Then when they do fail they shrug, "Well what can we do, they just don't want to do what it takes"  They coddle their own family members, the "I'm third third generation" set whose families are firmly entrenched and sent out of the hall to the best jobs, whose parents, uncles, brothers, etc run the apprenticeship programs.  I was lucky in that I had some strong support and a background in law(paralegal) and was 1 step from suing them for harassment, and they knew it, because of the treatment I received in the apprenticeship program.  I had my name on the list for 15 years before the called me, and I finally got in only because I found out who could get me in, and because the Big Dig started and they had to hire minorities and women.  Meanwhile, as I waited, the stripper girlfriend of a business agents brother got in, and a couple of daughters who had been in 20 years when I finally made it in who couldn't run a fever, never mind a piece of equipment. Take a closer look at the 400 and the practices employed by unions on minorities that they absolutely do not want there and make an effort to drive out. 

Oh yeah, I am tired of people crying about "reverse discrimination".  Trade unions, police and firefighters, have been hiring and coddling unqualified family members for generations at the expense of qualified minorities.  What they are asking to do now is hire qualified minorities to fill the spots once reserved for "my kid, I gotta get him a book and a job or he's going to jail", or the "there's been a cop/firefighter in my family for 3 generations, I should get in too". 

First, I hate the term "reverse discrimination," there is no such thing as reverse discrimination. Discrimination
is discrimination no matter what side of the coin it's on.

I don't know how things are run in Boston unions, but here most of the trade union's apprentice programs are
overseen by the Black Clergy Of Philadelphia. The days of getting "my kid" in are long gone, trust me I know.
My son took up a trade skill, welding, in high school and I am having a very hard time getting him in.

The fact that the people they hire fail is because the have zero skill in the trade. Being an Operating Engineer
you should know how hard it is to find someone with the skill to operate the big machines. Look at the young
people being hired, what skill do they possess? We had one person hired last summer who couldn't
read a tape measure, was afraid of heights and said they couldn't sweep the floor because they were left handed
and they couldn't find a left handed broom, I kid you not. Do you want someone like that building your house?
If people are hired just to fill quotas your asking for some shoddy workmanship. As I have stated, if I owned a
business I would want 100% qualified employees, skill level should be the only deciding factor, I know at times
it's not, but it should be.

Look at the the people at the jobsite your on, if you had a barnraising how many of the workers would you
bring in to raise it. I work in a shop and I'll tell you this, I wouldn't ask the majority of the workers to raise
my barn.

My whole point is the lack of skilled workers in the building trades whether they are union or not, hiring someone
simply because of minority status is wrong and dangerous and if City Hall keeps wanting these silly quotas they
are going to continue to shell out million dollar settlements.

Oh yeah, I am tired of people crying about "reverse discrimination".  Trade unions, police and firefighters, have been hiring and coddling unqualified family members for generations at the expense of qualified minorities.  What they are asking to do now is hire qualified minorities to fill the spots once reserved for "my kid, I gotta get him a book and a job or he's going to jail", or the "there's been a cop/firefighter in my family for 3 generations, I should get in too". 


Oh you mean like this kid?

http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/images/dubya-bush-in-midland-washt-thumb.jpg

In case you don't know who the cute little feller is, I'll give you a subtle hint:

It's George W. Bush.

Uh, I mean, a hint subtle enough for him to get!
:-\\

First, I hate the term "reverse discrimination," there is no such thing as reverse discrimination. Discrimination
is discrimination no matter what side of the coin it's on.

I don't know how things are run in Boston unions, but here most of the trade union's apprentice programs are
overseen by the Black Clergy Of Philadelphia. The days of getting "my kid" in are long gone, trust me I know.
My son took up a trade skill, welding, in high school and I am having a very hard time getting him in.

The fact that the people they hire fail is because the have zero skill in the trade. Being an Operating Engineer
you should know how hard it is to find someone with the skill to operate the big machines. Look at the young
people being hired, what skill do they possess? We had one person hired last summer who couldn't
read a tape measure, was afraid of heights and said they couldn't sweep the floor because they were left handed
and they couldn't find a left handed broom, I kid you not. Do you want someone like that building your house?
If people are hired just to fill quotas your asking for some shoddy workmanship. As I have stated, if I owned a
business I would want 100% qualified employees, skill level should be the only deciding factor, I know at times
it's not, but it should be.

Look at the the people at the jobsite your on, if you had a barnraising how many of the workers would you
bring in to raise it. I work in a shop and I'll tell you this, I wouldn't ask the majority of the workers to raise
my barn.

My whole point is the lack of skilled workers in the building trades whether they are union or not, hiring someone
simply because of minority status is wrong and dangerous and if City Hall keeps wanting these silly quotas they
are going to continue to shell out million dollar settlements.



The skilled trades here all have apprenticeship programs, to enter them you don't need the skill, they teach you the skill.  You do need intelligence and a work ethic. The "my kid" thing is alive, well, and thriving.  I have seen "my kid" coddled, covered up for, and pushed along, and there is a blind eye that says that it is different when it is a family member. I have gotten into it with a couple of "leaders" of the minority community because they do next to zero to help with the hiring of minorities and women.  That does not excuse the unions, and all of them are complicit, in their non hiring, and what I call hiring to fail practices.  Until "silly quotas" were instituted minorities and women were not hired at all based only on their color and/or gender.  The only way they will be hired now is if there are "silly quotas".  It is up to the business in question to do the hiring in a way that reflects the best of their trade. 

Oh yeah, and if you think minorities and women aren't treated different check out the "oh jeez" factor when one walks on the job.  The assumption that they are only there because of their status.  The assumption that they couldn't possibly be their to actually work and actually do the job well, and the surprise when they do.  The "he(she) is not like the rest of them" attitude is alive and well.

This guy went from 632 on the list to the top by an act of the legislature.  The anti affirmative action clans shrugged their shoulders. It's different, isn't it?

www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/30/law_put_candidate_atop_fire_dept_list/

I don't think it's right.  I want the most qualified firefighter helping me, not the one who got there because his dad was a firefighter and died of something not related to his job.

I think this world would be better off if the world would stop seeing skin color and gender and start just seeing people.  Of course, the chances of that happening are slim to none.

First, let me just say that I'm very glad I don't live in Philadelphia.  That's a pretty screwed up situation.

Second, this is what happens when unions run everything.  Unions are very few in number down here in NC, which means getting a job is much easier (as is the hiring process, when it comes to the employer's perspective).

Third, if you really want a colorblind society, then hiring in favor of one race or another is completely asinine.  Affirmative action should apply to class, not race.  Help poor people regardless of race.