Arson Tied to Philly Unions

Member Group : Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania

January 3, 1013

A few days before Christmas, the construction site for a Quaker meeting house (akin to a church or synagogue) was vandalized. Bolts and steel columns where cut with an acetylene torch; the cab of a construction crane was burned out.

Lt. George McClay didn’t mince any words about who he suspected. In an article for the Philadelphia Inquirer he stated, "I absolutely think it is a union issue…."

What did the Quakers, a pacifist religious group, do to incite this level of hostility?
The "problem" was that the construction work was being completed by E. Allen Reeves, a merit or non-union contractor. It is important to note that this was 2012’s second widely reported incidence of violence against a non-union construction site in Philadelphia (we highlighted the other indecent here).

If the labor unions are bold enough to take this kind of action in Philadelphia, one has to wonder how many other acts of intimidation go unreported by the victims? By turning a blind eye to this type of behavior and exempting unions from criminal statutes, the Pennsylvania legislature past and present has created an environment that is hostile to economic growth and job creation.

We would encourage you to contact the Chairmen of the House and Senate Labor Committees along with the governor. Ask them what steps they are taking to put an end to union bullying in Pennsylvania:

Rep. Mario Scavello: [email protected]
Sen. John Gordner: [email protected]
Gov. Tom Corbett: [email protected]

Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania (CAP) is a non-profit organization founded to raise the standard of living of all Pennsylvanians by restoring limited government, economic freedom, and personal responsibility. By empowering the Commonwealth’s employers and taxpayers to break state government’s "Iron Triangle" of career politicians, bureaucrats, and Big Government lobbyists, this restoration will occur and Pennsylvania will prosper.