In pursuit of an Eagle Scout badge, Kevin Anderson, 17, has toiled for more than 200 hours hours over several weeks to clear a walking path in an east Allentown park.
Little did the do-gooder know that his altruistic act would put him in the cross hairs of the city's largest municipal union.
Nick Balzano, president of the local Service Employees International Union, told Allentown City Council Tuesday that the union is considering filing a grievance against the city for allowing Anderson to clear a 1,000-foot walking and biking path at Kimmets Lock Park.
"We'll be looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails," Balzano told the council.
Story here. Hat tip to Modeled Behavior.
And the name of the clown “looking into” the Scout is PERFECT:
Balzano
I agree with noBalzano:
It isn’t your stinkin town, it is OUR town, a union town, and don’t you citizens dare think it is your town to volunteer in or anything else.
You damned citizens should just get the hell out! Who needs you! You’re in the way.
Even if the story is true, it’s odd that this quote was omitted from anyone excerpting:
“We are probably going to let this one go,” Balzano said.
The union chief quoted in the article quit over this brouhaha when the union distanced itself from his comments:
http://www.mcall.com/news/all-a1_5scout.7091922nov20,0,1983128.story
In 2004 in Redding, CA, a watershed group was fined by the state labor board for prevailing-wage violations for using student volunteers on the project.
After an outcry, the Legislature actually passed a bill allowing volunteer labor on such projects — but only if it sunsetted after a few years. They renewed it last year, but the Democrats still couldn’t muster the courage to make it permanent.
Why public-employee unions are even legal is a head-scratcher.
Sort of like the Faculty Senate trying to prevent fellow academics from posting their lectures on the Web because it will devalue the learning experience.
What disgusting people.
“Why public-employee unions are even legal is a head-scratcher.”
They are legal because they vote and organize politically.
I’ll start with the city “letting” someone make improvements to a park.
Okay, so you might say that someone needs to have oversight. A city?
Then you find they have a trash problem and might wonder how that oversight is working out.
http://www.wildlandspa.org/clean_creeks/kimmetslockpark.html
The nicest park in my area was voluntarily built and maintained and it looks to be funded mostly by donations.
Hi I also wanna be part of such union who work voluntarily. I am living at LA. I anyone know about such union then please inform me..
As both a union alumni and an Eagle Scout, allow me to say the SEIU is a bunch of crazies. When they are not attacking business and government (and kids) they are attacking other unions.
They are, however, really wired to the Obama administration.
“Where’s the taxpayers’ union?”
Waiting for an entrepreneur to organize it. See also: latent interest.
is this the Allentown of Billy Joel fame?
Before we start criticizing the union too much, lets remember that during the Great Depression, the government created agencies to renew parks, forests, and trails, all while paying people to do the work. Many people were able to feed their families during that time of 25% unemployment because the government created jobs out of stuff the scout volunteered to do. I don’t think anyone has a problem with the kid trying to help his community; just with the fact that perfectly employable men and women are still unable to provide for their families because no jobs are available.
If someone is always willing to do the work for free, they’re going to eliminate the incentive for the government to provide their citizens with these much-needed jobs.
But, on the other hand, SEIU is starting to morph into a disgusting monster. Not much better than the boss these days.
Don’t we criticize people for sending clothing to Africa because it kills their local economies? Why is this different?
I’m from Allentown, and I have to say that while MR usually does a fair job at excerpting articles, this excerpt totally misrepresents the character of the story to defame a union — one that has been particularly hard-hit by the current recession as well as the cuts in government services.
Also, this is technically the “Allentown” of Billy Joel fame, but that song was truly about neighboring Bethlehem, PA. Apparently, Bethlehem doesn’t sound American enough for the pop charts.
There is no constitutional right for public employees to form unions. Indeed, for most of this country’s history, they were illegal. I will also note that, while correlation does not imply causation, the decline of American public schools correlates almost exactly with the legalization and spread of teachers’ unions.
Waiting for an entrepreneur to organize it. See also: latent interest.
I will also note that, while correlation does not imply causation, the decline of American public schools correlates almost exactly with the legalization and spread of teachers’ unions.
Why? Concern that the city will be
sued by a public employees union.
It’s pretty good.
Unions can be good and bad.I guess it depends on the people who are part of those unions.The kid probably wants to give his support I don’t think he ever thought that if he volunteers to this things he might stay in the way of somebodies opportunity to get a job.custom lapel pins
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