Rally Against Discrimination at Temple

[Gladys]

Join Occupy Philadelphia, Occupy Temple and skilled Black, Latino and female workers on Monday morning to protest racism and sexism at Temple University construction sites. Temple is going through massive construction projects all across campus but has failed to employ minorities in skilled labor positions. As Temple has LONG promised, jobs should be given to people who live in the surrounding community. Temple bills itself as the "Diversity University" - and yet does not enforce federal labor laws that ensure equality, diversity and fairness in the workplace. Please join us to say: SHAME! TEMPLE! SHAME!

https://www.facebook.com/events/310392142351172/

Who knows the real story here? Legit or shades of Point Breeze?

[MariusPontmercy]

I didn't know the neighborhood around Temple was full of out of work construction workers with experience in building high-rise structures.

That sign "Union Jobs for Everyone" speaks volumes. This is why the neighborhoods are falling behind. You want to wait around for union manufacturing/construction jobs to come back? Fine, but they're never coming back. There are less and less of these jobs available every year, and sitting around acting like you're owed a job in a field that is less and less stable because you're a minority is a very bad plan.

I also have a bone to pick with institutionalized "equality". If you're enforcing quotas of how many of a certain racial group (race being subjective in and of itself) get to work on a project, how are you making things any more equal? How are you breaking down racial barriers? You're telling people they're different from each other based on skin color, and so many of each group will get to do certain things because of that. How is institutionalized equality any different than institutionalized racism? It's just a new case of "all people are equal, but some are more equal than others".

[Gladys]

all very good points.

does anything know if their claims are based in reality?

[mixiboi]

IT reminds me of when they(Some councilmembers) made a big deal about minority own(and unionized) companies being hired as part of the Convention Center Expansion construction(and got their approval to make it happen).


Hey, its better then New Jersey union workers. So no, its not Point Breeze, but it is aimed at the wrong target, yeah Temple hired them, but the companies are the ones that do the hiring in their unions members and forgot their token blacks.

[BeckyJ]

Is Occupy Philadelphia going to protest against unions? After unions supported them? Sounds like biting the hand that feeds you....

[MariusPontmercy]

IT reminds me of when they(Some councilmembers) made a big deal about minority own(and unionized) companies being hired as part of the Convention Center Expansion construction(and got their approval to make it happen).


Hey, its better then New Jersey union workers. So no, its not Point Breeze, but it is aimed at the wrong target, yeah Temple hired them, but the companies are the ones that do the hiring in their unions members and forgot their token blacks.

Honestly I see a lot of black construction workers on the new high-rise going up on Broad and Cecil B. Moore Ave.

It sounded like they're upset they didn't hire most of the workers directly from the neighborhood. I can't follow that logic, because I don't know where you'd find workers experienced enough for this project in that neighborhood. You can probably find some, but you'll still have to go outside the area to find a lot of the kinds of craftsman you'd need for such a project. This isn't broom pushing. Hell, this isn't even just throwing up duplexes on a couple vacant lots. I would think you'd need to have a good deal of technical experience to get put on a project building a skyscraper.

The people doing the protesting probably have zero knowledge of contracting or engineering or any idea what it takes skill wise to get hired for such a project. Yeah you want to give these guys jobs, but throwing them on a project that they don't have the experience for ultimately hurts both parties. If you wanted to help you'd put anyone who wanted to learn into a vocational program and get them apprenticeships somewhere first, and if they were serious about it themselves they could do this on their own. The neighborhood residents have brains, they can make their own decisions. Why do the protesters think they have a right deciding what they should be doing for work?

[BeckyJ]

Honestly I see a lot of black construction workers on the new high-rise going up on Broad and Cecil B. Moore Ave.

It sounded like they're upset they didn't hire most of the workers directly from the neighborhood. I can't follow that logic, because I don't know where you'd find workers experienced enough for this project in that neighborhood. You can probably find some, but you'll still have to go outside the area to find a lot of the kinds of craftsman you'd need for such a project. This isn't broom pushing. Hell, this isn't even just throwing up duplexes on a couple vacant lots. I would think you'd need to have a good deal of technical experience to get put on a project building a skyscraper.

You're assuming that the folks organizing this rally understand the definition of "skilled labor." I'm willing to bet that they don't realize that carpentry, electrical, plumbing etc. are skilled jobs and require apprenticeships and lots of training. Remember, these are mostly white collar types protesting on behalf of those they feel need "protection" from the evils of capitalist pigs because they can't protect themselves. Kinda arrogant.

[MariusPontmercy]

You're assuming that the folks organizing this rally understand the definition of "skilled labor." I'm willing to bet that they don't realize that carpentry, electrical, plumbing etc. are skilled jobs and require apprenticeships and lots of training. Remember, these are mostly white collar types protesting on behalf of those they feel need "protection" from the evils of capitalist pigs because they can't protect themselves. Kinda arrogant.

It makes them feel less guilty for being white if they can help out the poor colored people. How about recognizing minorities as fellow human beings who can make choices on their own? How about celebrating the ones that succeed? I seriously cannot understand white liberal guilt. It's dehumanizing for everyone involved.

[mixiboi]

That is another thing about this "protest flyer". They are so vague about what type of jobs they are talking about:



So no where in this are they talking about hiring local people(outside of Temple's promise),but hiring people that represent their demographic, which goes back to female and black/latino skill workers.


Again, I didn't know Temple hand picked each and every person on the site(which goes back to the union).

[MariusPontmercy]

This is also the group that put up flyers saying "EDUCATION IS A RIGHT, FORGIVE STUDENT DEBT".

Maybe some people were just feeling that nagging doubt over going $60,000 in debt for an unmarketable degree and feel they also have a "right" to a job on graduation too.

In any case it's not the kind of people I want to get my life advice from.