Ron Panepinto Jewelers
Jim Stevenson
700 Sansom St. 215-923-1980
9371 ROOSEVELT BLVD. PHILADELPHIA, PA 19114 215-698-7000 JStevenson@ChapmanAutoGroup.com
Vol. XI. No. 27 (Issue 492)
www.PanepintoJewelers.com We Buy Gold & Diamonds
Serving Citywide Political, Labor, Legal and School Communities of Philadelphia “The good things we do must be made a part of the public record”
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July 2, 2009
No State Agreement Expected By Fourth
Underfunded Pensions Muddle City-Union Talks
Harrisburg shares much the same type of weather as does Philadelphia. So when it’s hot in this city, it’s usually as hot in the summer in Harrisburg, much to the chagrin of the members of the General Assembly. Odds are they will be spending a minimum of another week past
The delayed, but anticipated, Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative report, which finally came out this week, states, “Philadelphia’s City pension fund now has less than half the money it needs to make good on its obligation to past and current City work-
Brady Gets VA Grants
Congressman Robert A. Brady this week announced the award of $300,000 Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program grants to the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service Center and the Impact Services Corp., located in the 1st Congressional Dist. Brady said, “Both of these vet programs provide holistic support for homeless veterans, with the ultimate goal of finding meaningful employment for them. This includes job counseling, resume preparation, job development and employment placement. They are outstanding vet-service providers that offer on the ground support to meet the needs of our vets in need.” Nationally, HVRP grantees enroll thousands of homeless veterans annu(Cont. Page 39)
the Fourth in crunching the figures to come up with a budget the Governor and the Democrats can share with the Republicans. Unlike in Congress, the Republicans seem to be holding firm, staying with the party line of “no new taxes” and making points with much of their old base in the Commonwealth. (Cont. Page 2)
See Pages 7-13
Laborers To Move On Weatherization The vision of Sam Staten, Sr. continues to bear fruit. The former long-time business manager of Laborers District Council of Metropolitan Area of Philadelphia & Vicinity and Local 332 years ago decided Laborers needed a school of their own. It was built in Exton, Pa. Today, graduates from the huge (Cont. Page 39)
Welcoming Dr. Nicholas DePace’s New Heart Center Sep. 10, 2009
ers. The fund has not been this severely underfunded since 1996, and there is little prospect that the picture will brighten appreciably in the next few years.” The report, Quiet No More: Philadelphia Confronts the Cost of Employee Benefits, looks at the finances of pensions and health care for City workers at a time when the two topics are front and center both in Harrisburg and in City Hall. In the State legislature, the City is seeking approval of a plan that would help balance its budget over the next several years by delaying some contributions to the pension fund. In Philadelphia, contracts expired Jun. 30 for the four unions representing City workers, and both pensions and health care are key issues in the renewal talks. (Cont. Page 2)
No Forced Overtime For Nurses
State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione is reminding health-care providers a new law prohibiting forced overtime for nurses and other workers in the field goes into effect this week. “The new restrictions will not only help Pennsylvania address a growing shortage of care providers, but it will also improve patient safety by reducing medical errors brought on by fatigue and burn-out,” Tartaglione said. “It will take some adjustment and cooperation, but the result will be better staffing, lower costs, and improved outcomes.” (Cont. Page 39)
Nutter To Spend On Adult Literacy TOBACCO EXPRESS Philadelphia businesses are having an increasingly tough time of finding employees who can read and write at the level they need to qualify as employees. This came out in a report by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board. Funded by the Annie E. Casey (Cont. Page 39)
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