LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL!

Monday, February 8th, 2010 | Uncategorized

Then tear it off and throw it away! Considering this:

Episcopalians attending General Convention linked arms with hotel workers July 14 to march to the gates of Disneyland to demand economic justice for 2,300 Disney employees protesting a planned hike in the cost of their health insurance.

“It seems to me, as our church has moved toward a position of justice for all its members, particularly in the area of health care, this is the perfect opportunity for the church to witness to the world about its convictions regarding economic justice,” said the Rev. Lisa Hackney, from the Diocese of Ohio.

Several hundred people gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center to hear a prayer by Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles, before joining more than 1,000 others already on the march to Disneyland.

“I cannot think of any reason more than the Gospel proclamation of ‘do justice’ and ‘do God’s work.’ This is where I need to be,” said the Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate, a deputy from the diocese of New York.

Lynn Tyler, a deputy from the Diocese of New Hampshire, was marching to support Disney workers, 75 percent of whom, she said, are women. “And of those women, many are single parents. They’re pretty much living on the edge as it is.”

A letter in support of Disney workers signed by 13 Episcopal bishops said they were taking seriously “our call to stand with the poor and those who are suffering from injustice.” The protest included Episcopal bishops Greg Rickel (Olympia), Gene Robinson (New Hampshire) and Barbara Harris (retired of Massachusetts).

“We’re now marching with these people who are working for Disney for their rights, their privileges that they deserve as human beings,” said Bishop Bruno. “We ask you to let us turn the eyes of Disney toward justice and mercy; toward benefits, and the things necessary for people to live a just and abundant life.”

The following has got to be all kinds of embarrassing

They worked for years cleaning and maintaining the Episcopal Church Center in midtown Manhattan. But after they were fired on Dec. 30, nine hard-working people are in desperate need of divine intervention.“We came to work on Dec. 30 as every day, hoping to leave a little earlier to celebrate the new year,” said Bronx native Héctor Miranda, a father of three. “But when we got to the building we were told that we no longer worked there. Just like that. They picked the date well to fire us.”

The workers lost their jobs – which paid standard wages and benefits – when the church canceled the contract with Paris Maintenance, a union cleaning contractor, and replaced it With the nonunion Benjamin Enterprises.

The workers belong to SEIU Local 32BJ, which is helping them organize demonstrations outside the church to protest what the union calls “the unlawful termination” of the porters – and to demand that they be offered jobs by the new contractor.

An church spokesperson angrily denied that the workers had been fired. “They weren’t fired!” said a heated Bishop E. C. Bottle. “Bishop Schori determined that they had abandoned communion with the Episcopal Church. So obviously the Presiding Bishop had no canonical choice.”

I SO want to see these hypocritical posers get picketed. Props to Greg Griffith.

12 Comments to LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL!

Allen Lewis
February 8, 2010

Such delicious irony! Chris, you should have posted a Schadenfreude warning on this one!!!

*breaking out the kneepads…*

Clown Celebrant
February 8, 2010

How does it feel, Episcopal HQ, to be on the receiving end of a little union publicity? What? No dialogue? No listening process? You must not have needed anything from these folks! If you had gone to the trouble to dialogue, perhaps using a certified clown meeting facilitator, you could have explained how many International Justice/Peacemaking Officers, Congregational Vitality Officers, Native American & Indigenous Ministries Officers, Diversity, Social and Environmental Ministries Associates, Government Advocacy for Peace and Justice Associates, International and Immigration Policy Analysts, Environmental/Economic Affairs Officers, assorted Suffragans and high-born hoity-toity co-directors and coordinators were saved by ditching these union workers. No kidding folks, these faux State Department job titles are taken directly from the Episcopal Church Headquarters website. If they brazenly published these job titles, imagine what a warren of ridiculous job titles are tucked behind the Episcopal HQ curtain. But, hey, you don’t have to pay union wages to keep the floors clean these days, why there are lots of unemployed bankers looking for work who would be glad to mop the floors for minimum wage. What? No out of work bankers? Er, um, well, perhaps one of those bonused-up bankers down on Wall Street could toss their tithe over to Episcopal Headquarters to help out?

Barney
February 8, 2010

I have worked a Union Job for 10 years. Our benefits are great and cost do rise. I can understand the Disney employees complaint… Of course, TEO was involved because it was a high profile, high publicity protest… and after all, TEO has to maintain their public image.

The canceling of the union contract was purely a religious decision and had nothing to do with saving lots of money with a non-union contractor.

Don Janousek
February 8, 2010

To really ice the cake, the fired folks out to go out to Disneyland and get Goofy, Mickey, Donald and the Seven Dwarfs to come east and join their protests. They all are, I assume, Disney employees. Also, while they’re at it, they should get OSHA to look into the conditions in that mine where the dwarfs work. Really stir the pot, so to speak. Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho….

dwstroudmd
February 8, 2010

The consistency of the inconsistency of the EcUSA is the only stability it has. After all, if the Trinity isn’t important, Jesus is a way, and marriage is gotta be gayed-up, did anyone think that support for unions was ANYTHING other than propaganda? I mean, really?!

JM
February 8, 2010

“Lisa Hackney?” Tell me that’s a made-up name.

TEO supports economic justice with OPM.

The young fogey
February 8, 2010

As I was saying.

LaVallette
February 9, 2010

How many of the sacked workers were women and/or gay? Therein one may find the explanation for the different approach!!! .

Sasha
February 9, 2010

LaVallette, my STRONG suspicion is that those workers were/are majority white (or at most Hispanic) men who’re trying to support their families in the traditional man=breadwinner modus that TEO so HATES!!!! That’s why they’re so easily scorned!

I sure hope with all my heart that that criminal Antichrist’s organization gets hurt as severely as possible, and the worse the better!!!

kc
February 9, 2010

some unions are more equal than others….

Don Janousek
February 9, 2010

My Goodness! What was I thinking? “Dwarfs?” How very discriminatory and non-PC of me. How about “differently verticalized?” There. Fixed it.

The Little Myrmidon
February 9, 2010

Don, “vertically challenged.”

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