Nick Balzano, president of the Service Employees International Union’s Allentown chapter, may have picked the wrong target for a threat of legal action by the union. Balzano threated the city with a grievance filing after Boy Scout Kevin Anderson, 17, says he cleared a walking path in an east Allentown, Pa. park so people could walk along the river. That should have been a job given to union employees, Balzano, claimed, and is threatening a legal filing.
The union was complaining that 39 SEIU members were recently let go by the city, which then allowed this scout to earn his scab badge. He is quoted as saying that the union would be “looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails … There’s to be no volunteers.”
Anderson is a member of Boy Scouts Troop 301 of Center Valley and worked for more than 200 hours creating the 1000-foot path in Kimmets Lock Park along with fellow scouts, friends and parents. He is a junior at Southern Lehigh High School.
I think that the SEIU should insist on the garbage be put back and Anderson charged under National Labor Relations Act as a lesson to any scouts who would try something horrific like this again. Indeed, the federal government should look into how scouts have been supplanting cross-guard employees by helping elderly citizens across streets. The menace of scab scouting must be confronted before every footpath in America is cleared.
Below may (or may not) be a picture of the confrontation between the scouts and the union:
For the story, click here.
Back to the original article. Most Boy Scout projects like the one in this article are an “extra” for a park or municipality. I can not imagine that in our current economy union workers would have been used to clear the path in question. So if not for the scout doing what he is taught is his “civic” duty, the path would still be full of trash and an eyesore. Would the union workers propose that as a solution?
I could see the union workers’ position if their daily tasks were being replaced by volunteers. Then again, would that be so bad? To live in a society that we as citizens voluntarily do public work projects seems to be a decent idea.
I wish we had more organizations that teach the three goals of the Boy Scouts Citizenship, Character and Physical fitness. Many of our citizens could use these qualities.
yes I am and have you and Mike S and Mike A and Gyges to thank for that.
you big green galoot.
ronin:
how much did we agree for me to pay you?
pcdls.ronin,
He’s much better now, but Byron can name call and play agitator quite well.
He’s a kinder, gentler Bron these days.
This story reminds me about a situation that occured in my little town.
There are four old ladies (in their mid 70’s) that all went to school together and all still live in the same little town. Three of them were good friends and the other gal was just an aquaintance of theirs.
This gal is the town clerk here and has to have a say in everything as well as her nose in everything as well.
The other 3 ladies painted the playground equipment to brighten it up; it needed it and it looked nice when they were done (they insisted they had prior permission). Total cost of paint $16.05.
Town clerk lady gets all mad, because no one said anything to her about it and wants them arrested for damaging public property. So she brings in her son-in-law who is the town manager and well…..no one ends up getting charged or going to jail.
Small town politics can get petty…just like big town politics can
Who cares??? The job needed done and was done!!!
Byron,
I enjoyed your posts. I’m impressed that you did not actually identify anyone as wrong and chose, instead, to accept some of their ideas for consideration. I am also very impressed with your ability to, not once, resort to name-calling or labels. You are, obviously, an accomplished mediator. People can learn from you. Thank you.
I just say, light my fire and I will provide the music. A fiddlin we will do, will you join in to when the town is painted red.