Nov 18 2009
Union troubled by Eagle Scout
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.
Balzano said Saturday he isn’t targeting Boy Scouts. But given the city’s decision in July to lay off 39 SEIU members, Balzano said “there’s to be no volunteers.” No one except union members may pick up a hoe or shovel, plant a flower or clear a walking path.
“We would hope that the well-intentioned efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate would not be challenged by the union,” said Mayor Ed Pawlowski in an e-mail Friday. “This young man is performing a great service to the community. His efforts should be recognized as such.”
Balzano said Saturday the union is still looking into the matter and might cut the city a break.
“We are probably going to let this one go,” Balzano said .
Read more here.
[From me]
You just can’t make up some things. 
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
I like the Boy Scouts, and I normally don’t support labor unions, but if the city agreed to not allow volunteer labor to replace the paid workers, I think they messed up by allowing this young man to do this.
An employee has a valid complaint any time he is relieved of his duties and replaced by volunteer labor. (There is a perception of “public service” being used as pressure to get work done for free that the city SHOULD have to pay for, since it exerts taxes on citizens so that those services can be provided.) In other words, since there are taxes on city residents that are supposed to be used to pay for the park, no one should lose their job because some unwise person is willing to work for “free” (the Scout is actually working for a reward – the Eagle Scout badge – rather than for free…)
As bad as the article makes the union look, I personally interpret this as being exactly the kind of thing that a labor union exists for.
Bernard, I don’t see in this article where the city said there would be no volunteers. The person quoted as saying that was the union president. My question is whether or not this project would be something the union would have done on city time. If so, they have WAY too much time on their hands. Realistically, this is probably a project that would never have been done if the young man hadn’t stepped up to do it.
There are very few instances in this day and age where unions do much to help anyone but themselves and usually to the detriment of the working man. The transit strike in Philly recently is a good example. The workers went on strike over pension issues. There were no buses, trains, etc. for a week. Who was hurt the most by that strike? The working man who had no means of transportation to get to and from work. While I was up there for a conference, there were numerous working-class folks who were furious with the union for pulling their stunt. There are many more instances of that kind of behavior. That’s why most people can’t stand unions.