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Philadelphia

Neighborhood Renewal By Germantown Residents, For Germantown Residents

March 1, 2025 Courtney Duchene, Next City. , , ,
Jordan Parisse-Ferrarini has long been entrepreneurial. He learned it from his mother, who was quick to pick up a side hustle — starting a fruit stand, selling makeup door-to-door, selling kitchen products at markets — to help support her family when he was growing up in Mt. Airy and Germantown. So, it felt natural when, together with his mother and siblings, he founded a company focused on home repairs. They called it Handyman Wizards at first, then Ferrarini Kitchens, Baths and Interiors. A skilled carpenter, he got his electrician’s license, his realtor’s license, and then earned a construction management certificate.

Five Years In, Philly’s Kensington Corridor Trust Is Building Momentum

February 18, 2025 Oscar Perry Abello, Next City. , , , ,
The first time Yolanda Del Valle came to work at Sherry’s Restaurant, she was a teen covering a friend’s shift at the popular local diner, located for 50-plus years at the corner of Kensington and Ontario Avenues in Philadelphia. Eleven years ago, Del Valle returned to Sherry’s as an employee, doing everything from serving to dishwashing to minding the griddle. This past November, she became the owner. And Sherry’s got a new landlord: its community. The diner’s building, which includes three apartments above the restaurant, was acquired a little over a year ago by the Kensington Corridor Trust, a community-controlled commercial real estate entity that recently celebrated its fifth birthday.

How Philly Whole Foods Workers Beat Bezos

February 4, 2025 Eric Blanc, Labor Politics. , , , , , ,
Can labor sustain its forward momentum under Trump? The first big test came last Monday, when Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia voted on whether to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Many in the labor movement were expecting a loss, since MAGA is now in office and since management — headed by Trump’s new billionaire buddy Jeff Bezos — went scorched earth against the nascent union effort. But a multiracial crew of young, self-organized, left-leaning workers proved the skeptics wrong, as so often has been the case since 2021.

Closures In Quebec Show Amazon Is Scared Of Workers Organizing

January 30, 2025 Pola Posen, Left Voice. , , , , , , , ,
The workers at a Whole Foods location in Center City, Philadelphia, voted to form the grocery chain’s first-ever union on Monday, marking an incredible victory for workers who have been organizing at the store for over a year. Whole Foods was bought by Amazon in 2017, and since then benefits, staffing levels, and working conditions have gotten worse. 130 workers voted in favor of unionizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), while 100 voted against. Through the union, workers are demanding a living wage (the starting salary is currently only $16/hour), better benefits, and more protections.

Thousands Of Resident Physicians In Philadelphia Voted To Unionize

January 22, 2025 Aubrey Whelan, Portside. , , , , ,
Eight in 10 doctors-in-training in Philadelphia are now represented by unions, following a wave of labor organizing across major health systems in the region. Doctors at three Philadelphia health systems and Delaware's largest health provider voted to join the Committee of Interns and Residents, a division of the Service Employees International Union. The move follows a national trend of physicians unionizing around the country, as doctors increasingly look for solutions to burnout in a field now dominated by large health system employers.

To Save Chinatown, Philly Struggle Beats Back The Billionaires

January 14, 2025 Betsey Piette, Workers World. , , , , ,
Philadelphia - The Save Chinatown Coalition, representing over 245 organizations, and the overwhelming 70% of Philadelphians polled in 2024 who opposed plans by the 76ers basketball team to build an arena in Center City, has cause to celebrate. The Philadelphia Inquirer leaked the news Jan. 12 that an agreement was reached for the team to remain in the stadium district in South Philadelphia. According to posts on X, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Comcast Spectacor President Brian Roberts talked the Sixers into staying in the current location. After a two-year struggle to stop it their planned 76 Place in Chinatown is off the table.

Philadelphia’s Doctors-In-Training Are Unionizing By The Thousands

January 8, 2025 Juan Cruz Ferre and Jason Koslowski, Left Voice. , , , ,
I think pretty universally in medical training, there’s an under-appreciation and under-compensation of medical residents. A lot of it comes down to pay, because that’s so fundamental, but other benefits, like time off and parental leave, are certainly a major concern for people, and moonlighting and overtime and things like that generally are under-compensated as well. At my hospital specifically, there are concerns about access to appropriate equipment and basic medical supplies. So, a lot of this becomes very much like logistical issues.

Court Rejects Starbucks’ Challenge To US Labor Board

December 30, 2024 Reuters, Portside. , , , , ,
A federal appeals court has largely rejected Starbucks’ appeal of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finding that the coffee chain illegally fired two Philadelphia baristas because they wanted to organize a union. The third US circuit court of appeals said the coffee shop giant lacked standing to challenge the constitutionality of administrative law judges of the NLRB, the government agency that is set up to enforce labor laws in the US concerning labor practices and collective bargaining. The judgment represents a possible setback for companies such as Amazon, the Trader Joe’s grocery chain and SpaceX that have sought to limit the agency’s enforcement powers.

Philadelphia Arena: ‘$50 Million, $100 Million, The Whole Thing Is A Sellout!’

December 18, 2024 Joe Piette, Workers World. , , , ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - For over two years, a growing movement has fought to stop the proposed construction of 76 Place, a basketball arena in Philadelphia that would threaten the existence of Chinatown, the last community of color in Center City. It’s the people against the billionaires. A poll of city residents revealed 70% disapproval of the arena at that location. The struggle is also against the billionaires’ government. There’s the federal government, where billionaires get what they want no matter which party is in office.

All Out For Mumia Abu-Jamal In December

December 6, 2024 Betsey Piette, Workers' World. , , , ,
Philadelphia, PA - December 9 will mark the 43rd year of unjust incarceration for U.S. political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Demonstrations, teach-ins and other events will be held in several U.S. cities and in Mexico City, Berlin and Paris. In Philadelphia, a teach-in on political prisoners and dismantling the prison industrial complex will take place on Dec. 7 from 1-3 p.m. at Community College of Philadelphia, Center for Business and Industry, 17th and Callowhill streets, Room C2-28. A photo ID will be required for entry to the campus.

Whole Foods Workers File for First-Ever Union, Defying Amazon

November 23, 2024 Kim Kelly, In These Times. , , , , ,
With a rich history stretching back to 1682, Philadelphia boasts the nation’s first library, its first hospital, its first daily newspaper, even its first zoo. Now, a tenacious group of grocery store workers wants to earn the City of Brotherly Love another accomplishment: the nation’s first unionized Whole Foods Market. On November 22, Whole Foods Workers United officially declared its intention to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 1776 and filed papers with the National Labor Relations Board. Since Amazon bought the company in 2017, Whole Foods has undergone a litany of changes — many, workers say, for the worse.

Struggle To Save Chinatown From Arena Moves To City Council

November 19, 2024 Marta Guttenberg, Workers World. , , , , ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - A special session of the Philadelphia City Council was held Nov. 12 for council members to question representatives of 76DevCorp about their master plan and Community Benefits Agreement for a $1.5 billion basketball arena called “76 Place” they want to build adjacent to Philadelphia’s historic Chinatown. With Mayor Cherelle Parker being an enthusiastic proponent of the arena plan, it was not surprising that her staff members were on hand to help the owners’ representatives answer questions or that the event was planned without input from communities that will be most impacted.

Despite Fierce Opposition, City Council Introduces Billionaires’ Arena Bill

November 2, 2024 Joe Piette, Workers' World. , , ,
Which side are you on? That’s the question being asked of 17 Philadelphia City Council members over the next few weeks. On one side are several billionaires proposing a $1.55 billion 76ers basketball arena next to the Chinatown community in Center City.

Congo Week Draws Attention To The Congolese Struggle

October 25, 2024 Pavan Kulkarni, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , ,
Teach-ins, concerts, screenings of films and documentaries, rallies, demonstrations, and other actions and events were organized in several cities around the globe from October 13 to 19 to raise global consciousness about the struggles of the Congolese people for peace and justice. “Breaking the Silence: Congo Week” has been observed annually in the third week of October since 2008 to commemorate the more than 5.4 million killed over the last 10 to 12 years, amid what the UN described as the deadliest conflict since World War II.

American Bar Association Mandates Crackdown On Law Student Speech

October 25, 2024 Fight Back! News. , , , , , , ,
Philadelphia, PA – On October 16, over the objections of students, Temple University Beasley School of Law adopted anti-protest policies mandated by the American Bar Association. In the spring of 2024, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted a mandate forcing all law schools to adopt policies designed to prevent the student protests that have taken place since October 7, 2023. While the student movement has recently surged as a part of the broader pro-Palestine movement, law student protests that have raised concern from the ABA also include the pro-choice and LGBTQ rights activism following judicial attacks on women and LGBTQ people in the courts.
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