Free Republic

PHILADELPHIA - It's a union protest designed to bring you to tears. Residents at the Vista apartment building on the 2800 block. of N. 47th St. in Philadelphia's Wynnefield section are losing their minds over a recording played by protesters from IBEW local 98. Last Wednesday, the union set up an iPod and loudspeakers that plays this recorded message: "Your community is crying for jobs, participation and fair wages." It's what comes next that brings a tear to the eye: an extended crying jag by a seemingly fussy infant. The recording- which began last Wednesday- runs each weekday from around...

A business coordinator at a power company in western Georgia told The Daily Caller Friday afternoon that workers from his electric-utility employer were not permitted to help restore power to New York consumers because they would not join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The revelation comes on the heels of similar stories TheDC has reported about power crews from Alabama and Florida who volunteered to fix downed power lines after Hurricane Sandy left millions in the Northeastern United States in the dark this week. “We’re not a large utility, so we were only able to send up two...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bristled at reports Friday that an electricians’ union stood in the way of some utility workers who wanted to help restore power to victims of Hurricane Sandy. He would use his emergency-management powers, he said, to guarantee that nonunion crews could help restore his state’s electricity grid without interference.“I’ve been on the phone with PSE&G [Public Service Electric and Gas Company], JCP&L [Jersey Central Power & Light] and the union, and they’ve all absolutely promised me they would never turn away a single worker whether they were union or nonunion, and I wouldn’t allow it,” Christie told...

Under an emergency ordinance, electricians may inspect their own work; officials worry about fraud.October 9, 2006—A member of the New Orleans City Council is pushing for rescission of the city's emergency ordinance allowing homeowners to waive inspections before restoration of electricity at their Katrina-flooded houses. The ordinance has been criticized by city officials and electrical experts as a failure in basic building safety. "I am not comfortable with the self-inspection program," says New Orleans District B City Councilwoman Stacy Head. "I am going to push for a revocation of that rule. If the city needs to hire more inspectors to...