See more news releases in Advocacy Group Opinion | Labor & Union | Not For Profit

Pennsylvania Wants to Work Day of Action on Saturday, November 17, 2012

This Saturday, Union Members and Community Volunteers Will be Assisting Agencies and Programs That Support the Unemployed

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On this Saturday, November 17, 2012 union members will be joining friends and neighbors to serve as volunteers in communities across Pennsylvania in helping local community services agencies and organizations that support and assist unemployed workers and their families.

They will be partnering with local agencies and organizations that provide food, clothing, housing, and other essentials to the unemployed and the less fortunate who live in their neighborhoods and communities.

The project is called "The Pennsylvania Wants to Work Day of Action", organized by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, to mobilize volunteers and the community to help programs and services that are struggling to keep up with the needs of unemployed families. The emphasis will also be on urging elected officials to provide additional support for these programs and to prioritize job creation and job protection policies.

"We have a very strong tradition of helping each other and supporting community services programs and agencies that provide assistance and support for unemployed working families and others in need of support. But volunteers and donations alone cannot fulfill the increasing demands created by this recession and the slow economic recovery. Our elected officials must do their part by providing the necessary support and to focus on job creation now, not cuts in human services budgets," Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale said.

"The solutions are political. But until policies are enacted to bring jobs home, rebuilding our outdated and neglected infrastructure and investing in other job creation programs, we must act today and tomorrow to meet the needs of unemployed working families throughout the Commonwealth.

The needs have grown, while funding for the services have been cut, and the ability to raise contributions to keep these programs alive is harder. The solutions are jobs and providing the additional support needed to meet the needs of our neighbors and our communities," Secretary-Treasurer Snyder added.

"The Pennsylvania Wants to Work Day of Action" project is being conducted by Central Labor Councils, AFL-CIO/United Way Labor Liaisons, Local Unions, and Community Services Committees under the coordination of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. The listing of "Day of Action" Projects, including the coordinators' contact information, can be viewed on the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO web-site: www.paaflcio.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania AFL-CIO