Pennsylvania State Building Trades Council Calls on Attorney General Tom Corbett to Rethink Comments on Unemployed
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Frank Sirianni, the President of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) today called on PA Attorney General and Republican nominee for Governor Tom Corbett to rethink his recent comments about unemployed workers in the Commonwealth.
In comments made at a political event last week in Lancaster, PA, Corbett is reported to have said that many Pennsylvania workers receiving unemployment benefits from the state would rather collect benefits than work. He also noted that he was told this by owners of unnamed construction companies.
"At a time when unemployment in the building and construction industry is at 30 percent in some areas of the State and the statewide unemployment is over 9 percent and higher in many counties, I find it especially troubling that a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania would say something so insensitive," said Sirianni. "If Tom Corbett really believes what he said then where are the jobs? I think he needs to look deeper into this issue and rethink his position."
The BCTC has been closely following the push to develop new energy sources like the Marcellus Shale, which has the potential to create thousands of new construction, mining and transportation jobs in Pennsylvania and Sirianni noted that many of the new jobs being created were going to out of state workers.
"New opportunities like Marcellus Shale should be presenting new jobs for Pennsylvania workers so that nobody has to collect unemployment," said Sirianni. "A candidate for Governor should be fighting to make sure those jobs go to Pennsylvania residents, not denigrating the very people who pay his salary, who have the skills for the jobs and who want to work but are being denied the opportunity."
For more information on the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council, go to the Council's website at www.pabuildingtrades.org or contact the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council at 717-233-5726.
SOURCE Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council
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