Congregations to Urge City Council Action on Airport Jobs for West and Southwest Philadelphia

May 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Congregations to Urge City Council Action on Airport Jobs
for West and Southwest Philadelphia

Contacts:
Frances Upshaw (ph. 215-424-8054; franu@4pha.com)
Bishop Dwayne Royster (ph. 215-237-4503 or droyster@powerphiladelphia.org)

What:    Economic Justice Forum
When:    Tuesday, June 5, 7.00 PM
Where:   Grace Christian Fellowship Church, 6208 Grays Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19142

POWER (Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild) will hold an Economic Justice forum for West and Southwest Philadelphia at Grace Christian Fellowship Church on Tuesday, June 5 -- the first in a series of four forums to be held across the city in June. Hundreds of POWER members, community residents and allies are expected to attend the Forum which will solicit support from City Council to increase access to jobs created by the PHL Airport Expansion project and other publicly subsidized projects and contracts.

2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and 4th District Councilman Curtis Jones have confirmed their attendance.

Register to attend this Forum by visiting: http://www.powerphiladelphia.org/news/register-now-for-po....

The $6 billion Airport Expansion project, which will be financed in part by municipal bonds, state and federal funds, and airport fees, is projected to bring more than 100,000 jobs to the Philadelphia region over the next several decades. "Without City Council action, those new jobs at the Airport could pass our community by", says Frances Upshaw of Calvary St. Augustine Episcopal Church in Mantua.

POWER will urge City Council to work for a Community Benefits Agreement to ensure  that local residents get access to job training opportunities and preference in hiring for Airport jobs. “There are young people sitting in Philadelphia classrooms and adults sitting in GED programs whose future will be determined by our ability to establish this kind of agreement,” says Rev. Cean James of Grace Christian Fellowship in Southwest Philadelphia.  Click http://www.communitybenefits.org/article.php?id=1471 to read about a successful and similar campaign that gives hope for economic justice here in Philadelphia.

The four city-wide forums are the latest in POWER’s campaign aimed to address economic injustice in the city. This campaign was launched at POWER’s founding convention in September 2011, which was attended by over 2,000 members from 40 congregations as well as Mayor Michael Nutter, City Council members, and other city officials. POWER believes our city needs policies to ensure that large-scale, subsidized development projects and contracts benefit communities with chronic unemployment and poverty.  

Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild
1429 N. 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 – Phone (215) 232-7697
http://www.powerphiladelphia.org
Email info@powerphiladlephia.org