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categories | The City Paper
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September 24
categories | News
Union vs. Rabbi
4:40 PM posted by Isaiah Thompson
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| Local 98 protests Rabbi Levin |
| Photo | Isaiah Thompson |
A few days ago, I stumbled on an unusual sight. Standing in front of a building on near 47th and Pine were three men from the Local 98 electricians union. Two were holding up a banner; the third was yelling through a megaphone: "Shame on you, Rabbi Levin, shame on you."
For the last month, Local 98 has been picketing in front of the Lubavitch House at University of Penn (the Lubavitch are a branch of orthodox Hasidic Judaism), near which Lubavitch House Director Rabbi Ephraim Levin is overseeing the construction of a new building — and, the electricians say, using cheap labor to do it.
Bob Bark, business representative for the union, says the contractor hired by Levin is well-known for paying substandard wages. "He typically doesn't hire workers at what the U.S. government calls a fair wage," Bark says. "They don't get proper training, they don't get a pension so they can retire in dignity."
Rabbi Levin declined to comment other than to say, "I'm building in Philadelphia. That should tell you everything."
Probably the most striking thing about the small protest is the flyer the union has come up to spread the word. (Click here to see it.) One sides features the phone number for the Lubavitch House, as well as advice on how to reach Rabbi Levin by e-mail to show support for the union. On the other side, though, are excerpts, in Hebrew and English, from the Old Testament. The union, in other words, is trying to beat the rabbi at his own game.
One example: "Do not oppress the hired laborer ... whether he is one of your people or one of the sojourners in your land within your gates ... lest he cry out to G-d about you, for this will be counted as a sin for you." –Deuteronomy 24:14-15.
Bark says that part was contributed "by a Jewish member of the union. We've got 2,500 people — just a little bit of everybody."