I hope I can be half as erudite as everyone else who has spoken already. I represent vacationwire.com, a company which I founded 11 years ago in the City of Philadelphia. We've been operating for 11 years right here in Center City. We are a small business. We have hired and retained up to 12 employees. During the recession, we scaled back to six. I believe in the company. I take no salary. I continue to commit myself and my resources to keeping our employees employed here in Philadelphia. If you pass this bill, it will cripple our company. It is unscheduled vacation time, something for which we cannot prepare our plan. Our employees, without being at work, cannot support our clients and maintain the service commitments which we have made. So it will cripple us financially as well as from a service perspective. If you pass this bill, we will not be able to stay in Philadelphia. We run an Internet online travel company. We can operate from anywhere in the world, and we will go someplace that is more employer friendly. That means the City of Philadelphia will not be paid any kind of city taxes from vacationwire.com or receive the employee taxes of our employees. Additionally, all of the small businesses in our area, the restaurants, the purveyors, the office supply stores which we continue to support, will not receive any more financial benefits from our company. I certainly hope you'll rethink this bill and oppose it yourselves. Thank you.
Good morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here. I'm not here to discuss the comfort and feel-good merits of the bill. Business is the engine that drives our economy. It provides wages in exchange for services. It pays taxes and supports the fabric of our city. Businesses should be appreciated, not put on a pedestal nor put on a pillory. They should not be maligned or taken for granted. Government seems to believe that they have all of the answers. Let me ask you, are you satisfied with the public school system in the City? It appears to me that cities -and not just Philadelphia -- make budgets, but they're long overdue, they can't meet their budgets, they run over budget. Ask businesses. They can't do that. I happened to watch something on television last week with the Director of the Pennsylvania Alcohol Control Commission. He admitted point blank that four to eight percent of the liquor stores in the State of Pennsylvania have never made a profit, some as long as 10 to 20 years. Businesses cannot do that. There is no employee without an employer. It's a similar transaction to a seller and a buyer. If the buyer does not like what is offered, the seller doesn't make the sale. If an employee does not like the terms and conditions of the job, he doesn't take the job or he moves forward. It seems to me that businesses are still being looked upon as the goose that laid the golden egg. Well, maybe it's time that the golden eggs are no longer being laid in the City of Philadelphia. I'm opposed to the bill on several levels. We're in an economy that is seeing gas prices increased by more than 30 percent in the last two months. Food prices, as reported just yesterday, have already increased by 3.9 percent this year. Vegetable prices have increased by 50 percent. These are the highest price increases since 1976. My personal healthcare for my business has increased by 23 percent in two years, while over a five-year period before that they increased by 13.7 percent. Unemployment in Philadelphia is higher than the national average of 8.9 percent. Has anyone taken a look at storefronts on Front Street, Kensington, Girard Avenue, Lehigh, Erie, Allegheny? Over 30 percent -- I've walked these streets within the last week. Over 30 percent of these storefronts are vacant. Time's up? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President, members of Council. My name is Al Taubenberger, President of the Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Philadelphia and its business community has been hard hit by the Great Recession. Philadelphia's unemployment hovers at near 11 percent, way above the national average. Mayor Nutter's budget is straining to keep the City afloat in the face of predicted cuts in state and federal funding. The good news has been a reported increase in employment at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which has attracted businesses, which increases City revenue, taxes and so on. And hotel accommodations are reported at near record levels. With these signs that Philadelphia's economy is stabilizing, it becomes imperative that we let businesses grow unfettered. That's why I appear in opposition to City Council Bill 080474, which would mandate paid sick leave for virtually every Philadelphia business. If enacted, the bill would add another fettering regulation that would keep businesses out of the City and would be the death nil of many small businesses. The Council's intention is good. Employees should be not punished for getting sick nor should workers risk the public health by coming to work sick. The goal, however, is simply not realistic. The bill in itself starts at a much higher level with Pennsylvania having an average 6.5 sick days on average. Philadelphia and its leaders should take the time on focusing on growth. There are approximately 2,500 Philadelphians that are looking for jobs. These are businesses that finally have the ability to reinvest in themselves, and the discussion should focus on Philadelphia and how Philadelphia can attract business. The sick leave bill distracts from this focus. A similar ordinance that was passed in San Francisco in 2006 had two recent studies, the Institute of Women's Policy Research and the Drum Major Institute. Both studies determined the ordinance had no demonstrated positive effect on the city's economic growth, and in fact, 14 percent of the respondents had either been laid off or knew someone who was laid off. City Council may not want to believe it, but it is true that Philadelphia has a perception of being business unfriendly. With the City and the country posed at final rebound of economic recovery, City Council should seize this opportunity to change that perception. I urge them not to pass yet another regulation. We should engage in discussion, a very serious discussion, of how to bring much-needed growth to the City of Philadelphia. Thank you very much.
Good morning. My name is Henri Marcial and my comments are directed toward Bill No. 080474, paid sick leave. I'm here as legal counsel for the Small Business Union and as a member and representative of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. As a member and representative of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I would like to say that the Hispanic Chamber supports and agrees with the statements and positions of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, which Council has engaged in discussions with. As counsel for the Small Business Union, I have a bit more to add to that position. The Small Business Union strongly opposes Bill No. 080474 as it currently exists and requests City Council to table this bill and engage in meaningful discussion with us to achieve a reasonable and sustainable set of goals on this topic. After all, it's our checkbooks you need to open to pay for this. We deserve the respect of being included and consulted regarding this matter. As it exists, this bill is very poorly thought out and constructed. The end result of this bill will be to further harm the people it is trying to help. If City Council passes this bill in its current form, City Council will be directly responsible for increasing the cost of food and services to the poor, killing jobs in Philadelphia and the mom and pop businesses for those very same jobs and those very same workers in the poorest neighborhoods of the City, stalling economic growth by making it harder to start a new business. In short, there will be higher prices and fewer jobs, and it will be City Council's fault. Is that worth the handful of votes this political pandering was originally designed for? If City Council really wishes to help the City's residents, it will table the bill and sit down with us to discuss a real way and identify and achieve a real goal in this case without causing harm to the businesses and the community. As an example, yesterday a member of City Council was kind enough to engage us in conversation. During that conversation, one of my colleagues suggested the purchase of insurance, similar to workmen's comp insurance, as a reasonable alternative. We've done some quick investigations and research and found that such insurance actually does exist and that it has been the way other municipalities have addressed this issue. It would provide a reasonable sick leave plan and reduce the direct cost to small business from thousands of dollars to four or five hundred dollars. Of course, more research needs to be done, and we invite Council to table this bill and further investigate that option with us as well as others. That being said, we've advised our members and associates that we will report back on how each and every City Council member votes on this matter, and we will advise them how to vote and who to support based on Council's actions. Thank you very much.
Is Mr. Muss here? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He already testified.
Good morning, Madam President, members of Council. My name is Rob Wonderling. I'm President of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, here to speak briefly in opposition to Bill 080474. I'm speaking on behalf of approximately 2,000 members of our organization that conduct business in the non-profit sector and in the for-profit sector in the City each and every day. Since we have presented testimony to this Council in the formal hearing I believe about two weeks ago, we've been encouraged by the dialogue and the hand of cooperation that has been extended by Councilman Greenlee and Councilman Clarke. We heard loud and clear at that hearing that you needed to hear from us, and so we estimate that approximately 1,000 individuals who work in this city for the not-for-profit sector and the for-profit sector have engaged individual members of this Council expressing concerns on the bill. We also have heard loud and clear that you would like more detailed analysis on not only the specific impacts, from which you've heard some already today, but the macro impacts as well, and we are well underway in conducting that analysis. And so we are buoyed by the Councilman's comments that this is a work in progress and one that we intend to continue to work with you cooperatively. Thank you.
Good morning, Madam President. Good morning, City Council members. I'm Renee Amoore, President and Owner and CEO of the Amoore Group. We have over 250 employees, 70 which work in the City of Philadelphia, and we have very much a concern about this particular sick bill. We feel that Philadelphia should not be enforcing more mandates on employers. We feel that this should be a role left to employee/employer. This bill creates legal issues for companies, because employers who have operated in different areas of the state or the country will have to offer different benefits, such as the Amoore Group, to different employees, but it will also create a significant HR policy nightmare, administrative burden on companies who operate in more than one city or state, again, the Amoore Group. With the economy still trying to recover, Philadelphia's burdensome taxes and the state of unemployment, it does not make sense to us to punish small businesses or even large businessowners even further. If City Council passes this sick leave bill, look for more employers to either leave the City or for many part-time employees to lose their positions. The Amoore Group, let me be clear, we do give some sick pay benefits, but this bill ties the hands of employers who are already doing the right thing. Some employees have a better accrual rate than the provided information in the bill, actually taking away from benefits. So today we ask that you think about this. Thank you for listening, and also continue to discuss this situation. Thank you.
-- members of the Committee of the Whole. My name is David Hammond and I am the Executive Director of the South Street Headhouse Special Services District. I am here today to testify against Bill 080474 requiring private-sector employers to provide paid sick leave for all employees working within the City of Philadelphia. The South Street Headhouse District is currently made up of 494 businesses. Virtually all of them are small, independent, owner-managed businesses, not chain stores with deep pockets. As I am sure you are aware, small business already faces long odds of success in Philadelphia. Most have triple-net leases that require them to pay the property taxes and the special services district assessments, if applicable. They pay the business privilege license, gross receipts tax, net profits tax. They have to use a private trash hauler at additional cost or pay the City $150 to pick up their trash. And they pay those yearly fees for the Health Department or the PLCB. It is very difficult to prosper. A great many establishments have changed hands and/or changed concepts over the past seven years that I've been the Executive Director of the District. Most of these companies are just trying to survive the year of the streetscape project on South Street and the past two years of the poor economy. Some locations have turned over two or three times. One particular location on the 100 block of South Street has turned over four different times and is empty yet again. A number of District locations - Kildare's, McDonald's, Knave of Hearts, Club 218, Miami Cafe, Chef's Market, Tori's Brickhouse, Gianna's Grille, Ansill, Pearl Arts and Crafts have all gone out of business over the last couple of years, and those properties remain vacant today. There are two blocks on South Street with a vacancy rate of 20 percent and another with a 26 percent vacancy rate. Does this seem like the time to saddle a small business struggling just to survive with another expense? We all constantly hear the states complaining about unfunded mandates forced upon them by the federal government, and this is exactly the same situation at the local level. This bill creates an added expense to a business and provides no funds to pay for it. But this is private industry we're talking about. Businesses in the District are not insensitive to the needs of employees and their families. The concept of sick pay is certainly one that most support, but, again, this is private enterprise. Private enterprise should be able to make their own decisions on what benefits they offer to their employees and not have them forced upon them by legislation. The District opposes Bill 080474. Small businesses are commonly referred to as the category that creates most new jobs and, therefore, drives the economy; in other words, the lifeblood of the City. Please do not further jeopardize the ability of a business to succeed by enacting this bill and adding to the already high cost of doing business in Philadelphia. Thank you very much.
Hello. Good morning, members of Council. I'm here to represent paid sick days. I am one of 40 percent of Philadelphians who used to not receive paid sick days, and the reason why many of them cannot be here is because they don't have time to be here because they're at work or they just can't be here because they're not getting paid. I worked at a bar and restaurant in Philadelphia for two years in between jobs, in between getting laid off and finding my career. I've gone to work with the flu, extremely sick, because if I didn't, I would have gotten fired. Paid sick days offers job security. Everybody here goes out to eat, goes out to get some drinks, and you don't realize that you're getting a risk to be sick, because it spreads all the time. And where I work, there was a cycle. At one time, there was always at least one person there that was sick. It never ended. Today, fortunately, I found a job in a non-profit organization and I now receive paid sick days. A month after starting work at this organization, I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I had to have surgery ASAP. If it wasn't for paid sick days, I wouldn't have been able to have it. And then if I was still working in the bar, I probably would not have had it at the time when it was needed. Also, my father was recently in the hospital. I was able to take time off to be with him when it was something that was serious. And if I was still working without paid sick days, I would not have been able to be with him and my family. I would not have had surgery myself. And I'm not going to go to work with the flu these days. It is something that is extremely important. It infects not only employees; it infects customers. That is something that is truly important and is something that I really do see helping businesses. Employees will be happy. They'll feel valued. They'll respect. And it's something that is going to be helping Philadelphia and helping people be able to go to work, knowing that they will have job security and not facing the risk of losing their job just because they're sick or their child is sick or somebody in their family or household is sick. It's something that is important, and I feel that it should be passed, and I think that is something that the 40 percent of Philadelphians would really appreciate. Thank you for your time. Happy St. Patrick's Day. (Applause.)
Tiffany Lomax. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Madam President, members of City Council, obviously I'm not Tiffany. Unfortunately she couldn't be here because she had to rush her child to Children's Hospital, but fortunately she's blessed enough to have paid sick time so she can take off and take care of her child. And I just want City Council to realize that there's so many stories out there just like hers, and we urge you to pass this legislation. Thank you.
My name is Joe Morozin, Jr. My family owns and operates the Dining Car, a 24-hour diner located in Northeast Philadelphia. Through hard work and determination, we are proud to be celebrating our 50th year anniversary. As you might imagine, operating a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week food service establishment is full of unique, interesting and diverse challenges, but today, more than ever, businessowners face a perfect storm scenario. First, the cost of goods and services we must purchase has skyrocketed, with some products up 200 to 300 percent. Second, the economic downturn felt by all businessowners these past few years has many of us hanging on for dear life, hoping and praying things will turn around. And, finally, a major increase in the cost of fuel not only increases the cost of products delivered, but will also drive many of our customers away as well. When the consumer is forced to reduce personal spending, the first thing they cut is dinner and a movie. Purveyors actually pass on their fuel cost expenditures in the form of a fuel charge added to our invoice. So you can see with all these additional expenditures, City Council's proposal to make businessowners pay for sick days couldn't come at a worse time. You ask us to pay for sick days. I say, Pay with what? Like many of our nation's governors who are asking for concessions from state workers in an attempt to balance the budgets, we too simply do not have the money to cover the significant increase in payroll costs. Please realize it is not only the cost of paying the employee who is called out sick. His or her replacement must be paid, and at a rate of time and a half if the shift is not covered by a part-time employee. So a shift that is supposed to cost $80, $10 an hour for an eight-hour shift, would potentially cost $200, having to pay the replacement worker $15 an hour in overtime. That is a 150 percent increase in payroll costs for that shift. Over the course of a year's worth of having to pay these additional payroll costs, many businesses will be forced to contract, close or perhaps relocate outside City limits. If in an attempt to defray the cost of the economic hardship being placed on businessowners I ask City Council to pay these costs associated with the proposal, I believe you would tell us what I'm telling you, We're sorry, you would say. We simply do not have enough money in our budget at this time to pay for such a proposal. Well, with all due respect, either do we. Thank you.
-- esteemed members of City Council. My name is Malik Majeed. I'm general counsel and Senior Vice-President of Human Resources for PRWT Services, Inc., a Philadelphia-based company that has been in existence for over 23 years providing business process services and solutions to corporate as well as governmental clients. I'm here today directing my comments in opposition of Bill No. 080474. Dear Councilmembers, temporary and part-time employment promotes greater flexibility for both employee and employer. It allows employees to earn income and remain active in the workforce while providing employers an innovative way to meet critical staffing needs. For companies in the service industry such as ours, particularly during difficult economic times, the use of temporary and part-time employment becomes even more business critical. It allows us, quite frankly, to augment our staff and allows us to be more nimble and flexible. If businesses are required to provide temporary and part-time workers with earned sick leave benefits or provide employees with more benefits than they currently have, both parties are going to lose. And I think based on some of the comments earlier, I don't have to go into too much detail, other than to say employees will lose because companies who already had to downsize due to the economics of our environment, they're going to immediately reduce their staffs even further to absorb the financial impact. Employers will lose because they will incur additional costs and lose the very flexibility that they need to help combat these difficult economic times. I'm not even taking into account the taxes and the insurance that comes associated with adding additional sick time to the employer, nor am I taking into account the costs associated with backfilling when employees are out sick, but I will say that in terms of our particular company, 75 percent of our overtime costs are due to backfilling employees who call out sick. If the City of Philadelphia would like to promote healthy families in the workplace, it must first be a champion of creating and sustaining jobs in Philadelphia. Bill 080474 is onerous to business and will have the reverse effect. It will result in the decline in the actual number of jobs, full and part time in the City, as employers will be forced to move outside of the City limits in order to remain competitive and economically viable. In addition, the passage of the bill will result in heightened litigation. Therefore, it's going to cost employers even additional costs. In closing, businesses should not be forced to increase benefits beyond the scope required by the FLSA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, in order to operate within the City limits. The passage of the bill will drive employer costs up in an already difficult economic environment where employers are already faced with challenges to reduce costs in order to even stay in business. Employees in the City of Philadelphia, by the way, do better than the national average at 44 percent versus 49 percent without paid coverage. Reinstating sick time under separation of employment within 12 months, which was one of the provisions in the bill, creates an undue administrative burden, which will result, quite frankly, in less people being hired since when companies are able to bring them back, say, within nine or 11 months, they will wait. And there's nothing in the bill that prevents what we are going to call employee abuse. So with that, on behalf of PRWT and Harold T. Epps, we stand in opposition of Bill No. 080474. Thank you for your time.
Ms. Armstead actually came with me, and I said all that we wanted to say.
-- and members of City Council. I thank you for the honor and privilege to speak before you for just a moment. I come to stand in agreement with the passing of Bill 080474. I believe personally that it is a good bill. It's for the strengthening of families and workplaces. I'm on the ministerial staff at Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church, and we work along with the Campaign for Working Families during the tax season helping persons to have their taxes, federal and state taxes, prepared for free. The bill is a good bill and it's good for families, because a healthy family is a family that will have the persons that are working in the workplaces to be healthy, and the workplace will be healthy. And if a workplace is healthy, then the employer will receive more money in the operating of their business, because the employees will not be spreading germs and sicknesses throughout the workplace. And when the workplace is healthy, you have an employee that is willing to even work harder than they normally would, because they feel more honored and respected by the employer. And when the employee can work and have paid sick time, then when their children are sick at home, they can take that day off to take their children to the hospital, to care for their family members in their own homes. So, again, I stand in agreement with this bill. Please pass this bill. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. Thank you for this opportunity to share my comments in favor of this Bill No. 080474. I would like to start my statement as an individual. My name is Kistine Carolan and I am a resident of Philadelphia. I left my family and friends and moved here from the Midwest seven years ago to pursue a Master's Degree in social work. I had every intention to leave upon completing my degree. However, I fell in love with Philly, and so I found work in a six-month internship immediately after graduating. I worked for $12 an hour with no benefits. The only thing I could afford was hope that I wouldn't get sick. One morning I woke up with an odd sensation. I brushed it off as sleepiness. Once I got to work, though, there was no room for denial. Each co-worker confirmed that for the first time in my life, I had pinkeye. My co-workers and supervisor were eager to get me out of the office, my very pink eyes clearly unsettling them. While I did not formally have sick time, my organization allowed me the day off to seek treatment, and it took the entire day to get that treatment. I'm very grateful for the health centers, because without health insurance, I was able to go there for care. I spent six hours in the waiting room before I had the chance to meet with the doctor for 30 seconds, who, not unsurprisingly, took one look and wrote me a prescription. Most illnesses are not as visible as pinkeye, but are similarly contagious. The irony is that I would guess if we became green with the flu and purple with nasty colds and such, we wouldn't be arguing whether to allow sick days. Businesses, especially restaurants, would have some of the most progressive policies on shooing sick workers out the door so they wouldn't drive away customers. As it is now, however, restaurants do not need to have concern for their customers' health. Then visibility of sickness is no excuse for allowing ill employees to suffer and to infect co-workers, vulnerable children and senior citizens they take care of or restaurant goers whose food they closely interact with. I would also like to add that today is my two-year anniversary of quitting smoking. (Applause.)
Thank you. It's been kind of hard. When the bill to ban cigarettes from restaurants and other public spaces was introduced, there was similar contention. I enthusiastically supported that bill even though at the time I was a smoker. I am grateful it passed, knowing for my own experience that healthy spaces allowed me the opportunity to do what I needed to do. Healthy businesses I believe promote a healthy and productive Philadelphia. As a representative of my employer, Maternity Care Coalition, we would like to stress the positive impact this bill will have on families and, in particular, women. According to national research, working women are the primary caregivers of children, with four and five mothers indicating that they are responsible for accompanying children to the doctors. Half of working women miss work when their children get sick. Of these, half do not get paid for that time off. Women continue to receive lower pay than men in equal positions, and moreover, two-thirds of low-wage workers do not receive paid sick days, and women make up the majority of that workforce. This data makes clear that the lost pay coupled with increased responsibilities for the health of young children is an unfair burden on women in Philadelphia.
Excuse me. Your time has been up. I would ask you to please conclude your statement.
I ask that you support and pass this bill immediately. Thank you.
Hi. I guess you all recognize me, which is very nice. Thank you for the recognition. I want to wish all of you a happy St. Patrick's Day.
Just a moment, Mr. Fisher. We must have silence, please.
I want to make it clear that I do not take coming up to speak lightly. This was a hard-won benefit which required this body to be taken to court, all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, to rule that citizens and taxpayers could speak before this body under the Sunshine Law of 1993. All other municipalities, cities, states in Pennsylvania agreed to do this except for this body. So I don't take this privilege lightly. It was a hard-fought privilege. Now, I want to congratulate you on doing the housekeeping business of the City, such as the satellite dish issue, but I want to also tell you that the house is on fire. The taxpayers are in revolt because money is bleeding out of the City. Taxes are going up. Councilpersons are being sued.
Thank you, Madam President. I would be most appreciative if Mr. Fisher could tell us what bill he's talking about on the Calendar.
Is that okay? Well, listen, I want to congratulate you on taking care of the housekeeping, but what I'm trying to tell you -- and for some reason, this is a very insular group. The taxpayers are in revolt here and it's not being addressed. That's all I want to say. Thank you.
I'm here as a citizen of Philadelphia to support the bill that would provide sick days for many residents of Philadelphia. I'm supporting it not only as a worker protection measure, but simply as a public health measure. I, quite frankly, think that it's sad that the businesses in this city can't see beyond the moment, that they can't see that it's to their benefit to not spread disease amongst their workforce and further amongst their clientele, that they can't see the benefit of that. So I would certainly urge this body to help them work in their long-term interest and not their short term. Thank you. (Applause. )
Tyrone Ferguson. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Point of order, Madam President.
Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam President. I need to leave on official business. I may not be back in time for the vote, so I would ask that my vote be aye on all bills and resolutions.
Leave will be granted. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you.
Good afternoon. My name is Tyrone Ferguson and I'm here on behalf of the Bill 080474. In the past, I was a dropout, homeless and on drugs. This May I will be graduating with a Bachelor's Degree, and when I get that Bachelor's Degree, I hope that I can come out and receive employment and to receive some benefits. I am suffering with osteoarthritis as well as depression, but that has never stopped me from continuing to be motivated. You know, I stand here on behalf of 210,000 people who have jobs and not benefits. When I get that job, I want to be assured that I can go out on benefits to take care of the medical concerns. I listened to all of these people, and I wanted to ask them, of you who have jobs today, do you have benefits? And if you have a job today, how would you feel if you did not have benefits? Thank you for allowing me to share. (Applause.)
Is Alyce Bowling here? Please approach the microphone. Good morning.
Notice I left out the "Saint," but for those of us who are interested in saints marching in or out, it's there. I speak specifically on 080474. When I came, I was not very prepared. I'm a very confused, mentally ill individual. I'm 71 almost. My father was born here in 1900. I think we have to, as I said a little while ago, rethink and retool. Philadelphia is our fair lady, make no mistake about it, all you people crying the blues. The homeless come here for refuge. They wipe rear-ends. They park your cars while you go into the stadium and enjoy the best seats in the house, or whatever. Make no mistake about it, we are a democracy here.
I'm sorry. You're going to have to speak into the microphone. You're going to have to speak into the microphone, please.
Oh, excuse me. I'm not like Sinatra. I'm not used to these things.
Over in the Northeast, among other many wonderful things we have beside the Dining Car Restaurant, which is a wonderful place -and I know they will survive -- we have a milk bottle, the old Harbison seal test, whatever, milk bottle. It's in great need of repair. I call it the calico cat bottle. I'd like to see artwork done on it. You can go into that some other time. As I was saying, we're very homogenized, and that's a great thing, because it lends to our strength. Any of you blackmailers that want to leave the City, go. My heart bleeds. Their heart bleeds.
This is not going to be a debate. Just tell us how you feel about the bill. Either you're for it or opposed to it, but we're not going to have interaction between the parties.
I think I have, ma'am. I'm sorry. I affirm the bill most assuredly. Philadelphia will survive the threats of drug companies or whatever else. (Applause.)
The intimidation repeatedly demonstrated by the republican party, for example, is an atrocity. We are a holocaust. How dare people say we can't get along without them? We love Jersey and Delaware, New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, et cetera, et cetera. To define things again once more, you will give me the moment. We are the Ciudad named Philadelphia. We are in the Commonwealth, the commoner's wealth, the commoner's wealth of Pennsylvania, Penn's Woods. He points and he tells us, look around. South Street is in trouble? When I was a child, it looked like World War II.
Excuse me, please. Your time has been up. I've given you some latitude. However, I'm going to ask you at this time to please conclude your statement.
You're welcome. Thank you for coming in. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam President, for your indulgence and thank you, members of Council, for this opportunity. My name is John Meyerson. I'm the Director of Legislation and Political Action for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and we represent the clerks who work in the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits shops, and on behalf of Wendell Young, our President, who could not be here today because he is in Erie testifying in the House panel on this committee -- on this issue, and if anybody has been to Erie, you know he would really rather be in Philadelphia. But I would like to thank Council for its consideration of this resolution. It's very important to the hundreds of PLCB employees who work in the City of Philadelphia. It's very important to the communities and the children of Philadelphia who our hard-working clerks work to protect every day, and it's very important for the revenue of the Commonwealth. The Liquor Board -- liquor stores return a half a billion dollars a year to the Commonwealth. So with that in mind and on behalf of our members, I would like to thank the Council for its consideration and urge passage of this resolution. Thank you. 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you very much. Are there any other witnesses? (No response.)
Thank you. We will now consider the bills and resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 110187.
A resolution honoring and recognizing the work of the women of the Philadelphia delegation of the first historical International Black Women's Forum on Education, Diversity and Identity.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell. 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Madam President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 110190.
A resolution proclaiming March, 2011, as American Red Cross Month in the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco. Is she in the room? 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilwoman Miller.
Not for me. For Councilwoman. I need to be excused to attend Council business and would like to be recorded as voting aye on all bills and resolutions.
Thank you. Leave will be granted. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney for a motion.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING The Chief Clerk will please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution No. 110191, entitled "A resolution calling on the Pennsylvania Delegation to the United States Congress to reject the hearings proposed by Representative Peter King, republican of New York, on the so-called radicalization of the American Muslim Community.
Thank you, Madam President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of Resolution 110193.
A resolution recognizing and celebrating Al Johnson, former Local 88 President, for his years of commitment and service to the membership of District Council 33 on the occasion of his 81st Birthday.
Thank you, Madam President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.) 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. We will now consider Resolution 110194.
A resolution recognizing and congratulating the Free Library of Philadelphia on the successful completion of their 9th annual One Book, One Philadelphia literacy program.
Thank you, Madam President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Chief Clerk will please read the next resolution.
Resolution No. 110195, entitled "A resolution recognizing and congratulating State Representative Kesha Ram on her historic election and inauguration as the only woman of color and youngest legislator in the Vermont House of Representatives.
Thank you, Madam President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 110025.
A resolution appointing Christopher Laufer to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney on behalf of Councilman DiCicco.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution be adopted. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. We will now consider Resolution 110026.
A resolution appointing Avram Hornick to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will say aye. 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution No. 110027, entitled "A resolution reappointing Christopher P. McGill to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.) 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. The Chief Clerk will please read the next resolution.
Resolution No. 110028, entitled "A resolution reappointing Carolyn Pfeiffer to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
Those 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING opposed? (No response.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. We will now consider Resolution 110029.
Resolution appointing Lynn Martin Haskin to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING
Madam President, I have a very important matter that I have to leave. I'm going to ask if I can be excused, but I want to be recorded as voting aye on all subsequent bills and resolutions.
Leave will be granted. Thank you. I believe the next bill to be considered is Bill No. 110001.
An ordinance amending Bill No. 100307, entitled "An ordinance approving the Fiscal Year 2011 Capital Budget providing for expenditures for the capital purposes of the Philadelphia Gas Works.
This 3/17/11 - STATED - 2ND READING bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. The Chief Clerk will please call the roll.
Councilman Clarke is voting aye. Councilman DiCicco is voting aye. Councilman Goode.