Why Philadelphians Were Throwing Pineapples into the Delaware River

Please keep in mind this article reflects my own opinions. This is an op/ed piece. Everyone is definitely entitled to their own opinions and I encourage you to do so in a respectful way in the comments section. I have the belief that in these economic times sometimes we all have to make sacrifices that in the long run will be better off for ourselves and our families. I also firmly believe that how we act not only represents us to our community, but all over the world in these times of instant access to news.

Who Was Responsible For Throwing The Pineapples in Philadelphia, Pa

During a parade and picnic to celebrate Philadelphia workers, Local 1291 of the International Longshoremen's Association were the people who were tossing pineapples into the Delaware River. The day started normal enough with the parade held as it is every year. Then, as a protest, hundreds of these union workers staged a protest by throwing the pineapples into the Delaware River. I truly cannot understand the behavior of these adults. This is a time when a job is hard to find, even the lowest wage paying jobs are hard to find at this economic time. Also, is this the way we teach younger generations to deal with their frustrations? Is throwing things to show displeasure what we want to show our future generations? I know if a child were to throw something in retaliation they would get into trouble. At least I hope so.

What Prompted These Philadelphia Workers To Take This Action on September 6Th, 2010

The reason this union was so unhappy is that Del Monte is sending 200-300 jobs to the state of New Jersey, specifically Camden. Their anger at the loss of jobs is definitely understandable, their reaction not so much. There are ways of doing things to get your point across. I thought the main reason for having a union was so that there were proper channels for workers to go through when there was a problem. Instead, at least the way the news reports are showing, the union supported and cheered on this action.

Why Del Monte Made This Decision

The reason Del Monte is doing this is that the state of New Jersey promised more warehouses and to pay towards Del Monte's electric bill. I understand the union worker's displeasure in this. I also have to look at it from Del Monte's point of view. Del Monte is running a business, and just like any other business, is making a decision that will give them a better bottom line. I'm sure there were negotiations prior to this decision. I highly doubt that a large company would just up and go without trying to work it out where they were already settled and knew who they were working with. I cannot say his for sure, as I was not in Del Monte's top office when this decision was made. I have to say though, it just makes sense that they would do so.

This is definitely a very hard situation. At a time when the jobless rate is at 9.6%, it is hard to imagine someone taking a chance on losing jobs they do have that pay over $20.00 an hour in order to get their point across. Because of the unemployment rates, employers can definitely take advantage of workers, knowing that the employee cannot afford to lose their job. As it is, these union workers are facing a 200-300 job loss because of DelMonte switching to the other port because it has to pay workers at the Philadelphia port more money. When it comes down to it though, I believe the union workers from Philadelphia should have handles this in another manner. After all, while 200-300 jobs is a huge loss, it is not all the jobs. In my opinion, these workers should do everything in their power to hold on to their jobs. They definitely shouldn't be taking the chance of losing their job personally by participating in such an event. If I were in this situation, even if I had to take a pay cut I would do it to keep my job. Philly news quoted Stephen Mullen, a dock worker, saying he earns "$24.00 an hour, fourteen hours a day". I know if I were in that position I would gladly accept a pay cut as making $18.00-$20.00 is much better than $0.00 an hour.

Jane M. Von Bergen Issues confronting many workers swirl through Phila.'s Labor Day picnic The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia, del monte, Union, New Jersey