WHEREAS, Crown Holdings, formerly known as Crown Cork and Seal, is a major multinational corporation with roots in the Philadelphia area dating back to 1936; and
WHEREAS, Crown moved its headquarters to Philadelphia in 1958. Today Crown Holdings ranks among the top ten Fortune 500 companies located in the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area; and
WHEREAS, Crown, with over 140 plants and 21,000 employees worldwide, wields enormous power over its employees; and
WHEREAS, The members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9176 in Toronto, Ontario were forced to strike on September 6, 2013. Crown demanded major concessions from workers that included hiring new workers at wages 42% lower than existing ones—a roll back to levels of 1987. Ironically, Crown called for these concessions not long after being named the 2012 Plant of the Year in North America; and
WHEREAS, The average seniority in Crown's Toronto plant is over 20 years; some employees have worked at the plant for over 40 years. Crown, in its latest offer almost 19 months after the workers initially decided to strike, has demanded even further cuts; and
WHEREAS, Crown has informed the USW that it does not want to take back 34 workers, including those most dedicated to picketing and to the campaign for public support, and that Crown does want to keep its replacement workers, even if the union agrees to reductions in wages and benefits; and
WHEREAS, The USW has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, alleging Crown has violated labor laws by failing to bargain in good faith with the USW; and
WHEREAS, Striking USW members have traveled to Philadelphia numerous times, picketed Crown headquarters and received the complete support f the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby condemns the actions of Crown Holdings and calls upon the company to drop its anti-union demands and negotiate a fair contract that gives all of the USW strikers a fair opportunity to return to work.
End