Left Behind in the Global Economy Bus Tour

During the IMF and World Bank conference in Prague, members of KWRU, Students Against Sweatshops of the University of Pennsylvania, high school students, and community members took a tour of examples of those "left behind in the global economy" in Philadelphia.

The first stop was the Breslin Welfare to Work Center run by District Local 1199C Healthcare Workers Union. Henry Nichols, renowned leader and organizer spoke about the Center and the upcoming action in Trenton, NJ. On October 19 the Union will hold a rally to organize home health care workers and protest their miniscule "wages". Nichols also fielded questions and encouraged all present to get involved as leaders in their communities.

Next stop was The Glass Bending Factory. Once a major employer, this factory now has a staff of only a few dozen and will soon be completely shut down. KWRU leaders explained that this factory shut down is merely another the long line of factories that have packed up and left Philadelphia, leaving thousands of residents behind and unemployed.

After the factory the tour moved on to American Street. Cheri explained the "Empowerment Zone" project. $17 million dollars has been spent by the Federal Government in the last six years specifically designed to encourage business development along this street, once a thriving industrial center. Despite the investment, American Street has little to show for it.

With the IMF and World Bank conference in mind students read testimony from sweatshop workers and people struggling with healthcare around the world as the bus moved between stops. Cheri and Liz shared their own stories of poverty. With the North District Welfare office in the background Cheri related the desperate state of daily life in Kensington.