Home grown terrorists are among us
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:33 pm
police tie construction-site arson to union sabotage.
The site where Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting is building a new meetinghouse was damaged by arsonists during Christmas week, and police are now "absolutely" sure the attack was the result of a dispute between members of a Philadelphia construction union and the project's nonunion contractor.
The Philadelphia construction union has declared that no nonunion construction in their region of the State will be allowed to stand.
The Dec. 21 incident, Lt. George McClay of Northwest Detectives said Friday that he was certain the building on East Mermaid Lane was targeted by the union because it is being built with nonunion labor. The total cost for the building, which includes a work by the nationally recognized light artist James Turrell, is expected to run just over $6 million.
The attack is the second violent incident in Philadelphia this year related to the use of nonunion construction workers. This spring, union protesters clashed with nonunion workers renovating the former Goldtex factory tower at 12th and Wood Streets for Post Bros., an apartment developer.