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Labor Council To Welcome New United Way Director

This article was written by Eric Hoover, Executive Vice President of the Beaver-Lawrence Counties Central Labor Council.  It originally appeared in the January 2015 issue of the Union Bug newsletter, which can be seen in its entirety here.

6573DEA6-5056-A174-198E46902E9AD387_midMike Rubino, newly appointed director of the United Way of Beaver County, will be welcomed at the delegates meeting of the Beaver/ Lawrence Central Labor Council on January 19th, 2015, at the IBEW Local 712 Union Hall in Vanport at 7:30pm.

The AFL-CIO and the United Way have a long tradition of working together to help workers, families and communities in need, says Rich Trumka, President of the National AFL-CIO.  We are continually looking for opportunities to join forces to help working families, particularly in the areas of education, income and health.

Since 1946 the AFL- CIO has partnered with the United Way of America and I encourage each of you to participate in this year’s United Way Campaign.

The AFL-CIO and the United Way have enjoyed a cooperative relationship for nearly 70 years as they together provide services to members of organized labor, their families and their communities. The partnership allows organized labor leaders to train union members about health and human services organizations that are available to assist those in need.

Labor leaders are recruited, trained and placed on decision making bodies of health and human service organizations at the national, state and local levels. Organized labor solicits contributions from workers through payroll deductions that account for approximately two thirds of the funds that the United Way raises each year.

The United Way and organized labor work together to provide more than 160 full-time AFL-CIO Community Service Liaisons to serve as links between their state federations, central labor councils and United Ways in 165 communities across the United States. In addition 18 local labor agencies and four state labor agencies receive direct United Way Support.

The United Way serves as a full partner to the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) annual food drive on the second Saturday in May each year. The partnership between the NALC, AFL-CIO and the United Way has stocked the shelves of local food banks, pantries and shelters with non-perishables that letter carriers collect from customers along their mail routes for many years.

The United Way of Pennsylvania works to promote programs and initiatives all across the Commonwealth. One example is the Stay Warm PA program that develops strategies to help Pennsylvanians save money, cut energy costs and learn where they can get help in their own communities. More information can be found at http://www.staywarmpa.com/news.html

The United Way of Pennsylvania offers programs for patients who lack prescription drug coverage through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance which offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs.

Since 2005, over 250,000 Pennsylvanians have received free or nearly free medicines through the program. For more information visit www.pparx.com.

The United Way of Pennsylvania is dedicated to providing all Pennsylvania residents with easy access to a full range of public and private programs and services 24 hours a day and 365 days per year. We are taught to dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. In Pennsylvania, we can now call 2-1-1 if we are in need of personal or professional assistance for human services. For more information visit www.pa211.com.

Mike Rubino will bring a new vision and fresh ideas to the residents of Beaver County. In three short months he has established a website that will link us directly to the 17 partner organizations that benefit from donations made to the United Way.

The 17 agencies that benefit from United Way Donations are the Beaver County Association for the Blind; Beaver County Cancer and Heart Association; Beaver County Rehabilitation Center Inc; Beaver County YMCA; Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Beaver County; Boy Scouts of America Laurel Highlands Council; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh Inc; Family Services of Beaver County; Girl Scouts of Western Pa; Homemaker Home Health Aide Services of Beaver County Inc; Life Steps; Mental Health Association in Beaver County; Myasthenia Gravis Association of Western Pa; The Arc of Beaver County; The Lutheran Services Society of Western Pa; The Salvation Army; and The Women’s Center of Beaver County.

Each donor can give a direct donation to the agency of his/her choice and all money raised in Beaver County stays in Beaver County. The goal for the United Way of Beaver County this year is $700,000 and they need your help to reach this goal.

In its 2012 report “Understanding Trends in Poverty in the Pittsburgh Metro- politan Area” The Urban League reported that the number of people in poverty in Beaver County grew by 29 percent between 2000 and 2010 and the number of children in poverty grew by 31 percent to nearly 7,200. These trends lead to more people seeking the assistance of United Way organizations.

Please consider a donation to the United Way of Beaver County during the holiday season.

The Labor Council looks forward to working with Mike Rubino as he brings new ideas to our local United Way.

John Kochonowski, President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 712 and Bernie Hall, a Staff Representative for the United Steel Workers, will serve as the voice for working families on the Executive Board of the United Way in Beaver County.

Please join us as we welcome and introduce Mike Rubino to the working families of Beaver County at the January 19th labor council meeting at IBEW Local Union 712 Hall at 7:30 pm.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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