Brian J. O'Neill
- City Hall
Room 562
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290 - P: (215) 686-3422
- F: (215) 686-1939
- O'Neill's Website
Council Member, District 10
| 1 | United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America | $30,600 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Philadelphia Federeral Credit Union PAC & Employees | $22,250 |
| 3 | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $19,500 |
| 4 | International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 21 | $15,000 |
| 5 | Anderson Construction | $13,650 |
About O'Neill's Top Donors
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
With over 12,000 members, the UBCJA is one of Philadelphia’s largest and most influential unions. U.S. Rep. Bob Brady has been a member of UBCJA since 1964 and the union has continued contributing to his pension for work performed, according to a 2/6/08 article in the Inquirer. Lobbying by the union’s leader Edward J. Coryell, Sr. was instrumental in getting the Philadelphia Convention Center built, yet Coryell also led a strike that halted work on the Center for three weeks in 1991. High labor costs, including wages for carpenters, have been blamed for the dearth of new home construction in Philadelphia. According to a 8/12/01 article in the Inquirer, “The wage rates for union workers who build houses in Philadelphia are as much as 50 percent higher than the rates the same unions charge in the suburbs. The long-standing but little-known wage disparity, combined with union domination of the city building trades, increases the overall construction cost of a new single-family house in Philadelphia by 30 percent when compared with the suburbs, according to interviews, labor contracts, and cost data . . . Builders and city officials say the disparity is one reason that new-housing construction in Philadelphia is virtually nonexistent, threatening Mayor Street's ambitious effort to build 16,000 units and attract 75,000 residents to a city that has suffered a 40-year population decline.”
Philadelphia Federeral Credit Union PAC & Employees
https://www.pfcu.com/
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Gov. Ed Rendell called IBEW “the most politically influential union around,” in an April 30, 2008 article in the Philadelphia City Paper. As long-time leader of the IBEW and former treasurer of the city Democratic Party, John Dougherty has been a kingmaker in city politics, and an endorsement from Dougherty is often followed by an infusion of campaign cash from other sources, and volunteers to help with getting out the vote. The extent to which Dougherty and IBEW depend upon campaign contributions to wield influence was dramatized in 2007 when Dougherty joined U.S. Rep. Chakah Fattah in filing a lawsuit alleging that Philadelphia did not have the power to limit campaign contributions to candidates in city elections. As part of their lawyers’ arguments in Nutter v. Dougherty, et al, it was alleged that the Pennsylvania General Assembly had intended to preempt any municipality in the state from making its own campaign finance laws. Dougherty and IBEW have also been strong supporters of expanding legalized gambling and building casinos in Philadelphia, in part because of the potential contracts for IBEW members.
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 21
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 21 includes painters, drywall finishers, wallcoverers, glaziers, glass workers, floor covering installers, sign makers, display workers, and convention and show decorators. City and state support for construction projects is a key part of generating jobs for IUPAT, and its President James A. Williams estimated in a 9/7/09 Inquirer article that there is $175 million in painting to be done on bridges around Philadelphia. Interestingly, one of IUPAT’s political directors, Joe Ashdale, has also served as chair of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, and was appointed to the PPA’s board as part of the state takeover of the Authority in 2001. In 2006, Ashdale joined a group that included Laborers District Council leader Sam Staten in bidding for a casino license in Philadelphia. This raises the question of whether IUPAT itself has lobbied in support of expanding legalized gambling. IUPAT is not registered to lobby with the state, and Philadelphia does not require lobbyists to register. At the national level, IUPAT has lobbied in support of health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions without going through a secret ballot election.
Anderson Construction
http://www.jjaconstruction.com/
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