Pittsburgh rabbi among faith leaders arrested protesting poverty for UPMC workers

February 28, 2014, 2:11 pm 0 Edit

Rabbi Ron Symons of Temple Sinai was among the 10 clergy from the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) to be arrested Thursday after refusing to leave UPMC’s headquarters at the USX Tower, Downtown.
The clergy were calling for the dignity and a real living wage for thousands of service workers who cook, clean and care for patients at the giant hospital system.
The group said it was “outraged” by UPMC’s continued refusal to work with the community and improve jobs, announced that they’ll return to the Steel Tower in full force on Monday, March 3 — in greater numbers — to call on UPMC to return to its charitable mission.
“As people of faith, we have a moral imperative — an obligation — to act and call on UPMC, our largest employer, to do the right thing and stop paying its workers poverty wages, and to serve as a leader in our region so that other corporations will follow suit,” Symons, a member of the PIIN Executive Committee member, said in a prepared statement.
Read next week’s Chronicle for more details.