Saint Mark's Church

11 January 2012

Today members of a local sheet metal workers’ union began protesting outside Saint Mark’s.  A large inflatable “fat cat” strangling a worker has been stationed on the sidewalk near the east end of our property.  The union objects to our use of non-union labor for the project to replace the roof of the Lady Chapel.  The roof is being replaced after 110 years of service. 

This project is costing roughly $200,000, and funding has been provided entirely by a single donor.   Working with our architects we awarded the contract to the successful bidder of a competitive process.  One of the bids we received was from a union contractor whose quoted hourly wages for laborers on the project ranged from $83 - $142 per hour and resulted in a proposed cost that would have prevented us from going forward with the project.

At Saint Mark’s we believe in the dignity of work and the right of laborers to be paid a fair wage.  We have the highest regard for the skilled craftsmen who work on our historic buildings, bringing to bear years of experience and highly specialized knowledge.  Our roofers use tools and techniques largely abandoned in the trade today, but appropriate and safe for this National Historic Landmark building.  Their work is of the highest caliber.

Saint Mark’s is a non-profit institution.  We care for three historic buildings on nearly two-thirds of a city block.  In the past five years we have spent almost $750,000 on capital improvements to our buildings, and we are moving forward with plans to invest more than $3 million in capital repairs and improvements to our buildings in coming years.  Meanwhile, we continue to feed about 150 homeless and hungry people every Saturday morning.  We provide groceries for as many as 200 families a month.  Last fall we opened a middle school for children from low-income families in North Philadelphia.  And we maintain a schedule of worship and prayer that is more demanding than any other Episcopal parish in the City.  All of this is accomplished by the generosity and devotion of our members, and by the grace of God.

Neither our contractors, nor the members who make possible all we do at Saint Mark’s, nor the donors, nor our daily worshipers deserves to be harassed for the work we do or what we stand for.  

SEAN MULLEN

Rector