Home

SEARCH

Michigan Utility Workers Help Kids Ward Off Winter Winds

Photo credit: Michael Smith  

Michael J. Smith, AFL-CIO Community Services liaison for United Way of Monroe County (Mich.), sends us this report.

Kids in Monroe, Mich., will be able to bundle up against the cold Michigan winter with new coats, thanks to Utility Workers (UWUA) Local 223 and DTE Energy. The workers and management at the Monroe Power Plant raised $1,600 to purchase coats that were then donated to the Salvation Army’s Coats for Kids program.

During the 11 years that the local union has taken part in the program, it has donated more than 1,000 coats, says Pete Burkit, co-chair of Community Action Committee.

In addition to collecting donations from the workers, including onsite Building  Trades workers, the committee works with local merchants to get a discount, “so we can stretch our dollars,” says Linda Schmidt, the other co-chair of  the committee.

Along with the new coats, 21 “gently used” were donated and then cleaned free of charge by a local dry cleaner.

  Become a Fan on Facebook   Follow Us on Twitter   Subscribe to YouTube   Subscribe to Blog RSS

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article |Comments (1)

1 Comment

  1. Coal Miner\'s Daughter on 27.10.2011 at 11:02 (Reply)

    sweartogod where are you? Why aren’t you on here bad mouthing these union workers? Wonder what God would say about their helping the poor? We know what the Republican party would say “Let them earn their own coats”.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Contact Us | Disclaimer