It’s OK to develop environmentally friendly buildings … except if it means less work for union plumbers:

PHILADELPHIA - City officials Wednesday approved the use of waterless urinals at what will be Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper, but only after concessions were made to union plumbers.

In a deal that attested to the clout of the city’s unions, the developer agreed to a five-year trial of the 116 planned units that also bars it from installing them in any other buildings it puts up in Philadelphia during the period.

… Liberty Trust is hoping to claim the honor of America’s tallest environmentally friendly building with the construction of the 57-story Comcast Center, which will reach nearly 1,000 feet. The opposition by plumbers had put that bid in jeopardy.

While raising health and safety issues, plumbers were also worried about whether the adoption of the new technology would lead to other changes that could cut into their work.

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According to the AP report, the no-flush urinals — which have replaceable cartridges to trap odor — should save 1.6m gallons of water per year.

And what of Philadelphia?

In a written statement, Mayor John Street said the agreement would enhance Philadelphia’s “growing reputation as a progressive city where great things are happening.”

Well, OK, so long as “progressive” means “you can’t even install a toilet without the union’s OK.”

So remember — when you flush, you flush for the American working man!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 6th, 2006 at 8:06 am by A Senior Administration Official and is filed under Funny ... to us. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.