Study: Minorities In Pittsburgh Region Dominate Low-Wage Jobs

Ever since the British defeated the French and the Indians then changed the name of Fort Duquesne to Fort Pitt, the vast majority of the population of Pittsburgh has been white.

The workforce of the Pittsburgh region is now 89 percent white, with the remaining share of workers split between African Americans (7 percent), Hispanics and Asians (2 percent each), and 1 percent people who are listed as another racial minority, according to a study released Thursday by the Workforce Diversity Indicators Initiative that was the subject of a forum on diversity at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The employment sectors with the most diversity also were the lowest-paying sectors, such as administrative and support services with 20 percent share of minorities. That sector includes office work jobs and marketing but also security services, cleaning and maintenance and waste disposal. Minority workers in those jobs make $2,761 a month, which, according to the report, was one of the lowest of all sectors.

Even lower pay was found in the sector with the second highest concentration of minority workers — accommodation and food services — which had 16 percent representation by minority workers on the payrolls earning $1,442 a month.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2015/03/06/Pittsburgh-region-minorities-dominate-low-wage-jobs-study-finds/stories/201503060177

The Ku Klux Klan Group Running A Neighborhood Watch Just Across The Susquehanna River Says Its Pa. Membership Is Strong

Map of York County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A white supremacist group sponsoring a neighborhood crime watch just across the Susquehanna River in York County says membership in Pennsylvania is strong.

But the leader of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan declined in an interview with PennLive to provide details of how extensive the group’s network is or who its leaders are because they are “somewhat discriminated against.”

“Members could be the guy who is delivering your pizza. It could be law enforcement from the local sheriff’s office. It could be the nurse taking care of you in the emergency room,” Frank Ancona, the organization’s imperial wizard and president, told PennLive reporter Eric Veronikis.

But Ancona did describe Pennsylvania as a “strong Yankee state” and said the Traditionalist American Knights’ reach includes “greater Pennsylvania,” West Virginia and western New York.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/the-ku-klux-klan-group-running-a-neighborhood-watch-just/article_c4117468-ca2f-11e3-9ecf-001a4bcf6878.html

Montgomery County Budget Cuts Take A Toll On Community Organizations

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NORRISTOWN — It’s halfway into the year, and some local organizations that received county funds in the past are beginning to feel the effects of the 2013 budget cuts.

County budget cuts are robbing the Montgomery County African American Coalition of its “meat and potatoes” programs, according to charter member Bob Wright.

Three weeks ago, the group met at the First Baptist Church in Cheltenham, where a consortium of representatives from different minority organizations throughout the county, including the local chapter of the NAACP, discussed the budget and how it affects the low- and moderate-income county population.

Among them, Legal Aid, which received $281,7000 from the county general fund in 2012, was initially zeroed out of the budget for fiscal year 2013.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130707/NEWS01/130709776/montgomery-county-budget-cuts-take-a-toll-on-community-organizations#full_story