A union leader in Pennsylvania has resigned after being criticized for threatening legal action over an aspiring Eagle Scout’s volunteer project.
Nick Balzano, president of the Service Employees International Union’s Allentown chapter, submitted an unexpected resignation letter Thursday, along with a few other employees, SEIU spokesman Matt Nerzig told Foxnews.com.
The resignations came one day after FoxNews.com reported that Balzano had come under fire for saying earlier in the month that the SEIU might file a grievance against the city of Allentown for allowing 17-year-old Kevin Anderson to voluntarily clear a walking trail in a local park, instead of paying union members to do the work.
Nerzig called Balzano’s comments “completely unauthorized and insensitive” and said the union was “not at all” considering a grievance in the case.
Balzano’s comments were also criticized by Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Rep. Charlie Dent.
Asked if the resignations came as result of the controversy, Nerzig said, “their resignation letter gave no reason.”
According to Nerzig, the letter came from Balzano and “four or five” employees who were receiving a stipend for their service on a part-time committee, representing a few hundred Allentown workers.
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Anderson, a member of Boy Scouts Troop 301 of Center Valley, spent more than 200 hours creating the 1000-foot path in Kimmets Lock Park along with fellow scouts, friends and parents.
The junior at Southern Lehigh High School told FoxNews.com the project transformed the “former illegal dump site” into a place where people can walk along the river while avoiding the busy road nearby.
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