Friel Otten’s tweet comparing Pennsylvania’s union labor on Mariner East to Nazis last May left a taste of disdain that remains today. Darrin Kelly, president of the Alleghany/Fayette Central Labor Council, recently walked out of a hearing discussing PA’s petrochemical industry where Otten was present due to her past comments.
After a protest prevented pipeline workers from getting to work, Otten tweeted “The Nazis were just doing their jobs too.” Otten’s tweet attacked hardworking union members and villainized them for being committed to their job and career as highly skilled tradesmen. Her anti-pipeline attacks are unfair to union workers and send the wrong message about pipeline infrastructure and workers more specifically. Some of which are her constituents.
Friel Otten claims she is fighting the project for her family but her family along with all other Pennsylvanian families are reaping the benefits of PA’s energy industry every day. The construction of Mariner East has lowered the cost of energy in the state, employed thousands across many sectors and generated tax revenues the entire state benefits from. Opponents like Friel Otten would rather scare citizens instead of provide the facts about PA’s energy infrastructure.