After 60 years, labor union moves from downtown Allentown to new spot

A labor union that has long represented garment workers in Pennsylvania now has a new home.

The Pennsylvania Joint Board, Workers United, said it moved from its multi-floor office space in downtown Allentown to a new location on one floor in an office building in South Whitehall Township. The Joint Board had been in the Allentown location for 60 years.

David Melman, manager of the Joint Board, said the organization wanted to lease a space that would be better for its needs. The Joint Board has 12 employees in the new office and represents 30 employers throughout Pennsylvania, he said.

Feinberg Real Estate Advisors LLC of South Whitehall Township represented the Pennsylvania Joint Board, Workers United in the lease for the 4,018-square-foot office and meeting space at 5050 West Tilghman St. Cindy McDonnell Feinberg, co-owner, said she represented the Joint Board in the transaction. The multi-tenant facility is in the Commerce Corporate Center.

“Their space before was three stories and a little bigger than what they needed,” Feinberg said. “They wanted something where everyone was all on one floor.”

Melman also hired Feinberg Real Estate Advisors to market for sale its original Allentown location at 1017 W. Hamilton St., which Feinberg said is under agreement with an outside investor.

The Joint Board’s membership includes garment workers, food service workers, distribution center workers, and industrial laundry workers.