Did you know that more than 40% of adults in the United States suffer from obesity? Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for this condition. Perhaps worse is that more and more adults and children are gaining weight across the country, choosing the convenience of fast and nutrition-deficient foods over healthy eating, exercise, and positive life choices. From an aesthetic standpoint, being overweight is a struggle - clothes don't fit right, people make uncomfortable comments about how you look, and everyday activities are less appealing.
From a health and wellness standpoint, however, being obese is much worse. Your life is literally on the line. The people who love you and depend on you to be in their lives could lose you sooner than you expect. With time, you have a higher chance of suffering from significant, life-changing issues such as:
While obesity is a serious problem, a new medication on the market is giving hope to millions of men and women across the U.S. This game-changing treatment is called Semaglutide in Wharton, NJ. This anti-obesity medication is unique because it treats obesity as a chronic metabolic disease, rather than a problem that can be solved through sheer willpower. The best part? Semaglutide and other medical weight-loss peptides are now available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we understand that losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our medical weight loss clinic offers custom medical weight loss plans tailored to your body, rather than plans based solely on your age or weight. In fact, our team of doctors and practitioners provides personalized guidance to help you achieve real results and live a healthier life.
Because the truth is maintaining good health and fitness are crucial in the modern world. Research has shown that viruses and diseases are more likely to affect those who are overweight and unhealthy. At Global Life Rejuvenation, we take a comprehensive, custom approach to medical weight loss that includes peptide therapy and more. We then work with you to make positive lifestyle changes, so you can lose weight, get healthy, and boost your wellbeing permanently - not for a few weeks or months.
If you're ready to get back to loving your life with more energy, confidence, and positivity, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may be for you. But to truly understand the benefits of peptides like Semaglutide, it's important you grasp what peptide therapy is and how it benefits your body.
Many individuals turn to peptide therapy to enhance their overall wellbeing by boosting hormones. Different types of peptides can target different areas of health, such as collagen peptides that can help improve skin, hair, and gut health.
Other peptides, such as AOD 9604, CJC 1295, and Semaglutide in Wharton, NJ, are incredibly beneficial for losing weight. Compared to vitamin supplements, peptide therapy works differently as peptides are already part of the proteins in our bodies, making them easier to absorb and benefit from. Conversely, our bodies can sometimes fail to absorb all the nutrients present in multivitamins, leading to their excretion through urine.
However, it's important to note that weight loss is a complex process that involves various factors like age, genetics, lifestyle, exercise, and diet. While peptides like Semaglutide can provide much-needed assistance in achieving your weight loss goals, they are most effective when combined with healthy dietary choices, regular exercise routines, and overall healthier lifestyle choices.
If you've already tried different weight loss plans and diets but haven't had any success, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may provide that extra boost you need to realize your goals.
If you're looking to lose weight and keep it off, diet and exercise are important, but it can be difficult to stick to a routine. For busy adults and parents, Semaglutide can be a helpful tool for weight loss. This injection, approved by the FDA for diabetes and obesity, works by stimulating GLP-1 receptors in the brain to aid in weight loss and improve long-term health.
You may be wondering to yourself, "That sounds great, but how does this type of peptide work?" Semaglutide acts like glucagon in your body, which signals to your brain that you're full and don't need to eat anymore. When you take Semaglutide, and you try to overeat, your body waves a proverbial red flag as if to say, "That's enough."
Semaglutide also slows down digestion, reducing unnecessary snacking throughout the day. By reducing glucose spikes after meals, it reduces inflammation, which is important for overall health. Additionally, Semaglutide helps your pancreas secrete insulin, regulates the glucose levels in your body, and even has anti-aging and longevity properties. If you're struggling to lose weight, peptide therapies for weight loss like Semaglutide can be an invaluable addition to your weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation.
When combined with healthy lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, Semaglutide can help provide:
There are multiple medications available to combat obesity by suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss. However, Semaglutide stands out as an exceptional option.
A recent study of 2,000 obese adults examined the effects of Semaglutide when combined with a diet and exercise program. The results were compared to those who only made lifestyle changes without taking Semaglutide. After 68 weeks, it was found that half of the participants using Semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, with nearly a third losing 20%. In contrast, those who only made lifestyle changes lost an average of 2.4% of their weight.
It's obvious, then, that Semaglutide is a safe and effective supplement for your weight loss journey with Global Life Rejuvenation. But who is the ideal patient who should be taking it?
If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m2 or higher and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, or if your BMI is 30kg/m2 or higher, the FDA recommends Semaglutide for weight loss.
As medical weight loss experts, one thing our doctors and practitioners know at Global Life Rejuvenation is that true weight loss isn't dictated by medicines. It's achieved by sticking to a combo of exercise, healthy life choices, and healthy eating habits. From there, peptides like Semaglutide in Wharton, NJ are great for taking your weight loss efforts to the next level of success.
One area where many patients fail in this process is with their diet. If you're considering Semaglutide treatment, keep these diet tips in mind.
To enhance your dietary habits, a practical approach is to concentrate on consuming whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. These food items are rich in nutrients and can provide a feeling of fullness and satisfaction while also promoting your overall wellbeing.
Eating mindfully involves being fully present and engaged during meals. This entails taking the time to enjoy the flavor of your food, being aware of your body's hunger and fullness signals, and avoiding distractions like electronics or television.
To maintain good health and support weight loss, it's crucial to drink plenty of water. It's recommended to drink at least 8-10 cups of water daily. You may also try adding low-calorie drinks like herbal tea or infused water to keep things interesting.
Planning your meals in advance is an effective approach to maintaining a healthy diet. Set aside some time each week to plan your meals and snacks, keeping in mind to incorporate a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This will prevent impulsive food choices and guarantee that you have nutritious options available when hunger strikes.
Unlike many medical weight loss clinics, which only offer cookie-cutter weight loss plans and one or two additional fat-busting solutions, Global Life Rejuvenation provides access to new, innovative supplements and medicines. If you're used to fad diets and "quick" weight loss plans, peptides like AOD 9604 and others may be new to you. To help build your foundation of healthy living knowledge, let's take a look at a few of the most popular weight-loss peptides and medicines available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
Often combined with Semaglutide regimens, AOD 9604 is known to promote fat breakdown, inhibit lipogenesis, and support tendons and cartilage. However, most recently, it has gained popularity due to its ability to boost metabolism and aid in burning fat.
What sets AOD 9604 apart is that it stimulates the pituitary gland without affecting tissue growth or blood sugar levels. Additionally, it can burn fat without causing overeating, making it a viable option for obese men and women who are trying to implement better eating habits.
Interestingly, AOD 9604 activates your body's fat-burning processes without requiring an HGH receptor. It also releases obese fat cells and reduces the accumulation of new fat cells. By helping to regulate blood sugar and manage insulin levels, AOD 9604 is excellent for weight loss but also for other maladies like inflammation.
Some conditions that this powerful peptide can help address include the following:
This medical weight loss supplement Is technically a combo of two peptides. These substances work by stimulating your pituitary gland to produce more of your body's natural human growth hormone, which is secreted during both waking and sleeping periods.
This results in increased protein synthesis and levels of insulin-like growth factors. As hormone secretagogues, they help release hormones into circulation while mimicking the pituitary gland's production. Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin. As a tool for medical weight loss, it has shown very promising results.
That's because when growth hormone levels increase, nutrients are transported through the body faster, more fat is burned, and weight management becomes simpler. Additionally, because CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin increase the amount of growth hormone in your body, it stimulates the breakdown of triglycerides in adipocytes, leading to improved fat metabolism and reduced abdominal fat.
Benefits of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin for weight loss include:
A Methionine Inositol Choline (MIC) injection is a mixture of lipotropics that aid in fat breakdown. The key components - methionine, inositol, and choline - work together to metabolize fat cells and eliminate stored fat deposits in the liver and body. Methionine is an important amino acid, inositol contributes to proper cell formation, and choline is a water-soluble nutrient that promotes healthy liver function. When combined, these compounds may help reduce body fat.
When used in conjunction with a medical weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation, MIC injections can be a powerful addition to reclaiming your health and wellbeing.
Request AppointmentLike other weight loss peptides and medicines on this page, Phentermine can help you lose weight when you stick to a medical weight loss plan that includes dieting, exercise, and smart life choices. It does so by reducing your appetite, which limits the number of calories you eat every day.
As is the case with Semaglutide, Phentermine has been approved by the FDA and is supported by clinical studies that show it can support weight loss. With time, patience, and healthy living, this supplement may help you reach your wellness goals sooner than you thought possible.
Request AppointmentIn the body, 7-keto-DHEA is produced from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is a hormone made by glands near your kidneys. However, unlike DHEA, 7-keto-DHEA is not converted into androgen and estrogen in your body. Instead, 7-keto-DHEA is used orally or topically to boost your body's metabolism. It also helps convert more of your energy into heat, instead of storing it in your body as fat, which can accumulate with time and lifestyle choices.
Much like Semaglutide treatment in Wharton, NJ, 7-keto-DHEA has been shown to be very effective for weight loss as well as a host of other issues. Additional benefits of taking 7-keto-DHEA may include the following:
Have you tried everything under the sun to try and eliminate the cellulite on your legs, arms, and other areas of your body? If you're like most people, getting rid of cellulite isn't just difficult - it's nearly impossible. Fortunately, those days are over. Lipo Sculpt Cream from Global Life Rejuvenation can help reduce the unsightly appearance of cellulite while also refining your figure and firming up your skin.
The active ingredients in this product have the ability to reduce and prevent the growth of fatty tissue while also improving microcirculation. They work together to treat both adipose and aqueous cellulite, and aid in the elimination of fatty deposits and excess water stored in the tissues. This results in a reduction of dimples and an overall improvement in the appearance of your skin.
If you have experienced success with a medical weight loss plan and reached your target weight but still suffer from cellulite, Lipo Sculpt Cream is a fantastic choice to consider. A few of the most common benefits include:
Are you craving a productive life at a healthy weight? Are you ready to make a meaningful difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones? The pathway to wellbeing starts by contacting our office for an in-depth consultation, where we'll learn more about your weight-loss goals and needs.
From there, we'll create a custom weight-loss plan tailored to your body. This plan will map out the steps of your weight-loss journey, including peptide therapies like Semaglutide in Wharton, NJ. Though every person's weight management goals are different, when you're a patient at Global Life Rejuvenation, you benefit from dedicated doctors and practitioners committed to improving your weight and, in turn, your health.
Whether your health is on the line, or you don't like how being overweight makes you look and feel, our team is ready to guide you toward long-term health and happiness. This way, you can get healthy, stay in shape, and fall in love with your newfound body.
Ribbon-Cutting to Mark Completion of 16-Year Preservation MissionWith some fanfare and a ribbon cutting, Wharton Borough will officially complete a 16-year mission to restore one of the most remarkably preserved and unique sections of the famous Morris Canal – and of course, the festivities will be held at the 47th Annual “Canal Day Music & Craft Festival” in Wharton Borough on Aug. 20.The site at Wharton’s Hugh Force Canal Park...
Ribbon-Cutting to Mark Completion of 16-Year Preservation Mission
With some fanfare and a ribbon cutting, Wharton Borough will officially complete a 16-year mission to restore one of the most remarkably preserved and unique sections of the famous Morris Canal – and of course, the festivities will be held at the 47th Annual “Canal Day Music & Craft Festival” in Wharton Borough on Aug. 20.
The site at Wharton’s Hugh Force Canal Park is one of the remaining and best-preserved watered sections of the historic Morris Canal, which was responsible for the economic development of not only the Borough but the entire region 175 years ago. The restoration project, developed with $4.7 million in state and county grants, involves a quarter-mile stretch of the old 102-mile long canal that once linked Phillipsburg and Jersey City.
A lock, by which boats were once elevated or lowered during their journey through sections of the uniquely engineered canal, is being fully restored, along with an adjacent, stone “lock tender’s” house that will become a new museum.
Join the Ribbon Cutting & Fun on August 20, 10:00 a.m.
Hugh Force Canal Park, 180 West Central Ave., Wharton, NJ 07885
The Music & Craft Festival Runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The Morris Canal Lock 2 East restoration project was sixteen years in the making. The plan was to make Wharton Borough a destination utilizing remnants from its past glory, and just as this 19th Century waterway was revolutionary with its engineering achievements, the canal site today will produce economic vitality for the Borough nearly 200 years later,” said John Manna, President of the Canal Day Association and project coordinator for Wharton.
“This project focused federal, state, and municipal governments to this end, and we hope to have busloads of school children visit daily to learn about this legacy. You know it's not every day that a piece of history is brought back to life from the past,” Manna added.
“You know it's not every day that a piece of history is brought back to life from the past,” John Manna, President of the Canal Day Association.
It was a multi-year, multi-phase plan funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (over $4 million) the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund
(over $658,000) and the New Jersey Historic Trust (over $88,000). Also key to its success were the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, the Morris County Park Commission, Wharton Borough’s mayors and council members over two decades, and the Canal Society of New Jersey.
“This is absolutely unique. Wharton now has a beautifully restored, quarter-mile segment of the historic Morris Canal, as well as the only operational canal lock on what remains of the entire 102-miles of the old canal. The project also restored one of the few remaining lock-tender houses on the canal. Due to the diligence and hard work of everyone involved from the start, this project is a major success,” said Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw, liaison to the county’s Office of Planning and Preservation.
“Wharton wanted this project for many years because it would make Wharton a destination point. Every town council over the years supported the restoration. The Morris Canal created Wharton’s early economy. It built the economy of the entire area. This is about our history, and with the help of so many, we have finally restored a stretch of the canal that includes a working lock, the tender house, a quarter mile of the canal and we even have the pond where boats would float and wait to go through the lock,” said Wharton Mayor William Chegwidden, who also is a high school history teacher.
The Mayor also credited John Manna with initiating the project and spearheading efforts over the past 20 years to get it completed.
Hugh Force Canal Park is also part of the Morris County Park Commission’s West Morris Greenway, a trail system that remains under development and in planning
stages, but eventually will extend into Jefferson Township. Because of its historical significance and unique features, the canal restoration at Hugh Force Canal Park is expected to become an attraction for educational programs, school visits and tourists.
The lock, also historically known as Bird’s Lock, had been buried long ago when the development of railroads prompted the state to abandon the Morris Canal in 1924. No one was certain what remained of the lock, as so many other locks, prisms and inclines along the 102-mile stretch had been destroyed, repurposed or left to decay over the past century. However, the project revealed not only that the stone walls remained remarkably intact, but the original Mitre gate doors also were found buried at the site so that it was possible to reconstruct exact replicas of the originals, which will be placed on display.
Explore the Canal Day Website for More Information
Project History, Cost and Funding Sources
2006 - NJ Historic Trust and Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided grant funding of $87,000. The funds were utilized to create an historic site master plan and feasibility study. Funds were also utilized for determining the condition of the buried lock in which 64 shovel tests and large trenches were made, during which 731 artifacts were retrieved.
2007 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided a grant of $100,000 to assist with professional services towards the restoration of the lock. The funds were utilized to acquire DEP permitting and approvals.
2008 - NJ Historic Trust granted an award of $50,000 for the preparation of restoration documents for the lock, canal basin, and lock tender’s house. This work included site analysis, environmental permitting, and schematic design, as well as archaeological monitoring.
2010 - The project received Department of Environmental Protection permitting approvals to begin work.
2010 – N.J. Department of Transportation provided a grant totaling $582,000 to excavate Lock 2E and restore the stone walls to grade level.
2011 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided a construction grant of
$286,450 for the fabrication of wood lock gates, control mechanism, and funding for the construction of the lock walls to their historic elevation.
2015 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided funding of $117,995 for Mitre Gates.
2016 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided $27,852 for construction documents.
2017 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided a grant of $38,790 for design and contract administration for the lock tender’s house construction.
2018 - Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund provided a grant of $38,250 for design and contract administration for the lock construction.
2019 - New Jersey Department of Transportation provided funding of $3,424,800 through their Transportation Alternative Grant Program
PHOTOS
Top Right: Bird's Lock and the "lock tender's" house on the Morris Canal in Wharton as it appears today, with restoration work about finished.
Top Left: The same view of Bird's Lock and the "lock tender's" house on the Morris Canal circa 1900.
Center Right: Bird's Lock and the "lock tender's" house on the Morris Canal today, looking east over the lock.
Center Left: The same eastward view of Bird's Lock, which had remained buried prior to restoration work beginning, and the "lock tender's" house in ruins prior to its restoration.
Center Right: A 1904 photograph of Bird's Lock in action, 20 years before the Morris Canal was decommissioned by the State of New Jersey.
The world's largest beverage bottler has been fined $49,724 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for "serious violations" that could endanger employees at their plant in Wharton.Employees of the Refresco bottling factory and community groups rallied outside the facility on Nov. 15 to demand bet...
The world's largest beverage bottler has been fined $49,724 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for "serious violations" that could endanger employees at their plant in Wharton.
Employees of the Refresco bottling factory and community groups rallied outside the facility on Nov. 15 to demand better working conditions and recognition of their union. A week later, OSHA began a series of inspections at the plant that continued through last week.
An OSHA citation and notification dated May 19 lists four "serious violations" including wet walking surfaces on four occasions, employee exposure to continuous noise levels at 217% of the permissible action level exposure limit, failing to document the basis for determining that all hazards in a permit space had been eliminated, and failure to certify that propane-powered forklift and electric pallet jack operators had been trained and evaluated.
Refresco claims to be the world’s largest independent bottler for retailers and branded beverage companies in Europe and North America, producing more than 30 million liters of drinks per day. It employs about 4,000 workers in 31 facilities, 26 located in the United States,
Workers at Refresco in Wharton bottle and ship beverages such as BodyArmor Sports Drink for Coca-Cola, Gatorade by Pepsi, Juice Bowl, Arizona Iced Tea and Tropicana juices.
A majority of the 250 workers there voted in June to join the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America union. The majority Latino workforce cited unsafe working conditions, treatment by supervisors, low wages and long hours as reasons for starting the union.
New hazard:'We're too nervous': Avian flu rattles NJ poultry, egg farmers
Morristown facility:In war and peace, these armories in New Jersey are civic treasures
"Refresco is committed to the health and safety of its employees," a Refresco spokesperson stated. "As part of these efforts, the company continues its cooperation with OSHA. Refresco welcomes this opportunity to further review and enhance workplace health and safety at its Wharton facility."
In 2015, OSHA cited the plant for eight serious violations, including two "willful violations" for not providing hearing tests for workers exposed to prolonged noise.
The company has until June 13 to abate the current violations and June 19 to pay the fines, or risk incurring additional penalties, interest and administrative costs.
At the November rally, Anthony Sanchez, a machine operator at Refresco for the last 15 years, said employees were "working in unsafe conditions, with low salaries."
"It's been four months since we had our union election," Sanchez said. "Refresco ran an aggressive anti-union campaign to intimidate and try to silence us and now is refusing to negotiate with our union.”
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven
A new outdoor museum will highlight New Jersey's history of innovation by unearthing its once-great conduit of commerce.Set to open in August during Wharton's Canal Day, Lock 2 East and its tender’s house share the story of the equine-powered Morris Canal. The predecessor to North Jersey's railroad network has been out of use for nearly a century but was nonetheless instrumental in shaping the region, said John Manna, a community volunteer who helped oversee the historical site's renovation"It helped t...
A new outdoor museum will highlight New Jersey's history of innovation by unearthing its once-great conduit of commerce.
Set to open in August during Wharton's Canal Day, Lock 2 East and its tender’s house share the story of the equine-powered Morris Canal. The predecessor to North Jersey's railroad network has been out of use for nearly a century but was nonetheless instrumental in shaping the region, said John Manna, a community volunteer who helped oversee the historical site's renovation
"It helped the development in nearly all of northern New Jersey by transporting coal to the iron smelting areas," Manna said of the canal. "The plan is to put Wharton on the map by bringing it back."
Manna means bringing the canal all of the way back. A mechanism is being cast in Poland to finish the upstream gate. Permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are also needed due to the lock's potential impact on nearby wetlands. The plan nonetheless remains to use the lock to raise canal boats 8 feet to permit mule-towed rides from the canal to the pond beyond the lock, Manna said.
Lock 2 East was a lock on the canal that ran between North Jersey and the Newark area and is one of a few sections of the canal that retained its historic appearance. Locks, or basins, were used to raise or lower the water level in the canal as needed.
William Chegwidden, the borough's mayor since 2002, credits Manna as well as state and local officials for their commitment to the project over two decades. A history teacher at Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway, Chegwidden said the restored canal lock could become a regional destination, much as it was nearly two centuries ago.
"The Erie Canal was big, but the Morris Canal was just as important," said Chegwidden. "The canal was our main street."
The restoration of Lock 2 East in Wharton to its present, still-unfinished state took roughly 16 years. Designed to help revitalize Main Street Wharton's business district, the newly restored lock provides a glimpse of a 2-square-mile town that once drew the spoils of a massive iron lode that stretches over the highest point in Morris County.
In use from 1831 to 1924, the roughly 100-mile canal capitalized on the success of New Jersey iron mining and manufacturing. It also fueled their growth by linking Pennsylvania coal with New Jersey furnaces via a system of 23 lift locks and 23 inclined planes linked by a shallow canal.
Lock 2 East in Wharton was filled to raise boats heading west and lower those heading east. It and its kin were basically built as square-sided bathtubs. Instead of a drain, however, they had gates for mule-pulled canal boats to pass through.
Towns along the route, especially those in proximity to iron mines, depended on the canal. Railroads later traced its path to allow easier transport in winter and faster transit overall. The railbed that traces the canal through Hugh Force Park is now part of the local trail network.
The canal today exists as merely a slight depression in some areas. Sporadic roadside markers confirm its path. The exceptions, such as Waterloo Village in Stanhope, Canal Park in Ledgewood and Wharton’s Hugh Force Park, show sure signs.
Wharton borough officials purchased the canal path and its surrounds from the state in 1926. Some 50 years later, excavation started to restore the canal prism, or trench, and its adjacent equine towpath. Today, that path leads visitors from the parking lot to the lock. Manna hopes to see mules one day return.
In the early 2000s, visitors saw little but a mound of dirt when the flat equine trail turned uphill near Stephens Brook. Only a few lock wall stones protruded from an otherwise grassy expanse, Manna said. The lock's capstones and even its iron mechanisms were pushed into the chasm to ease infilling of what local officials once deemed a somewhat dangerous chasm. The excavation was an eye-opening process, said Manna.
The work started with a feasibility study funded in 2006 with $87,000 in contributions from the state and county historic preservation trust funds. More grants funded further studies, plans and permit applications. It was "grant, after grant, after grant," said Chegwidden, including a 2011 grant from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund for new wooden lock gates and a control mechanism.
Other key grants came from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, who recognized the site's rarity and potential, said Chegwidden. In 2010, the department chipped in $582,000 to help build the coffer dam between the lock and the canal for excavation and to start the reconstruction of the lock's stone walls and oak cladding. The department returned with a $3.4 million grant in 2019 to begin the final leg.
The money is helping to restore the lock tender's house using original stones found on site. Built by the canal company in the 1830s and sold for $200 soon after its dissolution, the two-story home became vacant in 1970 and nearly fell following a fire. The rebuilt house will be staged to look like it did during the canal's heyday with the help of the Canal Society of New Jersey, Manna said. The canal-side shack where the lock tender would sit during his shifts will also be rebuilt, he added.
The house is set to officially open for public view on Aug. 20, during Wharton's Canal Day Music & Craft Festival. The annual town fair organized by Manna is set to bring standards such as food and fireworks. Other planned offerings include boat tours, kayak excursions, period blacksmithing and firearms demonstrations by the 27th Regiment of New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Company. For more information on the event, visit canalday.org.
WHARTON — Employees of the Refresco bottling factory and community groups rallied outside the facility on Monday night to demand better working conditions and recognition of their union.Refresco factory workers also filed a series of federal complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to report health and safety violations at the plant. After the workers voted to form a union, the company filed a legal appeal against the move."We are working in unsafe conditions, with low salaries...
WHARTON — Employees of the Refresco bottling factory and community groups rallied outside the facility on Monday night to demand better working conditions and recognition of their union.
Refresco factory workers also filed a series of federal complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to report health and safety violations at the plant. After the workers voted to form a union, the company filed a legal appeal against the move.
"We are working in unsafe conditions, with low salaries," said Anthony Sanchez, a machine operator for the last 15 years. "It's been four months since we had our union election. Refresco ran an aggressive anti-union campaign to intimidate and try to silence us and now is refusing to negotiate with our union.”
On Monday night, Refresco workers along with immigrant rights group Wind of the Spirit and community residents held signs outside the factory and called on the company to start negotiations with their union.
Cesar Moreira, one of the employees and a union organizer, joined colleagues at the rally after his evening shift. Moreira said they braved the cold because Refresco "continues to put excuses" in the way of beginning negotiations and recognizing the union.
"This was a demonstration to put pressure on the company to sit down at the table with us," Moreira said in Spanish. "The lawyers are not letting us have a dialogue with Refresco and reach an agreement with them. We're not asking for 100% or 80% of the company's earnings, we're asking for basic things."
The workers are primarily Latin American immigrants who state in a complaint to OSHA that they have been "getting injured and maimed by dangerous machinery." They often find themselves standing in pools of chemical water and around loud machines, causing hearing loss for some workers, the OSHA complaint says. The complaint also includes reports by employees who said they saw sewage on the floor during a shift, little to no time off, understaffing issues and a lack of adequate training on machine operation.
Nearly 250 workers at the factory reported issues with the plant, according to a letter sent to OSHA by union attorneys.
“We are treated like animals," said Nelva Castellanos, a lead machine operator.
Refresco workers, after a year and a half of organizing, voted to form a union in June. They said the treatment by supervisors, low wages, minimal benefits, sexual harassment, inhumane long hours and an attendance system that penalized workers for getting sick during the pandemic prompted them to start a union.
Refresco representatives did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
Employees' union representatives said two fires occurred at the plant in September and October. No fire alarms went off and the fire department was not called, read a statement from United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 115. The union is asking OSHA to perform an inspection at the Refresco Wharton plant with union representatives present.
No volunteers:'A lack of qualified manpower': Boonton Kiwanis First Aid Squad ceases operations
Morristown:COVID-19 spike shuts down Morristown High School, learning to continue remotely
"Refresco is the largest bottling company in the world. They need to accept that Latinos have won a union here at Refresco, and we need to sit down at the table now," Moreira said.
Refresco is a Dutch-based transnational company with production facilities in Europe, the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the world’s largest independent bottling corporation, with a combined production volume of more than 12 billion liters per year. Workers at Refresco in Wharton bottle and ship beverages such as BodyArmor Sports Drink for Coca-Cola, Gatorade by Pepsi, Juice Bowl, Arizona Iced Tea and Tropicana juices.
Jessie Gomez is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com and NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
A wildfire in South Jersey’s Wharton State Forest spread to 12,000 acres Monday, as officials said it was on track to become the largest wildfire in the state in 15 years.First spotted Sunday morning along a remote section of the Mullica River, and fueled by dry and breezy forest conditions, the blaze quickly reached townships in Gloucester, Burlington, and Atlantic Coun...
A wildfire in South Jersey’s Wharton State Forest spread to 12,000 acres Monday, as officials said it was on track to become the largest wildfire in the state in 15 years.
First spotted Sunday morning along a remote section of the Mullica River, and fueled by dry and breezy forest conditions, the blaze quickly reached townships in Gloucester, Burlington, and Atlantic Counties. No injures have been reported.
The fire, 70% contained as of Monday afternoon, is expected to be completely under control later this week — but could consume about 15,000 acres before then, New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Greg McLaughlin said at a news briefing Monday afternoon.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but McLaughlin said officials have ruled out natural causes.
“The majority of our forest fires are human caused and it’s important to recognize that because it places it within our power to avoid circumstances like this,” said Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
McLaughlin said there was “really extreme fire intensity” throughout the day Sunday due to dry conditions and high winds. The fire moved back and forth across the Mullica River. Firefighters were unable to make a direct attack on the fire and instead had to start backfires to burn vegetation around the perimeter.
“The fire moved in different directions. It spread quickly and with high intensity,” McLaughlin said.
Officials shut down the Mullica River Campground, its trail, and related water activities, such as boating. Pinelands Adventures suspended all its canoe and kayak operations and by late Sunday night, the Paradise Lakes Campground had been evacuated.
There were 18 structures threatened by the fire, McLaughlin said, at state and private campgrounds and several farms, including blueberry and cranberry farms. Firefighters have created barriers with backfires around those structures to protect them.
By Monday, authorities shut down sections of Routes 206 and 542.
Batsto Village and all its trails, the Atsion Recreation Area, and the Lower Forde Campground were all added to the list of closures.
McLaughlin said there wasn’t any threat as of Monday afternoon that residential areas would need to be evacuated.
The smell of smoke from the fire traveled as far as the Jersey Shore, reaching Ventnor and Ocean City.
Local volunteer fire departments from Atlantic, Burlington, and Ocean Counties have been providing protection to the 18 structures threatened by the fire.
Fire authorities said they would continue with backfire operations to contain the fire and asked the public to steer clear and not fly drones in the area.
McLaughlin said the fire could be mostly contained by late Monday night, and he expected it could be 100% contained Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on whether it rains.
Staff writers Amy S. Rosenberg and Kasturi Pananjady contributed to this article.