2020 VOTE: October 27th is the Deadline to Request a Mail-In Ballot

Pennsylvania surpassed nine million registered voters for the first time ever as the registration period for the November 3rd General Election concluded on October 19th. Millions of voters have already requested mail-in ballots and can continue to do so until this Tuesday, October 27th.

Every registered Pennsylvania voter is now eligible to vote by mail without having to declare a reason. A mail-in ballot may be requested online here and takes just a few minutes to do.

After the voter submits a request, the mail-in ballot will be mailed to the voter’s home address, along with two envelopes that must be used to return the completed ballot. Once the ballot arrives, the voter must mark the circle next to each candidate of their choice using black or blue ink (or, for a write-in vote, must mark the designated space). A voter must not select more candidates than the number of seats available for any office. Otherwise, the entire ballot will be invalidated.

The completed ballot must be inserted into the smaller “secrecy” envelope first. There should be no markings on the secrecy envelope. Then the secrecy envelope must be inserted into the larger pre-addressed outer envelope. The voter must sign and date the outside of the outer envelope in the designated space.

To submit the envelopes containing the completed ballot, the voter may use U.S. Mail. No postage is required. The mailed completed ballot (envelopes included) must be postmarked on or before November 3rd to be counted.

Alternately, the voter may deliver the completed mail-in ballot (inside both envelopes) to the local county Election Office. Many counties have established satellite offices or drop boxes as official drop-off points for mail-in ballots. Polling places are not considered drop-off points. A voter cannot cast a vote merely by delivering a mail-in ballot to the polling place on Election Day.

The voter must deliver his or her ballot to the drop-off point in person, unless the voter has a qualifying disability and designates someone else to deliver the ballot using this form. In that case, the designated person must deliver the completed authorization form with the completed ballot (contained inside both envelopes).

Voters can track the status of their requested mail-in ballot or their completed ballot online.

A voter who requested a mail-in ballot may choose to vote in person on Election Day, but the voter must bring the entire mail-in ballot packet (including both envelopes) to the polling place and surrender it to the judge of elections. Voters can look up the location of their polling place here.

Once a voter completes and submits a mail-in ballot by mail or delivers it to a drop-off location, the voter cannot vote in person on Election Day.

If a voter requests a mail-in ballot but does not receive it, or if the voter loses his or her mail-in ballot before returning it, the voter may go to their polling place on Election Day and ask to submit a provisional ballot via the voting machine. The provisional vote will be counted only if the completed mail-in ballot is not received by the county election office.

Philly Teachers Reach Tentative 1-Year Contract, Averting First Strike in Decades

Philadelphia’s public-school teachers have reached a tentative one-year contract agreement with the city’s school district to avert a looming strike.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers was planning to conduct a strike vote on October 21 but cancelled the vote after reaching the eleventh-hour contract agreement. During a news briefing that night, PFT President Jerry Jordan described the tentative deal as “a significant win for us.”

In a series of Tweets, Jordan announced that 13,000 PFT members would receive an across-the-board 2% raise retroactive to August 16 under the agreement. In January, they would receive additional raises based on each member’s length of service and level of advanced education.

Jordan stated that members overwhelmingly supported the agreement in an informal “voice vote” conducted online. A formal vote “will be underway shortly (conducted) by the American Arbitration Assn.”

A new health and safety plan is not part of the agreement, but has been negotiated separately and is detailed in a memo of understanding, Jordan stated: “We did not budge on health and safety and have landed on an extremely strong health and safety plan.”

The Inquirer reported that the safety plan includes social distancing standards, air quality reports, sanitizing procedures, and a process by which a physician will resolve disputes over whether adequate measures are in place.

PFT members – including teachers, counselors, secretaries, nurses, classroom assistants, and other workers – have not engaged in a strike in decades, but their most recent contract expired on August 31st.

Long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Tartaglione, the PFT and school advocates had been working together in the Fund Our Facilities Coalition to fight for the removal of hazardous asbestos and other toxins from the city’s aging public school buildings. The Coalition has continued to meet virtually during the pandemic as COVID-related threats have exasperated concerns about air quality in schools.

“Please believe me when I tell you that we are not going to sit by silently and allow children and staff to go into buildings that are not safe for them,” Jordan said.

Teachers for pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade are scheduled to return to school buildings on November 9th. Their students will be eligible to return for up to two days per week starting November 30th, but families may opt to keep their children out of in-person classes. There is no return date for teachers or students in grades 3 and up.

California Courts & Voters to Decide High-Stakes Gig Economy Worker Classification Fight

The stakes have been raised in the most-expensive ballot referendum in California history as a state appeals court has affirmed an injunction requiring rideshare companies Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees, rather than independent contractors.

The October 22nd ruling by a California Court of Appeals panel came just 12 days before the state’s voters will be asked to consider the worker classification question on the General Election ballot. MarketWatch reported that proponents of independent contractor classification have raised more than $190 million in their campaign to approve Proposition 22. Uber ($53.5 million) and Lyft ($48.9 million) have chipped in more than $100 million combined.

The initiative’s opponents, led by organized labor unions, have raised about $16 million.

Reuters reported that each rideshare company would face more than $392 million in annual payroll taxes and workers’ compensation expenses were they to reclassify all drivers as employees, even with drastic reductions in their complement of drivers.

In January, a new California law took effect requiring gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as employees, but the two rideshare giants refused to comply. The State of California and the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego sued the companies.

In August, a San Francisco Superior Court judge granted an injunction ordering the companies to reclassify their drivers immediately. The companies appealed. This week’s panel ruling affirmed the injunction. The companies will have 10 days from the issuance of the court’s written opinion to appeal to the state Supreme Court. Otherwise, they will have 30 days to comply with the injunction.

A 2018 California Supreme Court ruling in a different worker-classification case provided the foundation for the new classification law, known as Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), that took effect last January. With workers classified as employees, gig economy companies would be required to comply with minimum wage laws and provide workers with benefits such as paid leave and healthcare coverage. Independent contractors are not entitled to those benefits and protections.

The Guardian reported that the Prop 22 fight is considered a bellwether case for gig economy businesses and for worker classification throughout the country: “The companies behind Prop 22 have indeed made billions on the contractor-based business model. When Lyft went public in 2019, it was valued at $22 billion and had 1.9 million drivers working through its app. Uber was valued at $82 billion ahead of its initial public offering in May 2019 and had 3.9 million drivers.”

Yet, many drivers complain that their incomes amount to poverty wages while company executives collect exorbitant salaries.

“California is the birthplace of the gig economy, and how it is regulated in its home state may have effects on how regulation plays out in the rest of the country, and the world,” The Guardian reported.

CVS Wants to Hire 15,000 Pharmacy Workers to Combat COVID Surge, Seasonal Flu

In anticipation of a continued surge of COVID-19 cases and influenza through the fall and winter, CVS Health has announced plans to hire an additional 15,000 employees across the U.S., including more than 10,000 full- and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians who will help dispense medications and administer COVID-19 tests. The company stated it wants to fill the jobs “as soon as possible.”

Many of the positions are temporary but offer the possibility of becoming permanent. The available positions offer flexible hours and advancement potential, the company stated.

In addition to its new wave of hiring, CVS is advocating for an expanded scope of practice that would allow trained pharmacy technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccinations, if they become available, under the supervision of an immunization-certified pharmacist.

MedicalDaily.com reported that CVS doubled its purchase of standard flu shots this year after a recent survey found that two-thirds of Americans said they wanted to be immunized this year. That figure is almost double those who said they wanted flu shots in January, before the pandemic.

CVS has more than 4,000 drive-thru testing sites at select pharmacy locations across the country, including many in underserved communities. The company will also be hiring pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, member benefit care professionals, and distribution center employees, as well as several thousand work-from-home customer service representatives.

Pittsburgh is one of several focus markets identified by the company, as are Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Mt. Prospect (Ill.), Orlando, and San Antonio. It is conducting virtual job fairs and virtual interviews. Hiring information can be found on the CVS jobs page.

September 2020 PA Jobs Update

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell for a fifth consecutive month in September 2020, dropping to 8.1%, falling steeply by 2.3% over the month. The national rate in September 2020 stood at 7.9%. PA’s rate in September was down 8.0% from its record high in the seasonally adjusted series of 16.1% in April 2020 (dating back to 1976). As a result, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate as of September had recovered roughly 70% of the increase seen between February and April (4.7% unemployment rate to 16.1% unemployment rate).

This and the other changes to data noted in this update reflect the evolution of Pennsylvania’s employment situation through the coronavirus pandemic (please see the **footnote below). Over the month, unemployment rolls fell by 140,985 individuals, with total unemployment declining to 518,081. However, it should be noted that estimates for most states in the household survey (which measures unemployment and employment; see *footnote below) were again affected by misclassification from respondents in September 2020 (i.e. workers who should have been classified as unemployed due to temporary layoff were not classified as unemployed).

As of September 2020, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stood 3.4% higher than its level of 4.7% in February 2020, with total unemployment standing 209,053 above its total of 309,028 individuals in February 2020. For context, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate had declined -0.7% over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020, with total unemployment down by 35,408. State unemployment statistics for the month are as follows:

• Total Unemployment – 518,081
• Change Over Month –    DOWN   140,985
• Change Over 7 Months –    UP    209,053
• Change Over Year –    UP    220,203
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    UP    173,645
• Rate Change Over Month –    DOWN    2.3%
• Rate Change Over 7 Months –    UP    3.4%
• Rate Change Over Year –    UP    3.5%
• Rate Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    UP    2.7%

As indicated above, total unemployment’s rounded percentage of the labor force, or unemployment rate, fell over the month (rate = unemployment / labor force). The labor force is the number of employed individuals combined with the number of unemployed individuals actively searching for work. Labor force growth can be a sign of a strengthening economy from more people working and/or more individuals searching for jobs. Following three consecutive monthly declines, PA’s labor force rebounded in September 2020 with growth of 52,877, a combination of total employment* rising by 193,862 and unemployment down by 140,985 as noted above. The increase raised PA’s total labor force from its coronavirus pandemic low of 6,312,511 in August to 6,365,388 in September 2020.

As of September 2020, PA’s labor force was down by 193,031 individuals (unemployment +209,053 & employment -402,084) from its record high of 6,558,419 in February 2020 in the seasonally adjusted series (dating back to 1976). For context, PA’s labor force had grown by 159,267 individuals (unemployment -35,408 & employment +194,675) over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State labor force statistics for the month are as follows: 

• Total Labor Force – 6,365,388
• Change Over Month –    UP    52,877
• Change Over 7 Months –     DOWN   193,031
• Change Over Year –    DOWN    160,094
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    DOWN    33,764

PA non-farm* job rolls rebounded for a fifth consecutive month, albeit at a much slower pace, with growth of 19,400 in September 2020, raising total non-farm employment to 5,597,800. Over the last five months, non-farm employment has grown by 604,700, recovering slightly more than half of the loss of 1,116,500 experienced over March and April 2020 combined (bringing non-farm employment in April 2020 to 4,993,100, its lowest level on record in the seasonally adjusted series dating back to 1990). As of September 2020, non-farm job rolls were down by -511,800 from a record high of 6,109,600 in February 2020 (please see the “COVID-19 Job Impact Ranking” chart below comparing PA to other states for change in non-farm employment from February 2020 to September 2020). For context, non-farm employment had grown by 295,700 over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State non-farm employment statistics for the month are as follows: 

• Total Non-Farm Employment – 5,597,800
• Change Over Month –    UP    19,400
• Change Over 7 Months –    DOWN    511,800
• Change Over Year –    DOWN    470,800
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –     DOWN    216,100

*Total employment for labor force provided by U.S. Census Household survey. The separate BLS Establishment survey measures non-farm jobs only.
**Survey periods for data are as of the middle of the month, meaning changes occurring beyond this time are not captured for the month.

September 2020 State Unemployment Ranking

(Source: U.S. BLS; Seasonally adjusted; National rate: 7.9%)

COVID-19 Job Impact Ranking by State

(In thousands; ranked by seasonally adjusted, non-farm employment change from February 2020 to September 2020.)