Support America’s Working Families and Union Labor This Memorial Day

Each year on Memorial Day, America remembers the heroism and sacrifices of the servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives to protect our nation, as well as the families and loved ones of the fallen.

This year’s commemorations will have extra-special meaning for Gold Star families and the nation as the public health threats of the COVID-19 pandemic finally begin to subside and folks are free to gather with relatives and friends again. As many Americans enjoy the extended weekend with barbecues, picnics, and other social activities, we all have an opportunity to show our support for working families and the labor unions that represent them by using only those goods produced and transported by union labor.

Labor411.org has offered the following recommendations:
• Hot Dogs: Ball Park (UFCW, IBT), Butterball (UFCW, IBT), Farmer John (IBT), Hebrew National (UFCW, IBT), Hormel (IBT), Oscar Meyer (UFCW, IBT).
• Coolers: Rubbermaid (IBEW).
• Ice Cream: Breyers (BCTGM), Good Humor (IBT).
• Sunscreen: Bain de Soleil (AFGE), Coppertone (IBT).
• Snacks: Cheez-It (BCTGM), Doritos (BCTGM, IBT), Fig Newtons (BCTGM), Frito Lay (BCTGM, IBT), Rold Gold pretzels (BCTGM, IBT), Sun Chips (BCTGM, IBT), Wheat Thins (BCTGM, IBT).
• Beverages: There are more than 250 varieties of union-made beer. Visit the

Labor411 online directory for searchable listings of all recommended consumer products.

Tartaglione’s Family & Medical Leave Bill Receives Unanimous Support from Labor Committee

The Pennsylvania Senate Labor & Industry Committee voted unanimously to advance legislation sponsored by Senator Tartaglione to extend family and medical leave benefits for employees who take time away from work to care for an ailing relative.

Senate Bill 617, known as the Pennsylvania Family and Medical Leave Act, received bipartisan co-sponsorship and was inspired by the story of a woman from West Goshen Township, Chester County, who was forced to quit her job to care full-time for her terminally ill sister. Senator Tartaglione’s legislation, if adopted and signed into law, would require employers to provide up to six weeks of unpaid leave to an employee to care for a sibling, grandparent, or grandchild with a certified terminal illness if the ailing relative has no living spouse, no son or daughter over age 17, and no parent under age 65.

Current federal law provides the same job protection only if the ailing relative is the spouse, son, daughter, or parent of the employee.

“At some point in our lives, we all need time to take care of our loved ones. And no one should have to sacrifice their career when family priorities must take precedence,” Senator Tartaglione said. “My legislation would provide all workers, regardless of their job or their income level, with the freedom to fulfill their family duties without suffering harmful professional repercussions.”

Senator Tartaglione co-sponsored similar legislation in the 2019-2020 session. SB 140 was unanimously approved by the Labor & Industry Committee on May 7th, 2019, but was not voted on by the full Senate and expired at the end of the session.

SB 617 now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

Tartaglione Hosts Policy Hearing on Expansion of OSHA Protections for Public Employees

At the request of Senator Tartaglione, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing to examine the expansion of workplace health and safety protections for public-sector and non-profit employees in the Commonwealth.
Leaders from the statewide labor community, including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 13, and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, testified in support of enhanced workplace protections, as did a professor from the University of California-Berkeley School of Business. Officials from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association spoke on behalf of public-sector employers.

Senator Tartaglione has introduced Senate Bill 310, which would extend federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) protections to cover non-federal public-sector workers in Pennsylvania for the first time. The Senator noted in her remarks that OSHA was adopted by Congress and signed into law by President Nixon in 1970.

“For more than 50 years, America’s private-sector employees and federal employees have benefitted from the safeguards and the peace of mind provided by OSHA. It is a travesty that Pennsylvania’s public employees don’t have the same protections,” Senator Tartaglione said. “All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and they have a right to know they won’t face retribution when they speak out about deficient and dangerous conditions. My Senate Bill 310 would extend critical OSHA protections to all Pennsylvania workers.”

Senate Bill 310 would establish the Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Review Board within the Department of Labor and Industry and would extend OSHA safety rules to public employees of the commonwealth, all legal political subdivisions, public schools, public transit systems, and non-profit organizations.

“Workers deserve to know that when they come to work, their health and safety is a priority and not an afterthought,” said Senator Katie Muth, who chairs the Policy Committee. “No one should have to accept that life threatening conditions are just part of a job, and workers in every profession and field should have OSHA protections.  I am proud to support Senate Bill 310, and I am so grateful to Senator Tartaglione for championing this bill in the Senate and making workplace protections a priority in our caucus.”

A full recording of the hearing and written testimony from participants can be accessed via senatormuth.com/policy. The full recording of this hearing can also be viewed on the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus Facebook page.

Work Search Requirements for PA’s Unemployment Beneficiaries to Resume in July

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) will reinstate work search requirements for individuals receiving unemployment benefits beginning with the benefits week of July 11th.

Claimants will be required to certify that they have looked for work during the previous week each time they file their unemployment claims, starting on July 18th. This requirement will apply to all benefits programs.

“As more Pennsylvanians become vaccinated and our (COVID) case count continues to decline, workers can more safely return to the workforce,” said L&I Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. “We have been working with our stakeholder groups and have determined July is the ideal time to reinstate the work search requirement. PA CareerLink locations across the state are ready to provide high quality, individualized assistance to out-of-work Pennsylvanians as more displaced workers begin the work search process.”

Individuals receiving benefits through any unemployment program in Pennsylvania (including Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) will be required to certify that they applied for at least two jobs and participated in at least one work search activity each week.

Eligible work search activities are:
• Attending a job fair;
• Searching positions posted on the PA CareerLink system or Internet job banks;
• Creating or posting a résumé in the PA CareerLink system or posting a résumé in other résumé-posting services;
• Contacting colleagues, former co-workers or other individuals in similar professions or occupations to make known your availability for employment or obtain information about available positions, prospective employers, or other employment opportunities;
• Utilizing an employment agency, employment registry or school placement service;
• Taking a civil service test or other pre-employment test; and,
• Participating in a program or activity offered through the PA CareerLink system.

Those who live outside Pennsylvania may participate in these types of activities offered by the employment service in their home state.

Unemployment program benefit recipients are required to accept an offer of suitable work and keep a log of their work search activities, which is subject to audit. A form to log work search activities can be found on L&I's website.

More information about work search, including answers to frequently asked questions, can also be found on L&I's website.

Frontline Workers Face New Questions of Workplace Safety Due to Relaxed COVID Restrictions

With the nation’s rate of new COVID-19 cases and deaths declining to their lowest levels since last summer, the vaccination rate gradually climbing, and pandemic mitigation restrictions being relaxed, many workers and their employers have experienced new uncertainties about the new requirements and the possible risks they may face.

The seven-day moving average of new cases nationwide dipped below 22,000 on May 26th. The average peaked at about 253,000 on January 8th. The seven-day moving average for deaths was 437 on May 26th, compared to more than 3,500 in early-to-mid January.

As a result of these recent trends, the Centers for Disease Control on May 16th issued new guidance advising that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing,” notwithstanding state or local laws and business or workplace policies requiring the continued use of personal protective equipment and social distancing.

In Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf has announced that all mitigation orders except for mask-wearing will be lifted on Memorial Day, May 31st, at 12:01 a.m., including capacity restrictions on businesses and public gatherings. The state’s mask-wearing order has also been relaxed for fully vaccinated people in accordance with the CDC guidance, but those who are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated must continue mask-wearing until 70% of the state’s adult population has been fully vaccinated or June 28th, whichever comes sooner.

On May 20th, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that 50% of adults in the state have been fully vaccinated and 68% have had at least one shot.
The Associated Press reported that frontline employees, such as those who work in supermarkets, have again been left to wonder if they are facing a renewed workplace health threat.

“Kroger, the country’s largest grocery chain, became one of the latest to announce that, starting (May 20th), workers and customers can stop wearing masks in states where mandates are no longer in effect,” the AP wrote. “Other companies that have adopted similar changes include Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Macy’s, Costco, Home Depot, Trader Joe’s, and Target.”

“Some workers have taken to social media to cheer, but many others have protested,” the news service added. “Some don’t trust customers – or their co-workers – to be truthful about their vaccination status since most companies are not requiring proof. … Some workers worry they have been left to bear the fallout of a confusing jumble of policies.”

Business have many options for handling the new guidance. Some are operating on the “honor system,” trusting employees and customers to be forthright about their vaccination status. Others have implemented questionnaire policies or are tracking employee vaccinations through incentive programs. Some businesses, like Delta Air Lines, require that employees get vaccinated, according to The New York Times.

“Generally, employers are allowed to require employees to be vaccinated,” the Times wrote. “The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance in December stating that vaccine mandates are legal. But this is complicated by proposed legislation in a number of states that would restrict companies’ abilities to set such requirements.”

April 2021 PA Jobs Update

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.4% in April 2021, up 0.1% over the month. The national rate in April 2021 stood at 6.1%. Following a decline after earlier stages of the pandemic, PA’s unemployment rate is up 0.4% since October 2020. However, PA’s rate as of April 2021 still stood 8.8% lower than its record high in the seasonally adjusted series of 16.2% in April 2020 (dating back to 1976). From February to April 2020, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose 11.2% (5.0% to 16.2%).

This and the other changes to data noted in this update reflect the evolution of Pennsylvania’s employment situation through the coronavirus pandemic. Over the month, unemployment rolls rose by 4,802 individuals, raising total unemployment to 466,316. Since October 2020, unemployment rolls have risen by 21,974, but are down 556,719 as of April 2021 from a series record high of 1,023,035 in April 2020 (with growth of 698,985 between February and April 2020). However, it should be noted that estimates for most states in the household survey (measuring unemployment and employment – see *footnote below) were again affected by misclassification from respondents in April 2021 (i.e. workers who should have been classified as unemployed on temporary layoff).

As of April 2021, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stood 2.4% higher than its pre-pandemic level of 5.0% in February 2020, with total unemployment standing 142,266 above its total of 324,050 individuals in February 2020. For context, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate had declined 0.5% over Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020, with total unemployment down by 28,827. State unemployment statistics for the month are as follows:
• Total Unemployment – 466,316
• Change Over Month –     UP   4,802
• Change Over Year –     DOWN   556,719
• Change Over 14 Months –     UP   142,266
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –     UP   113,439
• Rate Change Over Month –     UP   0.1%
• Rate Change Over Year –     DOWN   8.8%
• Rate Change over 14 Months –     UP   2.4%
• Rate Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –     UP   1.9%

As indicated above, total unemployment’s rounded percentage of the labor force, or unemployment rate, rose 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. Continuing a pattern of recent ups and downs, PA’s labor force rebounded slightly in April 2021, growing by 2,084 individuals, a combination of total employment* declining by 2,718 and unemployment up by 4,802 as noted above. The increase raised PA’s total labor force to 6,337,905, which is 85,435 higher (unemployment -172,079 & employment +257,514) than its pandemic-period low of 6,252,470 in August 2020.

As of April 2021, PA’s labor force was down by 190,593 individuals (unemployment +142,266 & employment -332,859) from its level of 6,528,498 in February 2020, near the series record high of 6,533,827 in December 2019. For context, PA’s labor force had grown by 129,087 individuals (unemployment -28,827 & employment +157,914) over Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State labor force statistics for the month are as follows: 
• Total Labor Force – 6,337,905
• Change Over Month –     UP   2,084
• Change Over Year –     UP   24,099
• Change Over 14 Months –     DOWN   190,593
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    DOWN    61,506
Non-farm* jobs fell slightly month-to-month in April 2021 by 4,400, lowering the total employment level to 5,666,500. April 2021 marks only the second time non-farm jobs have declined month-to-month since April 2020. As of April 2021, non-farm jobs still stood 703,600 higher than their series record low (dating back to 1990) of 4,962,900 during the pandemic in April 2020 (following a loss of 1,129,700 between February and April 2020).

As of April 2021, non-farm jobs stood 426,100 lower than their level of 6,092,600 in February 2020, near the series record high of 6,093,100 in January 2020. (See the table below for comparison among states for change in non-farm employment from February 2020 to April 2021). For context, non-farm employment had grown by 278,700 over Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State non-farm employment statistics for the month are as follows: 
• Total Non-Farm Employment – 5,666,500
• Change Over Month –     DOWN   4,400
• Change Over Year –     UP   703,600
• Change Over 14 Months –    DOWN   426,100
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    DOWN    147,400

COVID-19 Job Impact by State

(Ranked by % change in jobs, seasonally adjusted; Source: U.S. BLS; figures in thousands.)