Bill Tracker
House Bill 129 – Eliminating In-Person UC Hearings
Posted on June 30, 2022
HB 129 seeks to eliminate in-person Unemployment Compensation (UC) hearings and require all hearings to be conducted by phone or video conference. This would be a detriment to not only the hardworking union members at the Office of UC, but to the Pennsylvanians who rely on their services, often in their most difficult hour.
For these reasons, AFSCME Council 13 urges opposition to HB 129:
Lack of access to technology and barriers in skill level: Due to both financial restraints and geographic location, not all Pennsylvanians can be expected to have adequate access to Internet and the required technology for virtual hearings. Beyond that, not everyone is comfortable using such technology, which could seriously hinder their ability to make a compelling case.
Technological difficulties even when one does have access: While hearings were conducted virtually as a necessity at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has presented many technical and practical challenges along the way, just like many of us have experienced with remote working and virtual meetings. Something as important as the outcome of a Pennsylvanian’s unemployment hearing should not be subject to such impairments.
Challenges to properly conducted hearings: Permanent virtual hearings would create undue difficulty for referees to make credible determinations for claimants or employers, and for claimants to adequately present evidence and supporting documents. When hearings are held in person, documents may be submitted on the day of the hearing and can be presented by both employers and workers in a compelling fashion. When hearings are held by phone or video, documentary evidence must be submitted far in advance of the hearing so that it can be given to all parties for review. Because of this new administrative constraint, employers and workers may be losing out on the opportunity to present critical evidence that supports their case.
Obstructions to making a credible case over the phone or on video: Even a video conference does not allow for the same kind of nuanced communication that an in-person meeting can provide, like body language and eye contact, which makes it difficult to make one’s case to the best of their ability. Also, foreign language translation is more challenging to conduct over phone or video.
Threats to the livelihoods of Pennsylvanians: Passage of HB 129 would present a higher likelihood that UC claimants would go without desperately needed income support due to incorrect disqualifications that have already resulted in thousands of unresolved claims. This ultimately requires these claimants and involved parties to meet for in-person appeals.
House Bill 71 – Restricting State Revenue
Posted on April 19, 2022
HB 71 is misleadingly labeled as “The Taxpayer Protection Act” or “Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR)” and threatens to severely limit the ability of the state government to collect and reserve revenue – revenue that funds the jobs of AFSCME members and other vital public programs and resources.
House Bill 1976 – Public Sector OSHA
Posted on April 19, 2022
Senate Bill 310 – Public Sector OSHA
Posted on April 19, 2022
SB 310 would provide workplace standards of health and safety similar to those of OSHA for public sector employees. Pennsylvania’s public employees do not currently have these kinds of protections, and they are long overdue.
House Bill 2272 – Liquor Privatization
Posted on January 21, 2022
HB 2272 seeks to privatize the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), which would jeopardize union jobs in the agency and state liquor stores while disrupting wine and liquor sales in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 2048 – Limiting Public Employee Free Speech
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 2048 is the latest Paycheck Deception scheme that seeks to restrict the free speech and expression of public employees and union members by banning the deduction of voluntary political contributions from their paychecks.
House Bill 2042 – Spreading Anti-Union Messaging Through Public Employers
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 2042 seeks to use government employers as a vehicle to spread anti-union information, and even misinformation, to employees with the intention of dismantling union membership and eroding worker freedom.
House Bill 2037 – Attacking Union Membership Security
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 2037 seeks to impose rigid recertification processes on unions that purposely disrupt unions’ abilities to represent employees and collectively bargain.
House Bill 2036 – Attacking Union Membership Security
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 2036 seeks to restrict public employees’ collective bargaining rights and to disrupt unions’ ability to properly serve and maintain their memberships.
House Bill 845 – Disrupting Collective Bargaining
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 845 is yet another attempt at complicating and interrupting the collective bargaining process for public employees by requiring a proposed agreement to be posted online or the agreement becomes void. CBAs are already posted online — this bill is a redundant and unnecessary attack on unions.
House Bill 844 – Threatening Public Employee Privacy
Posted on November 17, 2021
HB 844 would threaten the privacy of public employees by allowing outside parties, including the same political special interest groups behind all of the current anti-union legislation, to have access to employees’ personal information, including Social Security numbers, home addresses, home telephone numbers, personal cell phone numbers, and personal email addresses.