Posts tagged Pennsylvania
The Cannabis Labor Crossroads: Historic Strikes, Labor Peace Agreements (“LPAs”), and What Comes Next
October 18, 2025 // The strikes at Exclusive Brands in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at Green Thumb Industries’ RISE dispensary in York, Pennsylvania, now stand as the longest in the legal cannabis market. While both actions reflect shared themes—demands for better wages, a voice in the workplace, and concerns about bargaining conduct—they are unfolding in starkly different market contexts and with different strategic aims.
The 15 Most Unionized Places in America
October 16, 2025 // To determine the most unionized locations in the U.S., researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from UnionStats.com and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The researchers ranked metropolitan statistical areas according to total union members as a percentage of total employment. In addition to union membership, the researchers also included statistics on union representation, which is the share of workers whose terms of work are collectively negotiated (whether or not they are union members). Only metropolitan statistical areas with available data were included in the analysis.
Pennsylvania EMT/Rescue Workers File Second Petition for ‘Decertification’ Vote to Remove Teamsters Local 205
October 15, 2025 // Shannon Martin, an employee of North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue, has filed a second petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a “decertification” election to remove Teamsters Local 205 union officials as the employees’ “representative.” Martin is receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
UAW President Shawn Fain: “We Need More Than A Party – We Need A Movement”
October 14, 2025 // Fain, Speaking At A Center For Working-Class Politics & Jacobin Event, ‘Emphasized The Need For A Political Program That Addresses Workers’ Most Basic’ Issues - And ‘How A Broad Strike In 2028 Could Put Them Front & Center’
Black worker’s use of anti-Black slur not protected under Title VII, judge holds
October 14, 2025 // “The results of such a rule would be impossible to apply,” Weilheimer wrote. “How is a manager to know whether the person who just used an anti-Semitic slur is Jewish, or who used a homophobic slur is homosexual? The questioning required to get to the bottom of those sorts of determinations would be sure to lead to more discrimination, not less.” Recent case law has produced mixed results for employees who allege discrimination over the use of racial slurs by others in the workplace. In 2024, a Louisiana federal court held that a plaintiff’s alleged overhearing of one co-worker calling another a racial slur did not rise to the level of harassment, in part because the plaintiff was not the target of the slur. And last month, a Michigan federal judge found that a manager’s use of a single ethnic slur was insufficient to show that the plaintiff faced unlawful discrimination.
Pa. House approves bill opening unemployment benefits to striking workers
October 13, 2025 // New York and New Jersey have similar laws concerning unemployment compensation, and workers in nine other states are eligible for the benefits while on strike under certain circumstances, such as an employer breaking a contract, according to the state representatives. The legislation, which passed in the House 106-97, now moves to the state Senate for consideration. A similar bill sponsored by state Reps. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, and Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, passed through the House in 2023 but died in the Senate.
VOLUNTARY RECOGNITION IN POLICE COMMANDERS’ BID TO UNIONIZE
October 8, 2025 // Today, Mayor Ed Gainey and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s 12 Commanders are pleased to announce that the Administration has agreed to voluntarily recognize the commanders in their effort to form a union. The Commanders unanimously opted to form a union with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Marriott, Hilton workers strike in Philadelphia
October 7, 2025 // Union employees at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown and the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City are calling for higher pay and improved benefits.
HACC faculty reject administration’s latest contract offer, potential strike on horizon
October 2, 2025 // HACC faculty voted 91% against the college’s contract proposal, citing pay and working condition concerns. Union leaders will meet Monday to consider next steps. Withrow emphasized that the union’s goal was not about one side winning. Rather, she said, "a strong contract ensures that the people who teach and support students every day have a fair voice in the conditions that make learning possible." The union is affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Education Association and represents faculty at HACC campuses in Adams, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
Temple University Hospital union pushes back planned strike
October 1, 2025 // Under the provision, members would have had to pay double their current costs for treatment provided outside the Temple Health system, according to PASNAP. Some employees do not live near a Temple facility or have longstanding relationships with other doctors, union officials said. Putting off the strike deadline will allow Temple to hold onto a $4.5 million payment that was scheduled to go out Monday to an agency providing fill-in nurses, PASNAP said.