Working & The Economy
Despite opposition from Kenney, Philly Council advances tax break bill for working poor
The proposal would provide average refunds of $41 a month per eligible taxpayer and cost the city $26.5 million annually.
Philly refinery fire was a WARN-ing: Pa. must do more to retrain displaced workers | Opinion
If more dominos are going to fall in our communities, let's limit the damage and give our families and business a warning.
A family of four in Philly needs to earn $68K just to make ends meet, new report finds
While 11% of white households with two or more workers did not make enough to cover their basic needs, that figure jumped to 29% for people of color.
States adopt ‘Bring Baby to Work’ plans, but lag on paid leave | Analysis
By Elaine S. Povich BARRE, Vt. — Courtney O’Brien’s tiny office at the Vermont Department of Transportation building a few miles from the state capital city of Montpelier looks like a mashup between a nursery and a workspace. That’s because it is. On a recent weekday morning, O’Brien, 29, clicked a computer keyboard with one […]
AI algorithms intended to root out welfare fraud often end up punishing the poor instead | Analysis
States are increasingly turning to machine learning and algorithms to detect fraud in social programs, despite little evidence of actual fraud.
A look at homelessness in the Keystone State, by the numbers | The Numbers Racket
It’s difficult to get an accurate count of the nation’s homeless population because of its transitory nature. But thanks to data compiled by the Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, we have a detailed estimate of what the issue looks like.
Philly Mayor Jim Kenney urges leaders to change city’s anti-business narrative
Mayor Jim Kenney is touting Philly as a pro-business city.
Wolf’s budget earmarks $5M in aid to communities hit by prison, residential center shutdowns
The centers employ hundreds of Pennsylvanians, often in rural areas. But they're expensive. Which means they're the first on the chopping block.
Three charts that explain why, in real pay, Trump’s ‘Blue Collar Boom’ is a bust for most workers | Analysis
In his State of the Union address, Trump said a workers are experiencing a boom in wages. The data say different.
Pa.’s Fitzpatrick votes with U.S. House Dems on landmark labor bill
Odds that the bill will become law this year are slim.
Why Pa.’s public pension funds have millions of dollars of your money tied up in the natural gas industry
According to an annual report released last November by the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System, the teachers’ pension fund has $336 million dollars worth of stock invested in the controversial pipeline company. That’s the pensions’ third biggest holding of a single U.S.-based publicly traded asset.
On Capitol Hill, Pa. Dems advance pro-union reforms with an eye toward Nov. elections
WASHINGTON — Buried under news about the Iowa caucuses, the president’s State of the Union address and the end of the impeachment trial is an upcoming vote on what could be the most significant labor reform legislation in generations. The U.S. House bill would strengthen protections for workers who organize for higher wages, better benefits […]