Good Afternoon everyone,
And welcome back to another edition of the Keystone Labor Report.
In today’s edition we’re going to look at US Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-York) recent comments about ACA tax credits’ expiration at the end of this year and what that means for his constituents. Spoiler alert! Health care premiums are about to skyrocket in his district.
These tax credits are at the center of the government shutdown debate, and you can read our previous reporting on how Pennsylvania would be affected by a potential shutdown.
Lastly, leaders from the United Auto Workers were in the Pennsylvania capitol on Monday, and we talked to them about the potential effects of Mack Truck’s Mexico plant that is slated to open next year.
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There is a likely chance that the federal government shuts down within the next 24 hours because Congressional Republicans are refusing to extend ACA tax credits that expire at the end of the year.
Late last week, Perry published an opinion stating that extending these tax credits would be a “colossal mistake,” even though 28,000 of his constituents purchase their health care through Pennie, the commonwealth’s ACA marketplace.
Perry has a pretty lengthy track record for making tone-deaf comments, but this is stunning after you see how much premiums are expected to skyrocket for his constituents.
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Leaders from the United Auto Workers (UAW) are blowing the whistle on Mack Trucks’ new manufacturing plant that’s scheduled to open in Mexico next summer.
Mack Trucks has been building its iconic trucks in the Lehigh Valley since 1975 and employs roughly 2,500 workers at its Macungie facility. According to UAW officials, as many as 1,500 jobs could be lost once the plant opens.
“ Those trucks built by Pennsylvanians have carried American flags across highways, job sites, and battlefields,” said Tim Herzog, shop chairman with UAW Local 677. “ When Mack Trucks builds outside of Pennsylvania, it doesn’t just hurt the workers who build the trucks. It hurts our communities, our small businesses, and our state’s tax base.”
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Pennsylvania Senate GOP’s budget stalemate is forcing school districts and counties to borrow money and cut services, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star.
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that counties must notify voters if their mail-in ballots are rejected, according to Votebeat.
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14,000 Philadelphia teachers, school nurses, counselors and other workers were supposed to get a 3% raise in September. This isn’t the first time the School District of Philadelphia dropped the bag, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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(Photo: Commonwealth Leaders Fund mailer)
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Have you received these misleading mailers?
The Commonwealth Leaders Fund, a political action committee (PAC) funded by Jeffrey Yass, is falsely accusing the three democratic Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices of supporting a gerrymandered congressional map that favored Republicans 13-5.
The problem?
Spotlight Pa points out that the maps depicted were passed by Pennsylvania House and Senate Republicans in 2011. The justices in question took office in 2015. Then those maps were then overturned by the Democratic-controlled Supreme Court in 2018 because of partisan gerrymandering.
Yass distributes his money through a web of political action committees. Last year, he donated $15 million to the Students First PAC, and then passed the money to other PACs and political organizations that are funding mailers like this.
As always, feel free to email me at seankitchen@couriernewsroom.com if you have any tips or events that you may have interest in covering.
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