Good afternoon everyone,

It’s Thursday, June 11, and welcome back to another edition of the Keystone Labor Report. You can find Tuesday’s edition here.

Here’s a bit of housekeeping to go over before we get into everything:

I will be taking off after today and enjoying some rest and relaxation over the next week. It’s been a pretty busy year so far and I am looking to recharge a bit going into the election.

There will be no Keystone Labor Reports going out next week and we will return on Tuesday, June 23, just in time for when the Pennsylvania budget talks finally heat up.

This weekend, I am going to Warped Tour in Washington, DC and I’m looking forward to seeing a bunch of bands I grew up listening to over the past couple of decades. I will be in the Van Ness area, along the Red Line, so if you have any suggestions for places to watch tomorrow’s World Cup game, please email me at seankitchen@couriernewsroom.com.

Sean Kitchen

Political Correspondent, The Keystone

(Sean Kitchen / The Keystone)

Affordability has been a big buzzword lately, and Democrats in the Pennsylvania House and Senate are moving forward with their affordability agenda as we head into the middle of budget season.

House Bill 1678, which places a 5% gross receipts tax on digital ads placed on social media platforms, cleared the Pennsylvania House by a 139 to 63 bipartisan vote with 39 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. HB 1678 now awaits action in the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate.

The digital ads tax is part of the Tax Billionaires, Fund Pa campaign that hopes to raise over $6 billion to close Pennsylvania’s budget deficit and backfill federal budget cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

“It’s time to fully fund the vital services that are at risk because of Trump’s federal budget cuts. It’s time to invest in Medicaid, SNAP and Pennie, and make billionaires and corporations pay their fair share,” Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Local 668, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We commend the PA House for standing up to Big Tech billionaires and taking the affordability crisis seriously. Now is the time to invest in Pennsylvania’s workers so that workers have a living wage and services that community members rely on are fully funded.”

(Pa. Senate Dems)

Meanwhile, Democrats in the Pennsylvania Senate filed a discharge petition forcing Senate Republicans to schedule a vote on raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by Jan. 2029 and tying it to inflation the following year.

Senate rules require the Republicans to schedule a vote within 10 session days of the petition being filed.

“If you or a loved one right now are making less than $15 an hour, it is because of the Senate Republicans in the State Senate of Pennsylvania. They are blocking raising the minimum wage as they have done and continue to do to $15 an hour,” State Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia) said.

State Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny) hasn’t been seen in the Pennsylvania Capitol since lawmakers returned last to work on the budget, but she has been taking advantage of COVID-19 era House rules to vote by designation. You can read more about that here.
One of Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s campaign associates is under the microscope after it was revealed that Cliff Maloney, founder of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania, a right-wing group, was acquitted of multiple sexual abuse charges and a judge dismissed two remaining charges, per NOTUS. NOTUS reported that he surrendered his teaching license.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro goes on the offensive and criticizes President Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada as he signed a trade pact with the government of Ontario, per CTV News.

(Pa. Senate Dems)

Pennsylvania Senate Democrats rolled out their “ICE Out of Pennsylvania” legislative initiative earlier this week.

Their packet of bills aims to keep Immigration of Customs Enforcement officers out of commonwealth owned and leased buildings and out of public schools and public universities, as well as bar them from polling locations, ballot drop boxes, and ballot return sites.

“ Our ICE Out of Pennsylvania legislative package wraps around our communities with meaningful protections. It safeguards sensitive locations like schools and polling places,” State Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) said at a press conference on Tuesday.

He added, “It strengthens accountability mechanisms and upholds our constitutional rights, and it creates pathways for people to seek justice when those rights are violated.”