Good Afternoon everyone, 

It’s Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, and welcome back to another edition of the Keystone Labor Report. 

Today, we’re looking ahead to the Republican and Democratic parties hosting state committee meetings this weekend, and also a quick look at how Philadelphia labor unions and progressive organizations are responding to a potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in the near future. 

(Sean Kitchen / The Keystone)

Pennsylvania House Democrats responded to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s renewed calls to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour during his most recent budget address by advancing minimum wage legislation out of committee on Tuesday.

House Bill 2189 would raise the minimum wage to $15 in three separate increments, starting at $11 per hour on Jan. 1, 2027 and working its way up to $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2029. It would then be adjusted to yearly cost-of-living increases beginning on Jan. 1, 2030.

A vote on the bill is expected by the end of March, and will be sent to the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate, which has refused to move forward with previous attempts to raise the wage. 

“Yesterday, I called on both parties and both houses to get this done and put a minimum wage bill on my desk. The House is taking key steps to get us there. It’s time for the Senate to follow their lead,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said on social media. 

(AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Philadelphia unions, progressive organizations, faith leaders, and immigrant rights groups are organizing around ICE Out legislation in Philadelphia after federal immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month. 

This packet of legislation was introduced by Philadelphia City Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau, and it seeks to unmask ICE agents, bans ICE agents from using city owned parking lots and properties as staging grounds for immigration raids, prohibits ICE agents from entering city-owned buildings without a warrant, and bars city officials from coordinating with ICE through 287(g) agreements. 

These bills have the support of 40 different organizations and labor unions such as Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Unite Here Local 274, and SEIU Local 32 BJ, and has a veto-proof majority of city council members endorsing the bills even though Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has been largely quiet on immigration. 

“We saw cities around the country passing similar laws, including right here in Pennsylvania, and this is one of the most comprehensive attempts to kick ICE out of cities in general. We’re using every legal avenue available to us to move this forward,” Brooks said in an interview. 

(Sean Kitchen / The Keystone)

Both political parties are having their state committee meetings this weekend, and the Pennsylvania Democrats want you to believe that everything is on the up and up. 

A recent Morning Consult Poll shows Gov. Josh Shapiro with a 62% approval rating, while the state party is getting ready to endorse Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign on Saturday. 

Republicans, on the other hand, will be meeting after Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity conducted a thorough search for her running mate and settled on Jason Richey, who dropped out of the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. 

Democrats are dubbing the GOP’s winter meeting as the “saddest event” in Pennsylvania politics.